WE’re in the age of sports parenting entitlment…and it’s out of control

Think about the headline stories we’ve been talking about in recent weeks….the inexplicable racial taunting at HS games….endless examples of umps and ref’s being verbally or physically abused by angry spectators…sports parents coming out of the stands and confronting HS and travel coaches at games,

Something is clearly out of whack….we’re going in the wrong direction.

How about the story this past week from NJ where a coach at a kids’ baseball game punched a 72-year-old ump in the face and broke his jaw? And by the way, my thanks to all of you who emailed me or tweeted me about this terrible case.

Folks, what is going on here? It’s as though the world of youth and amateur sport has truly gone off the rails.

What’s causing all of this? What’s the driving force?

Welcome to the Age of Entitlement in Sports Parenting.

I think this is exactly where we find ourselves these days.

Think about it….there seems to be a very disturbing, yet consistent sense of parents or spectators to feel somehow entitled at kids’ games…to say things or do things without giving any thought as to the repercussions or consequences of their actions.

This kind of entitlement seems to pervade everything from screaming and yelling at the games…at the coaches…the refs and umps….and of course, the opposing team. The concept of Civility seems to have just vanished.

Twenty years ago, this kind of behavior happened, but it happened rarely. And when it did, it was quickly addressed, and miscreants were immediately disciplined and ejected from the game and premises.

But these days – and this includes not just HS events – but also travel and club teams – and it involves just about every sport you can think of – parents seem to feel that they have been given a “special pass” to say and do pretty much whatever their impulses take them.

This is not good. Take a listen to this important show and what can be done to stop it: The Sports Edge with Rick Wolff

THE HEAD OF Section ONE SPORTS IN NEW YORK STATE TALKS ABOUT PROACTIVE MEASURES TO STOP RACIAL TAUNTING

One of the lead sports stories in NYS this past week as reported by the Journal News focused on what Section One is planning to do about racial taunting and cultural insensitivity at athletic events involving public schools in Westchester, Rockland, Dutchess, and Putnam counties.

This is big news – not just for NYS  - but it’s hoped that forward action by this oversight athletic commission will take some real proactive measures to allow our student-athletes to compete in venues that are safe from abhorrent racial slurs.

This, of course, all stems from those disturbing incidents at Pearl River HS and Our Lady of Lourdes HS from this past spring and winter. As we have discussed on this show several times over the last few months, it just struck many observers as to why so little was being done to address this issue in terms of either disciplining the perpetrators — and even more importantly, doing something of a direct nature to educate the kids in the school district and its students about race relations in this country.

And in truth, there have been calls for Section One leadership – which oversees athletics for HS in Westchester, Rockland, Dutchess, and Putnam Counties – to have stepped forward and do something. That’s why I was so eager when Dr. Marc Baiocco, the current head of Section One, was gracious enough to come on my WFAN radio this morning. As you’ll hear on the podcast, he handled all the callers and their comments with great dignity and insight. Listen to the show here: The Sports Edge with Rick Wolff

A SALUTE TO THE EXTRAORDINARY POWER OF TITLE IX

You’re going to be hearing a lot about Title IX over the next couple of weeks. This wonderful act was passed into federal law on June 23 in 1972, some 50 years ago.

I know we discuss so many worrisome issues and concerns when it comes to youth and amateur sports on this show, but the truth is, I can’t say enough good things about Title IX and how it leveled the playing field in sports for all competitors, regardless of their being male or female.

Many of you probably can’t recall a time in this country when women and girls didn’t compete on level players in HS or college sports. But thanks to Title IX,every kid over the last half century – regardless of being a boy or a girl – has been able to go out and compete in athletics in school.

And the facilities, fields, scheduling, travel, officiating, coaching, and so on have been totally equal. Totally equal as mandated by the federal government.

That law – Title IX – was one of the greatest steps forward ever taken in this country for women and girls.

In the old days, the philosophy was that girls could play sports just as a kind of social interaction and recreation – it really wasn’t about competing. And the number of sports offered to girls in HS were very limited. I recall there was a kind of basketball where the girls were not supposed to exhaust themselves bringing the ball up court.

Let me put this into perspective. Prior to Title IX, fewer than 300,000 girls participated in high school sports nationwide, according to the National Federation of HS.  Today, it's estimated that more than 3.4 million girls compete.

Today’s show also includes a special surprise appearance from long-times Yankees broadcaster Suzyn Waldman, who filled us in on what it was like for girls to play basketball in high school in the 1960s before Title IX was enacted. Take a listen here: The Sports Edge with Rick Wolff

MORE ON SPECIALIZING IN JUST ONE SPORT AS A KID

I want to return to our discussion regarding the debate on specialization in a sport, and at what’s the right age to do that – if at all.

