A few weeks ago I attended a Grady basketball game against St. Pius. Because the game was a home game for St. Pius, the number of St. Pius fans outnumbered Grady fans. Not only did they outnumber the Grady fans, the Pius fans were much loud and rowdy.
As a big Grady sports supporter, I under- stand wanting to cheer for your team, but they took it to another level. Almost every time a Grady player received the ball, the St. Pius fans were quick to boo as loudly as they could.
This disturbed me, and I was not expecting it from a Catholic school like St. Pius. I spoke to a St. Pius parent, and she was equally disturbed by the booing and felt that something should be done to ensure that the atmosphere of the game is safe for athletes and spectators.
High school athletics are an integral part of student life. Not only are the sports themselves important to the school’s dynamic, but the behavior of the students and fans at sporting events also play a role in affecting the atmosphere of the game.
Whenever big-name athletes choke in important games, the usual assumption is that the rowdy crowd caused them to lose focus and make a mistake. Although these players chose to play in the spotlight, should we allow crowds to be so intense that players underperform?
Because of the distraction to the player’s con- centration and that high school players are not playing for a salary or their careers, I think that sportsmanship in high school athletics should be monitored and discipline given, if needed.
I don’t mean to say that Grady is perfect and sportsmanlike. Sportsmanship overall in high school athletics could use some guidelines.
Last season when the Grady girls’ soccer team played Decatur, I experienced bad sports- manship when I was not expecting it. During the game, I was playing on the side of the field closest to the stands, and I was interrupted by Decatur fans screaming at me. Some of the shouts included “I’m going to kill you,” and “I hope you get hurt.”
Grady and Decatur have always had a long- standing rivalry, but many students from the schools are friends and acquaintances due to the close proximity.
These things should not be said to athletes at all, especially a high school player. This is just one of the incidents I’ve experienced that leads me to think some rules about what fans and spectators can say and do during a sports event should be implemented to control crowds.
The Georgia High School Association Sportsmanship Statement says “The GHSA and its member schools have made a commitment to promote good sportsmanship by students/athletes, coaches and spectators at all GHSA-sanctioned events. Profanity, degrading remarks and intimidating actions directed at officials or competitors will not be tolerated, and are grounds for removal from the event site.”
I have been one of the fans in the stands and can understand it is easy to get caught up in the action of the game. Still, supporting your team is not grounds to insult players or create a hostile environment.
Students and fans should be able to have their fun and support in a respectful way, with con- sequences for those who don’t follow the necessary guidelines in place to protect the athletes and fans. Officials and coaches should be in a position where they can step in if needed, and players need to be aware of the consequences of their unsportsmanlike actions.
