Is there a kinder, gentler sports world in the works? Are we on the verge of a sportsmanship revolution? News is, Wisconsin has banned chants such as "Air ball," "Scoreboard," "You can't do that," and "Overrated."
This comes on the heels of Utah Coach Larry Krystowiak's announcing he is canceling the rivalry game with BYU out of safety concerns for his players, lest they be punched in the heat of a game.
Well, a civility crusade in sports is probably not on the verge of breaking out. But, one wonders. And, one wonders but what it might even be a good idea. Frankly, I'm not so sure I see such chants as "Air ball" and "You can't do that" being so offensive. But, while granting that, I do wonder but what it isn't a good idea to give the fans some standards. I'm not sure I would make them mandatory. Nor am I certain I would even enforce them. But, telling fans what constitutes undesirable behavior seems a good idea.
It falls back to my axiom that nothing taught is nothing learned. If you want someone to do something, you should expect you will need to teach them to do it. So, if you want good behavior, ask for it.
And, the players? Tell them the same. No, punching is not acceptable.
As I write, it just occurs to me that I might have seen another example that we might be on the verge of a outbreak of sportsmanship in America. I was watching the Utah Jazz -- Sacramento Kings game tonight, with the volume turned down, and Utah's Trevor Booker was injured. What was neat, was that one of the Kings players came over to console, or offer an apology, or some such thing.
And, it seems I heard of something in the NFL or college football, that players were being taught there is nothing wrong with helping an opponent up.
So, perhaps there is, indeed, a civility movement in sports sweeping the country. I do not know but what it is already being discussed on sports talk radio and sports channels on TV, for I have not been listening and watching such programs.
No comments:
Post a Comment