Certain individual sports do demand that kids start very young….tennis, swimming, gymnastics, and there are others….but team sports don’t make those kinds of demands.

But let’s start at the beginning….

Wouldn’t it be preferable if we just let our kids play the sports that THEY want to play?

Lots of kids recognize on their own that “my favorite sport is basketball…but I’m really much better at soccer.” That speaks volumes.

Of course, what drives a great deal of this are the dreams of the parents for their kids to somehow earn a college scholarship or even turn pro. A few do….but the vast majority do not. And that’s the big risk that parents push on their kids.

Let me share some thoughts with you, which are based upon my observations over the years. Listen here: The Sports Edge with Rick Wolff

racial taunting: A SERIOUS ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED now

You might recall a nasty incident back in February where some students attending a boys varsity basketball game at Pearl River HS were trying to distract opposing black players from Nyack HS when they were attempting to shoot free throws. The students were making monkey and ape noises.

Sadly, no one in a position of authority did or said anything to stop this abhorrent behavior. The school district agreed it was terrible, and was unacceptable. But at the end of the day, nothing happened.

Fast forward to May. According to media reports, there are now some disturbingincidents involving Pearl River middle school athletes who were competing at a track meet - a track meet which involved Nyack athletes. The n-word was used by one of the Pearl River athletes.

The Nyack coach, upon hearing what had transpired, immeiately decided to pack up his team and they left the meet.

On my Sports Edge show this AM, we talked in great length about this growing concern. Especially in light of the Buffalo racist murders, the questions centered on what Pearl River is going to do about these alarming incidents in their school district, and of course, what responsibility the parents carry for this. Listen here: https://omny.fm/shows/rick-wolff-the-sports-edge/the-sports-ed-67e50692-b50a-4b93-890f-d8a0cc08d7ca

REVISITING THE DEBATE ABOUT YOUNG KIDS SPECIALIZING IN ONE SPORT

We all want the very best for our kids, especially when it comes to their athletic careers. But sports parents today seem pressured to decide early on in their kid’s career as to what sport to specialize in. Problem is, how in the world do you or your child decide what’s the best sport or sports to play?

A recent article in the New York Times talked about how IMG, the powerful sports agency, has now decided to recruit young talented tennis players - kids around the age of 9 or 10 - to see if they and their parents are ready to sign a contract and go out and play on the highly competitive junior tennis circuit. We’re talking about kids in elementary school.

What’s the best path for your young athlete? Play a variety of sports? Or just one, starting at an early age? There were some excellent and passionate calls on the show this morning. Listen to it here: The Sports Edge with Rick Wolff

WELL-RESPECTED HS BASKETBALL COACH QUITS AFTER HAViNG TO DEAL WITH POST-GAME CONFRONTATIONAL PARENTS

We have spent a decent amount of time in recent weeks talking about why the time has come for our schools to really hold “out of control” sports parents accountable for their obnoxious actions and verbal abuse at kids’ games.

This issue -  to me - would be the very first mandate on the docket if we ever had a Commissioner of Youth Sports in this country. But of course, sadly we don’t. Or at least not yet.

And right alongside putting an end to parents attacking and abusing refs and umps, we also need to let Moms and Dads know that if they ever get in the face of their kid’s coach, well, those parents are going to be facing serous reprimands and punishments.

Why? Because just as we continue to see the number of refs and officials continue to dwindle, we also still continue to lose coaches from our kids’ teams. More and more coaches have simply decided to walk away from toxic situations where too many sports parents seem to have developed some sort of sense of entitlement when it comes to the way they treat and interact with their kids’ coaches.

Every week I hear more stories of sports parents who, for whatever reason, turn their frustration onto their kid’s coach.

Fully adult and grown-up parents --  who should know better - can’t seem to hold themselves back when it comes to getting in the face of their kid’s coach.

Now, we know that these parents are, for the most part, are good and decent people. But when it comes to their kid in a sporting event, these good people seem to lose their mind.

What’s the result? Pure ugliness. And it should never, ever happen. I urge you to listen to my guest former Saddlebrook HS varsity boys’ basketball coach Kris DeBlasio on my show this week, and how he details how not one but two sports Dads confronted him on separate occasions during this past varsity basketball season. Kris decided he had had enough, and resigned. Listen: The Sports Edge with Rick Wolff

CAN a hs coach in a public school lead his players in an optional post-game prayer?

