Written by I recently wrote an article “Is Bad Behavior in Sports on the Rise?“, where I discussed the how fighting and other unsportsmanlike behavior of athletes, coaches, fans, and others is becoming more prevalent. While the instantaneous access to social media and the internet may be the reason that we are more aware of the bad behavior, is malicious behavior in sports still on the rise?
I still do not have the answer for you, which is quite unfortunate. However, if unsportsmanlike behavior is increasing in sports, it may be because of a larger societal issue in local, national, regional, and even international sports. But until we can pinpoint the frequency and reason why poor sportsmanship is more prevalent today, all we can do is monitor its progress, help athletes, coaches, support staff, parents of younger athletes, and fans the importance of positivity, leadership and culture in sports. This is why Culture in Sports is incredibly important in influencing positive change.
It is with sadness that I share another example of poor sportsmanship and assault, this time during a high school 2A baseball state championship in Arizona. The game was between the Benson Panthers and Scottsdale Christian. After Scottsdale Christian won a close game, both teams proceeded to the handshake line. Handshakes after a game are supposed to be about competitions, sportsmanship, and respect, and all of those things were happening until number 20 of the Benson Panthers launched a punch that landed on two opposing players faces. It was simply assault, malicious intent, and poor sportsmanship. It is unknown what prompted the punch but in any circumstance, physical violence is never the answer.
Like I have previously stated, I truly “believe that positive culture in sports is at a breaking point“. In addition to this incident, there have been many more incidents in the last few months. Whether it was in collegiate baseball (Athletes), girls youth basketball (Athlete and parent), collegiate basketball (Coach), high school boys basketball (Officials), and girls high school basketball (Radio announcers), there is a definitive sign that culture within sports is on a decline, and we must do something about it! Coaches, administrators, general managers, team owners, officials, and boards of directors need to step up and lead be example and get all sports at all levels back to focusing on competition and sportsmanship. We need to be better!