RUNNING UP THE SCORE? SPORTS PARENTS ATTACKING REFS? WE NEED TO REDOUBLE OUR EFFORTS ON SPORTSMANSHIP
Well, it’s a New Year, but unfortunately, we’re still seeing some of the same old bad behavior continuing in the world of amateur sports.
It just amazes me – and yes, it disappoints and frustates me – that we can’t seem to get everyone on the same page when it comes behaving like true adults at our kids’ games.
And how about sportsmanship? Why do so many coaches continue to have a problem understanding that it’s not good sportsmanship to run up the score?
There was yet another outrageous example of running up the score against a hapless opponent in HS basketball last week. And then there was a nutty congressman from the state of Tennessee who ran out onto the gym floor during his son’s basketball game and tried to “pants” a ref….that’s right – he tried to pull the pants down on an official….I assume he thought that would a good way to embarrass the ref.
And there was the case a few weeks ago of an unhinged father at a basketball game who also ran out onto the floor during a game -- and smashed into a ref from behind, knocking him to the floor, and injuring him.
Now ….you know how I feel about these kinds of idiotic incidents….not only are they all preventable -- but since parents and coaches can’t seem to behave themselves, we really need to set up some strict punishments that will hopefully send a strong message not only to them, but to ALL parents and coaches so that they really need to think twice before acting out their selfish instincts.
Let me go into the details…
On the lopsided HS basketball score.
The Sacred Heart Academy varsity girls basketball team in CT defeated Lyman Hall HS in Hamden by a score of 92-4.
Sacred Heart Academy, 3-0 and ranked third in Connecticut, led 29-0 after a quarter, 56-0 at halftime and 80-0 after three quarters. Before the Lyman Hall game, the Sharks had also routed Stamford 83-48 and Shelton 80-37.
Afterwards, Sacred Heart Academy issued an apology and then suspended its head coach for one game as punishment. In my opinion, that’s simply not enough of a punishment. In the podcast below, you’ll hear what I think should have been handed down
And as for the Congressman from Tennessee who dashed out on the court to try and humiliate the ref? Well, he did release an apology, but shouldn’t he be doing more than just that? How do we know he won’t do this again? I mean, of course an apology is to be expected, but that’s just the start. An apology doesn’t excuse unacceptable behavior.
Again, I know how high emotions can run in watching kids’ sports. But as NJ Hall of Fame coach Jack Smithlin said on the show, “We need our coaches to step up and teach sportsmanship to our kids. We can’t assume that their parents are going to teach them how to behave - especially when the parents themselves are running out on the court and attacking refs.”
Here’s the link to the podcast:https://www.audacy.com/wfan/podcasts/rick-wolff-the-sports-edge-209/the-sports-edge-with-rick-wolff-1125074212