The issue of religion and a HS football coach’s beliefs was argued in front of the US Supreme Court this past week.

And while the high court won’t hand down its decision for a couple of months, the issue in the case is clearly worth discussing.

In short, here’s what took place. And you’ll hear, this has become a case of “pray to play.”

In Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, Joe Kennedy, a former public high school football coach in Bremerton, WA State, claims that his First Amendment rights were violated because the public school that employed him ordered him to stop publicly kneeling and praying at the 50-yard line immediately after games surrounded by students in front of a filled stadium.

In the first couple of years, Coach Kennedy didn’t pray out loud. Just a few moments of quiet prayer after the game. He did his post-game prayer sessions for a number of years, and he prayed in silence.  No words were said out loud. Nor did ever mandate that the players had to join him.

And at first, only a few of the kids on the Bremerton team would join him, But after awhile, more and more of the players would follow him out to the middle of the field, and take a knee and pray with Coach Kennedy.

But gradually, these post-game moments often turned into Coach Kennedy leading Christian prayers to the youngsters on his team. It became more and more of a bigger deal, and soon, not only were his players praying with him, but so were players from the opposing team, numerous parents, and so on.

Now the school district in Bremerton– again this is a public school -- wasn’t blind to what was happening – they repeatedly offered Kennedy alternatives — like praying in the press box or praying midfield after the stadium had fully emptied. But the coach refused them all.

He felt that no one was compelled to follow him for the post-game prayer – that is, it was certainly not mandated – and besides, he was just practicing his own freedom of speech.

 But there were concerns. Parents in the Bremerton school district were alarmed by this practice. After all, in public schools, there are real lines drawn between religious beliefs and what teachers and coaches can engage in. And eventually, when Coach Kennedy’s coaching contract was up for renewal,  he decided not to come back.

Now, from a legal perspective on the issue of religion and public schools, the Supreme Court has long ruled that school-led or school-sponsored prayers in a public school is against the law.  Along those lines, it has barred public school teachers from leading students in a short prayer at the beginning of the school day --  even if participation was optional.

The Court has barred public schools from inviting clergy to give religious invocations and benedictions at graduation ceremonies. The Supreme Court has even concluded that a school’s organizing of students to lead prayers at football games can also cross the constitutional line.   

In other words, there’s quite a lot of legal precedent here on this issue. But the Supreme Court will hand down a decision on this curious case in a few months. The calls from the Sports Edge listeners on this podcast were superb, Listen to the podcast here: The Sports Edge with Rick Wolff

how to find your career in the world of sports

Look, we all know that only a very, very small fraction of aspiring young athletes ever are good enough to sign a pro contract and to have a lucrative career as a professional athlete.

Problem is, lots and lots of youngsters would love to find a way to stay involved in sports in some way for their careers, perhaps as an on-air commentator or in some sports-related business once their own playing days come to an end.

But how does one do that?

Yes, there are some college and graduate programs in sports management or sports media out there. But even if one gets their degree in those areas, it’s still a challenge to find one’s way into a very competitive field – a field that pays very, very little at the start, although we all know that those at the top can make serious big-time salaries.

To that end, I am eager to welcome my guest this AM to talk about life in sports – with a real focus on those kids who want to find a way to stay close to sports in any kind of sports business.

Larry Berger is Senior Producer with USA Today Sports, and in his work, he routinely interviews top athletes. He’s held this position for close to a decade, and before joining USA TODAY, he worked at MSG Varsity, and before that for the NBA.

In other words, Larry has learned first hand how to enter and then scale the world of sports video, and has been most successful. But there was a time not that long ago that Larry was a college undergrad who loved sports and was also trying to carve a career in sports for himself after college.

Here’s the bottom line: If you have a HS or college student who is eager to go into sports after school, Larry Berger is somebody you want to listen to. Listen here: Rick Wolff -The Sports Edge

it’s time to get serious about stopping attacks on refs and umps

I know it’s Easter Sunday and as such, I have a special treat for you later on in the podcast. It features a salute to Jackie Robinson, and I’m pretty sure you won’t want to miss this special moment.

In short, I’m going to play the actual recording from 1956 of Jackie’s last major league hit.

Again, that’s coming up in a little bit, but first up, unfortunately, we have to once again focus on the nonstop and continuing violent attacks on refs, umpires, and officials at our kids’ sporting events.

Look, this kind of criminal behavior  - and that’s what  it is - has become so routine and so pervasive that for whatever reason, we just can’t seem to stop it.

