 MINDING THEIR MANNERS: Students at Lincoln and other Oregon high schools struggle with what they can and can’t yell at games.
IMAGE: chrisryanphoto.com |
With less than 12 seconds to go, Benson High School’s boys’ basketball team led Lincoln High’s varsity squad 62-60.
Spectators on both sides of Lincoln’s court last Thursday, Jan. 29, were on their feet. Then Lincoln caught a break—two free throws. Kirsten Bickham was mad as her voice rang out above the small crowd, nearly drowning out 10 boisterous cheerleaders.
“MIIIIISS IIIIIT!” the Benson High sophomore screamed.
Earlier in the game, Bickham had spoken more calmly about her role as a Benson fan. “You want to represent your school,” she said. “But you don’t want to represent it badly.”
That difference—the one marking the line between encouragement and embarrassment—is one that many people are talking about at Oregon high-school athletic events these days.
This fall, in response to a few high-profile incidents at high-school games in recent years, the Oregon School Activities Association adopted new sportsmanship rules designed to curb “unreasonable danger or disorder.”
“At a real intense game,” says Benson student LaVel Smalley, a sophomore, “people will get out of control.”
That’s what happened in 2007 when Portland’s Roosevelt High met North Eugene High in the state basketball tournament and the game erupted in racist name-calling.
But much of what happens at high-school games never crosses that line, and some say the new rules go too far. “Don’t punish everyone for what one school did,” says Danny Hagger, a Lincoln parent.
Now, many other parents, students, teachers and coaches are debating what behavior is appropriate and how to police spectators’ jeering. They’re even wondering whether the new rules have affected attendance. Though the OSAA says it has no evidence to suggest ticket sales have dropped, some students and parents say the crowds have thinned.
“I think you can see what people think of the new rules,” Lincoln senior Michael Green said at the Jan. 29 game against Benson. “There’s no one here.”
The new rules do include some clear guidelines for home teams to enforce. For example, it’s no longer OK to shout, “Air ball!” Insulting a specific player by yelling “Jenny Craig!” or “Brokeback Mountain!” is also disallowed. Spectators must wear shirts, meaning no body paint. They can’t carry signs bigger than a sheet of notebook paper. And cheerleaders must chant positive messages.
Anyone who breaks the rules can be ejected from the game or banned from future games. Students who don’t follow the guidelines can face suspension from school in severe cases. Principals and teachers from the home team are responsible for making sure everyone stays in line.
But teenagers have a remarkable talent for modifying insults so they fly under the radar of parents and principals. Instead of screaming “Bullshit!” at a referee, students sometimes yell, “Push it!” which sounds similar at high volume.
At last Thursday night’s game, the score was 62-61 after Lincoln made one of its free throws. Then a Benson player was fouled. Eventually, Lincoln would win in overtime 77-72. But as the Benson player prepared to shoot at the end of regulation, a Lincoln student tried his hardest to distract him.
“WHAT WOULD SAM ADAMS DO?” he bellowed.
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Come out to a Timbers match and you won't have to worry about this nonsense!
I heard the Timbers Army eat babies.
Seriously, sports are about building character and learning about yourself, and one of the most important lessons to learn is that you will encounter people better than you, and you may work really hard at something, but get your @$$ handed to you. Some people may not like you simply because you are wearing the uniform of the other team, and will yell at you a lot, but it's just a game.
I think sometimes groups like the OSAA try so hard to protects kids from the world that they end up making things worse in the long run. Why don't we just change everyone's mascots to the Wildcats so everyone is equal, everyone gets a trophy because everybody wins, and why bother keeping score anymore because it just doesn't matter.
Granted, my high school sports career was during times where I didn't pay a fee to participate in sports, but at the same time, why are we trying so hard to protect kids from the real world?
You can't scream "Fire!" in a crowded theater. But what students scream during a fucking GAME of BALL should not be censored by anyone but other students.
Looks like the oppression I knew 40 years ago is still going on. Once, I went to school without a belt, a violation of the dress code, so even though I was 18 and subject to the draft, I had to go to the office and get a Belt Pass, have all of my teachers sign it, and turn it into the office at the end of the day. Some educator came up with that swell idea for student apparel conformity.
Push it. Push it. If they censor what you say, say the same thing louder. GK197 is right. So is Lendog. This pushit is nonsense.
I turned around, and before I could say anything this 13 maybe 14 y/o was coming at me.
Now I'm kind of a big guy and this struck me as - well disrespectful and would have amusing if it hadn't been for the intent of this young person which was clearly an attempt at intimidation.
I bent down to look in the kid's eyes and asked him "can you say excuse me?" He said "I didn't do anything" turned around and went mumbling back to the 2 girls he was with.
No big thing - get over it - they're just kids -right?
What does this have to do with extreme sports heckling - right?
Probably nothing, except for the fact that both behaviors display a distinct lack of respect.
One of the mainstays of organized sports in school is to teach respect-
respect for one'self, one's opponent and the rules. Another aspect is teaching respect for elders, not necessairly because of age, but because of the wisdom that comes with it. Coaches are the conduit here.
Condoning disrespectful heckling as "ahh . . .come on, they're just kids"
condones youthful disrespectful behavior in general.
Tragically, we all too often see what happens with youthful disrespectful
behavior off campus.
If we can, in any way, affect behavior that wil stop kids killing kids, maybe we should take a second look whenever we get a chance.
Oh, but foam fingers are okay. Two, not one, if it's the middle digit. Msmith55, your last sentence is powerful and true, and the crux of the problem. School administrators look to the past for answers that have been tried and have failed. Wish it were otherwise.