Problems with sportsmanship arise
The score was tied in the third set of
the volleyball game against one of Yutan’s
biggest sports rivals, Ashland-Greenwood.
The players were working hard, diving on
the floor for every ball they could reach.
It was a home game, so there was a large
crowd in the red and black bleachers.
Between the hitters’ kills and the ace
serves, something was going on every moment the girls were on the court. However,
the attention of the crowd, coaches, players
and officials was not on the game itself - it
was on the sea of students in Yutan’s student
section.
“Number nine! Hey, I know your boyfriend, number nine! Don’t mess up! You
suck!” Comments such as these could be
heard from a number of students throughout
the game. As the administrators began to
notice the demeaning comments being said
to the opposing team, they made their way
to the student section.
Even though the administrators told the
students several times to quiet down, the
students continued their defiance. Eventually, one of the boys who continued his
ranting was escorted out of the gym and told
that he was not allowed to come back.
This kind of behavior should not be
observed in a successful school such as
Yutan - but it was.
The success high school students have
goes hand-in-hand with the kind of character
they develop and the way they present themselves. If we do not have good sportsmanship, what we do athletically, scholastically,
musically or artistically does not matter. Our
poor sportsmanship will overpower our success, and there will be no way to recover it
once we earn a bad name for ourselves.
During the first quarter of the school
year, all of the juniors and seniors were
called to the gym after lunch to be lectured
on sportsmanship. At this assembly, superintendent Kevin Johnson informed the students that they were voted the worst school
in the East Central Nebraska Conference for
sportsmanship.
Not only does this reflect poorly on the
students, it looks bad for the administrators,
teachers, parents and community as a whole.
Being loud and obnoxious in the stands may
seem like a good idea at the time because
it distracts the other team, but it ends up
distracting our team as well.
Showing unsportsmanlike conduct
while playing in a game of basketball is
punishable by ejection from the game or
a technical foul. Although the fans cannot
receive “fouls”, they can be asked to leave
the game whether they attend school at the
facility or not. If the players aren’t allowed
to act that way during a game, why do the
fans think they can?
Some students don’t realize that the way
they act while attending sporting events is a
direct reflection on their school and on themselves. Even if other students do recognize
this fact, they may just be getting “caught
up in the moment.”
Whatever the case, showing good
sportsmanship is an important lesson to be
learned. The issue students have with showing poor sportsmanship has not gotten out
of hand yet, but it certainly could if we let
it go unnoticed.
Showing good sportsmanship is not only
going to help you throughout your years of
high school, it’s a skill that you will need
to use the rest of your life. Therefore, it is
imperative that we solve the problem now.
The best way to solve the problem is for
the students to realize the way they are being
seen by others. They are not being seen as
“cool”; they are being seen as rude among
many other things that are unbecoming of
students who attend a school as successful
as Yutan.
There’s no doubt that our sports teams
need all the support they can get from their
fans. However, the support we give as fans
should be positive to both teams. Instead
of yelling out, “Let’s play soccer!” when
the other team spikes the ball into the net,
we should cheer something like “Let’s go,
Chieftains! It’s our ball now!”
Another way we can support our teams
in a more positive way would be making
signs to hold up for our athletes. By keeping
the signs positive and school-appropriate,
we will be perceived as respectful and supportive fans.
Instead of using harsh words to win
games, let the athletes win it with their
skill and don’t take away from the things
they have accomplished. Take pride in your
character, and always be aware of the words
coming out of your mouth.
Sarah Pogue
Yutan High School