Last Sunday I mentioned an incident in which a bunch of 8th grade basketball players from Alabama who were playing in a church league tournament in Georgia. Apparently the kids were so angry and upset by losing in a lopsided game that they vented their unhappiness by attacking and beating one of the ref’s who was working their game.

When the beat down was complete, the ref – an adult – had to be taken to a local hospital where he received 30 stitches.

And then, this past week, a Mississippi youth league girls softball umpire posted a picture of her badly bruised face on Facebook after she was punched by an angry mother in the parking lot after the game was over.

The umpire, Kristi Moore, was sporting a serious black eye and facial bruising after the confrontation with Kiara Thomas, who was reportedly waiting to ambush Moore after Moore finished umpiring a bunch of 12-year-olds playing softball.

That’s right…12 year olds playing softball. Something has to be done to finally put an end to this terrible behavior. And that’s what I covered in the podcast - plus as a bonus, the actual recording of Jackie’s last major hit here which my Dad broadcast in 1956. Listen to it here: The Sports Edge with Rick Wolff

TALKING SPORTS PARENTING WITh MY WFAN COLLEAGUE BRANDON TIERNEY

I heard Brandon Tierney of WFAN’s“Tiki and Tierney” fame talking the other day on the air about the trials and tribulations of youth baseball in his town in the suburbs, and I was so intrigued as to what Brandon had to say that I thought it might be entertaining and insightful to hear what my on-air colleague has to offer and share on his experiences.

Brandon was a top ballplayer himself when he was growing up — he was a star in Xavier HS in NYC and played Div I baseball for four years at Marist College – and is now watching, observing, and teaching his 7-year-old son Colton on how to play the game of baseball and other sports. But as you’ll hear this AM  -- and as we already know – the world of youth sports is a lot different from when we were kids. And the way baseball is being taught to kids these days is a lot different from how it used to be taught back in the day.

This interview with Brandon was a lot of fun. Listen to it here: The Sports Edge with Rick Wolff

BOOK REVIEW: A BALL WITH NO POINTS

A BALL WITH NO POINTS: The Story of a Boyhood Dream, Players Who Dared to Win, and a Coach Who Showed Them How

Stephen D. Reddy

For today’s high school athlete, the world of sports is much, much different than it was back in the early 1970’s.

I know, because like Stephen Reddy, I grew up during those seemingly innocent days. Just to set the scene: back then, the biggest accomplishment you could achieve in high school sports was to make your school’s varsity team. There were no outside travel or club teams. There were no recruiting showcases.

Indeed, I can vividly recall that magical moment when I earned my very first varsity team letter, and was thus given the opportunity to wear a varsity jacket. That was something most special. And if you were lucky enough to be on a talented varsity team, you always started the season with high hopes that this year, we would go all the way and win the league championship, or even better, the state championship!

Along those lines, Stephen Reddy was a talented and dedicated basketball player in the town of Westfield, NJ, which traditionally had been known for producing terrific high school football teams. But Reddy was most fortunate to have been part of a team that had other talented and dedicated basketball players as well. In his wonderful memoir, Reddy details how the 1971-1972 boys’ basketball team persevered to win the New Jersey state championship. The book is a tribute to that team, and to their superb coach, Neil Horne.  And of course, 2022 is the 50th anniversary of that remarkable team.

In a way, Reddy’s book is a bit of a time capsule. He describes how he spent a good portion of his youth playing hoops at Gumbert Park, the local mecca for all aspiring basketball players, how he did his best to try and strengthen his thin adolescent frame with muscle-building exercises, how he and his teammates did their best to please the tough but fair Coach Horne. Reddy even writes about going down to the corner store each week to get a copy of the local newspaper to read where Westfield ranked in the state basketball ranking polls.

This personal and well-written snapshot of an era that is long gone might sound foreign to youngsters today, who have grown up with cellphones and the internet.  But the Westfield HS basketball team was unique unto itself. These were kids who were truly students of the game (they were in school when the NY Knicks were winning their only two NBA championships, and the Knicks prided themselves on the art of passing). As such, the Westfield kids not only knew about the value of teamwork --  they fully embraced it. And that lesson comes across strong and clear in the book.

One newspaper which covered the team wrote: “Westfield’s faceless five….no big man, no great shooters and no legitimate star…are noteworthy only because they keep on winning.”  That’s good solid praise, but in truth, it’s a little unfair. There were some outstanding players on that team; Reddy himself being one of them. He even went onto play college ball at Bucknell.

In the later chapters, Reddy writes about his love and passion for basketball even after his college  playing days are over, and how much joy he got from playing the game into his adult years. It’s only when Father Time caught up to him that he had to reluctantly stop playing. But he also writes about the fun he had teaching his daughter Jackie how to play the game, and what a thrill it was to watch her star in her own high school career.

