On Sportsmanship

By Ryan Post Head Lacrosse Coach, East Coweta High School Its funny how the decision is made to do things better than our parents. Something must have gone wrong in the process of raising children between twenty and thirty years ago that makes a person today want to mold their child into something that they themselves were not. Is this a problem? Can taking it too far result in developing youth with a skewed view on sportsmanship? According to a recent special on ESPN, you might say that ground zero for the current view on sportsmanship started with Todd Marinovich. No, Todd Marinovich is not to blame, but there was national attention surrounding this football player from Southern California who had apparently been prepped to play quarterback in the NFL from an early age. According to a Sports Illustrated article from 1988, his father started training him when he was a month old, and the extent of his training progressed each year. Through the time he was in high school, Marinovich had never eaten a Big Mac and lived a clean and healthy life that was conservative even by todays standards. Marinovichs father employed nearly a dozen specialists in the fields of diet, strength, speed, agility and mechanics to create a superstar quarterback. He was able to use his connections from the athletic training center he owned and operated. This facility, similar to what has become widespread today, was state of the art for the late 1980s. His father also made the decision to transfer Todd from a private school to a local public school prior to his senior year with the hopes of improving his chances of exposure to college coaches by playing for a better team. His father controlled every aspect of his life and was rarely apart from Todd outside of school. How does the Marinovich story relate to the issues seen 24 years later with sportsmanship? As this story drew national coverage, people read about his hundred or so scholarship offers and the belief that athletes could be groomed from an early age was 2013 Ryan Post

established. Gone were the days of running out to Sears to purchase plastic weights and a bench press that would sit in the garage. Those gave way to purchasing memberships to gyms with their extensive array of equipment that had previously catered mainly to bodybuilders. The new trend resulted in parents living vicariously through their children, hoping their children could accomplish the dreams of the parents. This was an investment of time, money and energy by the parents that had not been part of the athletic landscape in decades past. There is a saying in coaching: The more you invest, the harder it becomes to quit. It also holds true that the more you invest in athletics the more it becomes part of you. How many friendships do you have that were cultivated as a result of your childs participation in a sports team? In those relationships with the parents of other children it is expected that some friendly competition will surface, even if it is simply out-cheering the other. Having a competitive spirit is nothing to be ashamed of, and teaching, by example, healthy competition to your children encourages sportsmanship. Not everyone is capable of promoting healthy competition. Surely you have witnessed that screaming parent on the sidelines who berates the officials, hoots and hollers at the shortcomings of the other team, complains about every aspect of the game, and the video that rocked the news channels in August 2011, about the beating of an official at a youth football game. None of this behavior should be acceptable in any sporting event. The main problem is that the assertive, boisterous, Type A personality that sets the bad example is allowed to do so without a fear of repercussion or confrontation. If youve seen this person and thought how nice it would be to have him or her escorted from the stands, youre not alone. Inevitably, the person remains and tarnishes your experience. The worst part is that person has provided an influence on your kids and their view of what is and is not acceptable. The easiest way to quiet the obnoxious fan/parent is to complain. Your cost of participation or admission is just as important as anyone elses, and you

deserve to enjoy the experience. This is what game managers are for. Every high school contest is required to have a principal or his designee on site to preside over anything not related to officiating. Youth sports at local parks usually have a program director in charge of site management who should be more than willing to address any sportsmanship related issues. The biggest asset to youth sports is the game official. Whether its basketball, wrestling, football, lacrosse, softball, or baseball, the quality of officials comes into question at every game. This isnt right. Every contest has a situation where the spectator sees something different than the referee. What the spectator chooses to do in response defines our culture. It is too common for parents to assume the role of critic, fulfilling the role publicly, and for others to stand idly by and do nothing. Referees should never be badgered before, during, or after a game. Referees must not only see the game being played in front of them, but they must also anticipate the movements of the players and apply rules during every aspect of the game. In a lacrosse game, ten players are allowed on the field for each team. Players may substitute themselves during live play providing that the substitution is on a one-for-one basis and does not violate the rules for the number of players on a half of the field or the number of long sticks a team may have participating at one time. The team with possession has time restrictions to get the ball into certain areas of the field, and the defensive team is restricted on the type of contact it can initiate (using their body or stick) with the player with the ball. At any one time the official has to count the number of players exiting/entering the field of play, the number of long sticks, how many players are on each half of the field, count the time the ball is in possession outside the offensive area, and monitor the physical interaction between twenty players. It is reasonable that the hundreds of pairs of eyes in the stands might see something other than what the official sees, but is it reasonable to point out everything that the official misses? No. Everyone has a role is creating a higher standard for athletics. The next time you have an 2013 Ryan Post

opportunity to watch your son or daughters practice or game, pay attention to the people in the crowd. Take note of the coach and how he or she interacts with the players and officials. Talk to your child about their body language and interaction with their teammates and the other team. Do the actions of these people represent what you believe to be good sportsmanship? Applaud those people who make sports fun and exciting. Thank the officials for their effort even if you dont agree with their calls. For your children, sustaining a competitive spirit will provide opportunities for success in life (competition). Being able to deal with adversity (sportsmanship) will allow them to be successful in those opportunities.

In life there are winners and losers. On the sports field, those roles are placed on a scoreboard for everyone to see. In sports, like life, there are opportunities to change roles.

Ryan Post is in his third year teaching at East Coweta High School, his second as Head Lacrosse Coach. He has been coaching high school athletics since 1991 in both Florida and Georgia as a coach of football, track, wrestling, basketball, and tennis. Ryan began teaching in Miami in 2000, and currently teaches Chemistry and Physical Science.

Looney, Douglas. "Bred to be a Superstar." Sports Illustrated. 22 February 1988: n. page. Web. 27 Dec. 2011. <http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/ magazine/MAG1127063/1/index.htm>. Stephan, Andrew, dir. "The Marinovich Project." Dir. John Dorsey. Year of the Quarterback. ESPN: Television.