Sportsmanship in High School Athletics

1. Sportsmanship in High School Athletics

2. Example of Great Sportsmanship The ultimate act of sportsmanship - • Great Sportsmanship

3. What is Sportsmanship? • Sportsmanship - is, in a basic sense, conforming to the rules and the proper spirit of sport. • Sportsmanship expresses an aspiration or ethos that the activity will be enjoyed for its own sake, with proper consideration for fairness, ethics, respect, and a sense of fellowship with one's competitors.

4. What is Sportsmanship cont? • In general, sportsmanship refers to virtues such as fairness, self-control, courage and persistence (Shields & Bredemeier, 1995) and has been associated with interpersonal concepts of treating others and being treated fairly, maintaining self-control in dealing with others, and respect for both authority and opponents

5. Five Facets of Sportsmanship • 1. Full commitment to participation (e.g., showing up, working hard during all practices and games, acknowledging one’s mistakes and trying to improve)

6. Five Facets of Sportsmanship • 2. Respect and concern for rules and officials • 3. Respect and concern for social conventions (e.g., shaking hands, recognizing the good performance of an opponent)

7. Five Facets of Sportsmanship • 4. Respect and concern for the opponent (e.g., lending one’s equipment to the opponent, agreeing to play even if the opponent is late, not taking advantage of injured opponents)

8. Five Facets of Sportsmanship 5. Avoiding poor attitudes toward participation (e.g., not adopting a win-at-all-costs approach, not showing temper after a mistake, and not competing solely for individual prizes)

9. Officials Role in Sportsmanship • Sportsmanship is a subject that hits home for officials, because they're often on the receiving end of many unsporting actions. • Poor sportsmanship is one of the leading reasons officials stop officiating. It shouldn't be that way. Officials have an option -- they can do something about it. Everyone has a chance to impact sportsmanship, and officials can and should be involved.

10. Officials Role in Sportsmanship • 1. Confirm your league's commitment to good sportsmanship. • - By making sure your league has a commitment to good sportsmanship is one of the first big steps towards achieving sportsmanship among the athletes.

11. Officials Role in Sportsmanship • 2. Take control and admonish poor sportsmanship. • - If players or coaches cross the line when it comes to behavior, assess a penalty. A stern warning or technical foul sends the message that poor sportsmanship will not be tolerated. If you ignore excessive unsporting behavior, you send a message of acceptance.

12. Officials Role in Sportsmanship • 3. Compliment players when they make outstanding plays. • - An official is not at liberty to be a cheerleader, but there is nothing wrong with saying, "Good pass" or "Great defense" if an opportunity allows. By doing this the players feel respected and will give greater respect to the officials.

13. Officials Role in Sportsmanship • 4. Acknowledge acts of sportsmanship. • - Any time an official can positively reinforce a gracious act, it helps to reinforce the positive aspect of good sportsmanship. Congratulating a player for picking up another can be applauded by officials, these positive remarks from an official can go a long way in developing good sportsmanship.

14. Officials Role in Sportsmanship • 5. Talk to the coaches about their teams. If a player is showing signs of poor behavior on the floor, let the coach know. • - A coach is the first line of enforcement of good behavior. Since a coach has a direct relationship with players, he or she may be able to get through to a player in a way an official sometimes cannot. Give the coach a chance to rectify the problem.

15. Statistics In High School Sports • - Trends relating to ejections in High School sports have been increasing every year for the past 5-6 years.

16. Statistics In High School Sports • - From the 1993 season to around 1998-99 season per year ejections were holding at 1,150 students for all HS sports per year. • - Ejections jumped to around 2,100 in 1998 which is an alarming number, but soon dropped back down to the 1,000 mark.

17. Statistics In High School Sports • - From 2004-2005 to 2007-2008 the totals have continued to increase each year.

18. Total Ejections • Totals – • 2004-05 – 911 Students • 2005-06 – 936 Students • 2006-07 – 1,048 Students • 2007-08 – 1,372 Students

19. Ejection Stats Cont. - Football is an evident problem. • 495 Football Ejection in 2007-08 up from 255 in the previous year. • This statistic nearly doubled in one year, this is a glaring problem.

20. - These increases show a trend that needs to be addressed. • - The best way to attack this problem is through the officials who are the direct lines of communication with students athletes, once they are on the field or court.

21. Suggestions • - As stated earlier make sure your association has some sort of sportsmanship program, or at least that the idea of sportsmanship is something they feel is part of their mission.

22. Suggestions • - Take it upon yourself to take an interest in what is going on related to sportsmanship at your association. Be an advocate for good sportsmanship.

23. Suggestions • - Establish or revise existing programs. • - Tell officials to be vigilant about watching for sportsmanship good or bad. • - Do not ignore coaches or players, try you best to address their concerns and show that you care. This is the best way to keep attitudes positive during contests.

24. Suggestions • - By treating people fairly and utilizing some of the strategies listed earlier an official can potentially influence the level of sportsmanship during a particular game.

25. Suggestions • - Through associations efforts, and the efforts of officials the amount of ejections for unsporting conduct can be reduced, and can help continue to mold our young HS athletes into respectable adults in the future. It starts with you!