But make no mistake. Stephen Reddy knew how to be the right kind of sports parent. He was hardly pushy or obnoxious. He just wanted to introduce Jackie to the game he loved in the hope that she might enjoy it as well.

Bottom line? This is a book that all pure basketball fans will love. Let’s face it - we all want to win that elusive high school state championship, but this book shows how one rare and extraordinary team actually did it – and they did it the right way.

You can purchase a copy of A BALL WITH NO POINTS on Amazon.

australian youth basketball players are taught to pass first

This past week, did you happen to see the article in the NY Times about what’s happening with the development of point guards in Australia?

In short, the N.B.A. Global Academy was started in 2017, as the league sought additional ways to grow the game abroad and to develop high school-age prospects from around the world – and this program has quickly honed a reputation for producing a certain type of elite young player: point guards from Australia. 

In the Times article by Scott Cacciola, he interviewed Marty Clarke, an Australian who runs the program in Canberra, and it totally emphasizes that it’s all about passing…NOT individual stats like scoring. Clarke,  who is 54, described the distinctly Australian concept of “mateship,” which prioritizes teamwork, selflessness, and loyalty.

Says Clarke, “Culturally, it’s instilled in us from a young age, that it’s more about the team or the family or the business than it is about the individual. And if you work in that direction, you’ll be rewarded.”

 Case in point? Josh Giddie, the 6-8 guard from Australia who was drafted sixth overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder last year, and has had a fine rookie season in the NBA before getting hurt.

In addition to mateship, Clarke also emphasizes “positionless” basketball, which describes much of the modern N.B.A.: offensive sets in which players can swap roles and operate all over the court. In Canberra, players learn all aspects of the game. It does not matter if you are a point guard or a power forward.

“Everyone is doing ball handling,and everyone is doing post work.”

You get the idea….in a world of American basketball where the focus in AAU and club ball is all about individual scoring and the “look at me” approach, this Australian approach sounds to be totally refreshing.

In fact, for those of us who grew up at a time when the Knicks were all about passing and finding the open man – back in their two championship seasons – this sounds like a return to how basketball is supposed to be played.

And apparently, NBA scouts and top college coaches are paying attention to this Australian way of developing players. Is that the future of the NBA and college and HS ball?

I asked Noah Savage who does college basketball on-air for ESPN to come on the show this AM  to discuss. Noah was an All-Ivy League sharpshooting forward at Princeton, and is a product of AAU ball himself. And just for the record, Noah happens to be my son-in-law. Noah brings a different perspective on all of this. Take a listen here: The Sports Edge with Rick Wolff

what are the most pressing issues in youth/amateur sports today?

In recent months we have covered a huge range of stories regarding youth and amateur sports in this country, and there’s been a real depth and seriousness of these issues. In fact,  it’s been extraordinary and at times, really mind-boggling, as to what we’ve talked about.

It’s very clear that the last few years have presented all sorts of new controversies and decision points that parent, coaches, and athletes have never had to think about ever before.  So I asked on Twitter this past week for feedback as to what WFAN listeners feel are the most pressing issues are, including:

The growing lack of spectator civility at HS sports events….to not only college athletes but even HS athletes who can now sign NIL deals for as much money as they want…to college coaches who, for some reason, continue to behave poorly and treat their athletes in disgraceful and disrespectful ways…..to sports parents who feel they are entitled to try and intervene on behalf of their athletes with HS coaches….to travel and club programs which still are not overseen by any kind of governing body…. to club/travel/AAU coaches dismissing the HS coach as if they are irrelevant — as well as these club coaches giving kids false hopes about “next level” playing….

The ongoing concern that only the elite athletes are catered to at the youth level, which pushes out the average athletes….there are continuing “pay to play” concerns… the rising worry that too many officials are walking away and no longer working the kids’ games, due to pushy coaches and obnoxious parents….to the growing popularity of videogaming while sports like baseball continue to decline with kids….to the national angst about what to do regarding trans athletes, e.g. why so many parents feel it’s wrong for a transgender female to be allowed to compete against a natural born female athlete…and of course, how our kids, coaches, and parents  have had to scramble and endure during the Covid crisis over the last couple of years, including cancelling seasons, moving seasons, and everything else we had to do to allow our kids to play sports.

This is just a sampling of the topics we’ve discussed on the show in recent months, and to that end, I thought that on today’s Sports Edge show, I wanted to do a survey of sorts…to get your thoughts on what we really need to focus on so that the next generation of athletes grow up in a world of solid principles when it comes to playing sports. There are some great callers. Listen here: The Sports Edge with Rick Wolff

A POTPOURRI OF TIMELY AND PERTINENT SPORTS PARENTING TOPICS

Lots of pressing topics to cover on this week’s show, and I did my best to include them all. Everything from how youth coaches and parents can step in to keep their kids playing Little League Baseball, to the magic that the St. Peter’s head basketball coach Shaheen Holloway does to keep his players confident in tight games, to more disturbing racial taunting incidents at the HS sports level, to a most unsettling lawsuit involving college baseball players at the Univ of San Francisco against their coaches. Plus a bunch of great callers. Listen to this fast-paced show here: The Sports Edge with Rick Wolff

A DETAILED LOOK AT LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL: WHY ARE THE NUMBER OF PLAYERS DROPPING OFF?

With spring right around the corner and with the Major League Baseball lockout finally resolved, our thoughts instinctively turn to the first rite of spring - that being Little League Baseball. The sport has been an American favorite and a cherished pastime since the 1950s - and kids everywhere can’t wait to get their team jersey, caps, bat, and glove, and get ready to play.

But is that really true? According to recent reports, the enrollment in LL Baseball has been steadily dropping on a 3% basis on an annual basis for more than a decade. Whether this drop off is due to travel teams attracting the better LL players to their leagues, or because kids today find baseball to be too slow and too difficult a sport to master, the simple reality is that in many American towns, LL Baseball is beginning to lose its popularity.

In addition, there are other lingering issues regarding the game, including worries about arm injuries due to overuse or by young kids throwing too many curves and sliders. And trying to figure out what kind of bat is okay to use can be most complicated.

On today’s show, long-time WFAN Sports Edge contributor and attorney Steve Kallas provides an in-depth look at LL Baseball and where it is today. Take a listen: The Sports Edge with Rick Wolff

If we want to stop obnoxious behavior at our kids’ games, there must be accountability

Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve been talking about a growing  lack of sportsmanship at HS sporting events, including the totally wrongful and unacceptable act of racial taunting.

Not only is this kind of behavior disgraceful, but as you know, I’ve been concerned about the lack of response by the Pearl River HS school district. Are they going to do anything to make sure that their students are educated about ethnic and cultural sensitivities? That would certainly seem like a pretty obvious starting point.

Of course, some parents  have said, “Well, it’s just the act of a few dumb teenagers who made the monkey sounds against black Nyack basketball players. Why should we have to punish the entire school?”

Because it’s not so much a punishment – but rather, it should be viewed as a most valuable teaching moment. In short, all of your students would benefit from a seminar about sensitivity to other cultures. Especially in a school district which is mostly white. Those kids might not know any black or Hispanic or Asian kids. So the timing would be perfect.

But moving on…there’s now even more examples of bad behavior popping up.

 We have yet two more incidents of bad sportsmanship and wrongful behavior at HS sporting events….

One of them is very similar to what happened at Pearl River HS….and the other involves a physical altercation between an adult and a student. That one comes from the world of HS ice hockey.

This is from the New Haven Register:

WEST HAVEN — A Guilford woman who is the wife of a local hockey coach was arrested and charged with assault after an alleged altercation with a West Haven High School student during a recent championship hockey game, police said.

Fans began to argue during the Southern Connecticut Conference’s Girls Hockey Championship on Feb. 25, which featured Guilford High School and the West Haven-Sacred Heart hockey team at the Bennett Rink in West Haven.

The argument quickly turned physical and Officers on the scene attempted to intervene. According to police reports,  “During this altercation it was discovered that Christina Binkowski had physically assaulted a West Haven High School student and the student required medical attention.”

Christina Binkowski, who is 47, is the wife of Rick Binkowski, who happens to be the coach of the Guilford girls hockey team. She was arrested and charged with third degree assault and is due back in court in a couple of weeks.

From what I understand, Ms. Binkowski was in the stands, and must have felt that the kids in attendance who were supporting the other  team – the West Haven/Sacred Heart team – must have been misbehaving, so she got up and either tried to calm them down or perhaps shouted back at them – the details are not clear.

In any event, suddenly some pushing and shoving ensued, and a fight broke out, and during the melee, Ms. Binkowski grabbed a student from the other school by the hair, and that student was pulled to the ground and injured. It’s not clear how badly she was hurt, but she apparently needed medical attention.

The bottom line here is we still want to know more details, but what kinds of words were the kids in the stands shouting….so much so that the wife of the opposing coach took it upon herself to confront them? And where was the security at the game? Of course, we certainly can’t condone what this woman did to physically engage a teenager and hurt her.

But again – the big question is – what in the world is going on to allow this kind of violence to happen at a HS game?

And now from the world of HS basketball. You all know what happened at Pearl River HS and the racial taunting that took place against black players from Nyack HS.

Shockingly, a very similar kind of taunting took place last week at a sectional playoff game between Ossining HS and Our Lady of Lourdes when their two girls teams played in a Section one playoff game last week.

When one of the Ossining girls – Isabella Florez - went to shoot a free throw late in the game, she was greeted by a very audible outburst from the student section of Our Lady of Lourdes in which Isabella’s Hispanic background was taunted. It was heard by lots of people in attendance. It was pretty evident to all at the game what was going on.

Now, unlike Pearl River, though, a number of Ossining parents got up and went to the security people in attendance to protest, but apparently nothing happened. True, Some of the Lourdes players and parents even apologized to the offended Ossining players and fans after the game, and Lourdes did issue a statement the next day as a kind of apology.

But that seems to be about all they’re going to do. I didn’t see or hear any mention as to whether Lourdes is going to build upon this teachable moment or not so that their students can learn more about hurtful behavior.

Again, my concern here is that these school districts – and I’m sure there are many others who feel the same way – that it’s not fair or right to “punish” all the students simply because a few dopey kids don’t get it. If we want to stop bad behavior at our kids High School games, we need real accountability.

We really need to do more. Take a listen to today’s show. There are some truly terrific calls.The Sports Edge with Rick Wolff

MORE DISCUSSION REGARDING THE PEARL RIVER HS INCIDENT

I’ve been doing my WFAN radio show for over 24 years, and I have to tell you: We have covered a lot of timely and controversial topics during that span. But I have to confess that the response and reaction to last week’s show was by far the biggest I have ever encountered.

Lots and lots and lots of listeners had all sorts of opinions and comments about the racial taunting incident at Pearl River HS, and just as importantly, about what kind of lesson should be put forth to help educate the misguided and insensitive spectators who made the monkey noises -- as well as the adults who were in attendance at the game and chose to do nothing to stop this obnoxious behavior.

If you didn’t happen to hear last week’s show, here’s a very brief recap of what I’m talking about…

On Wednesday, Feb 9th, at a game at Pearl River HS between visiting Nyack HS and Pearl River, on three separate occasions when a black player went to the free throw line, very audible monkey and ape noises were made by individuals attending the game.

This behavior had also occurred at an earlier game against Suffern HS when they played at Pearl River.

That’s bad enough. But even worse is that no one – no security staff, no officials, none of the coaches, no adults in the stands — did anything to stop this racial taunting.  Mind you, this ape noise happened at least three times during the game.

In this day and age, that is really, really disappointing. This goes way beyond bad sportsmanship.

So, just to follow up on what’s happening at Pearl River, I made some calls over this past week to the Pearl River school district to see what, if anything, is going to take place. Mind you, this incident is now close to 3 weeks old.

And yet, with the exception of a minor wrist slap that came forth from Section 1 Athletic Council in NYS, I don’t get any sense that anything either of an educational -  or even punitive nature - is coming forth from Pearl River.

I mean, if no action is taken, and taken soon, doesn’t that basically condone the racial taunting that took place?

Look, I fully recognize that this incident was highly embarrassing to the people in that school district, and I’m quite sure that they want all the media focus on this incident to quickly fade away so that people there can forget about it.

But all that being said, Shouldn’t something be done? I may be old school, but just to let this matter go without some sort of positive or proactive announcement as to what the school district plans to do – doesn’t that strike you as more than curious?

I have heard that the school board will, at some point, make a decision on how they are going to proceed…but I’m just curious as to what is taking them so long? Here’s today’s podcast. Listen to the comments from listeners: The Sports Edge with Rick Wolff

racial taunting at a hs baskeTball game?

I’m still very bothered and troubled with what took place at a HS varsity basketball game at Pearl River HS in Rockland County (NY) a few weeks ago.

On at least three different occasions when a black player from Nyack HS came to the free throw line, there were very audible monkey and ape noises coming from the crowd. The video and audio of the incident that was posted on Twitter was very clear.

In effect, this was racial taunting at its worst. It was simply inexcusable. And no one did anything to stop it.

And according to numerous media accounts, this was not the first time this kind of taunting had occurred at Pearl River. Apparently, similar monkey noises were made when the Pearl River boys basketball played Suffern HS at end of January.

All of this is so, so wrong in so many ways….I don’t even know where to begin. But let me try:

First off, the basics of sportsmanship strongly suggest that when an opposing player goes to shoot  a free throw, the people in the crowd – including students and adults – should remain quiet, and not in any way attempt to distract the player with loud noises.

But I’m not naïve. I can see that this simple act of sportsmanship has gone by the boards. Distracting noises are done at pretty much every college and HS games these days. That doesn’t make it right….but it does happen.

But when the next twist on these unsportsmanlike noises take on a racist tone, that’s where the line needs to be drawn. And drawn right away.

But that didn’t happen at Pearl River HS.

As I mentioned on my WFAN radio show last week, this was a totally lost opportunity to teach HS kids about the hurtful legacy of racism…but instead….not one adult rose to the occasion.

That includes not just the athletic administration from Pearl River who were supposed to monitor and supervise the game….but in addition, none of the coaches from either team did or say anything. Nor did the refs working the game. Nor any of the parents at the game said anything to stop it.

Even worse. The taunting just kept going….it happened three different times in the game as black players from Nyack HS went to the foul line -- as though making money and ape sounds was perfectly acceptable behavior.

As I said on last Sunday’s show, I hold the adults in the gym to be just as accountable as the teenage students who did this.

Just to be clear - I’m not in any way excusing the teenagers who made these sounds….but teenagers are still  kids, and like all teenagers, they often do and say stupid things. But the grown-ups should know better.

And yet, consider this: when the Pearl Board school board called for an open community meeting this past week, several parents spoke up at the meeting and denied this had been racist, that it was no big deal, and that the entire incident was being overhyped and blown out of proportion.

Now, everybody in this country is entitled to their opinion. But in this case, it’s pretty hard to take a position that this was just overblown. That is, if the monkey sounds weren’t intended as racist, why weren’t they made when a white player from Nyack went to shoot a free throw?

I made some calls to Pearl River about this incident, and according to my sources, no one has been held accountable yet.  Pearl River officials are still trying to determine which people, including students, made the sounds. Apparently, no one has come forward with names.

As for the supervisory staff at the game, there too no one has been held accountable for allowing this to continue. That isn’t right.

As for the refs working the game, well, they do not, of course, work for the school.  They are assigned by the governing athletic body in NYS Section One. Section One officials chastised Pearl River, and took away Pearl River’s home court and home ice advantage for their teams in the basketball and ice hockey playoffs, but beyond that, that’s been pretty much it.

To me, it would have been so perfect if someone –anyone – had the courage and had stopped the game when this occurred, and had the offending individuals removed from the gym immediately. But that didn’t happen. And that teachable moment was lost. I urge you to listen to this powerful and passionate calls on the podcast here: The Sports Edge with Rick Wolff

WHY YOU HAVE TO BE ALERT TO WHAT YOUR TEENAGER IS DOING REGARDING GAMBLING

Each year on Super Bowl Sunday, I take a few moments and remind sports parents everywhere about the concerns and dangers of sports gambling – especially when it comes to our teenage kids.

Now, before we begin, I just want to point out and emphasize that I’m NOT in any way trying to pass judgment on gambling and wagering on sports….the simple truth is that gambling has been legalized in something like 30 states in the union – in short, it’s flat-out legal.

And along those same lines, I want to point out and acknowledge that for most people, gambling on a game is no big deal…. In fact, it’s seen as fun and exciting. We all know that.

But for others, gambling can develop into a real problem. It’s an invisible addiction that is recognized medically by the American Psychiatric Association as a disease that can truly ruin people’s lives.

And if you have kids who are growing up as sports fans -- even though they are supposed to at least 21 in most states in order to wager on games -- well, we know that many young people find a way to place bets and wagers on sports.

On this Sports Edge show – as we have done for many years on Super Bowl Sunday – we want to focus on the warning signs that all parents need to know if they think or suspect their son or daughter is having a problem with gambling.

Each year, on this day, where billions of dollars are going to be bet on this one football game, I ask Don from Gamblers Anonymous to come on the show to talk about how parents can pick up on the signs that their kids might be gambling on sports. The Gamblers Anonymous Hotline is 855-222-5542 Or go to GamblersAnonymous.org.

As you’ll hear, Don started gambling when he was a young teenager, and he knew by the time he was 30, he needed to get help to turn his life around. The world of gambling has changed dramatically since Don was a kid, but the issue has only become more complicated for today’s Moms and Dads. Here’s the podcast: https://www.audacy.com/podcasts/rick-wolff-the-sports-edge-209/the-sports-edge-with-rick-wolff-1245388436