Written by I recently wrote a few articles about coaches, athletes, parents, and even officials behaving badly at sporting events. Poor behavior in sports looks like it is on the rise, especially in the United States. While there is no data supporting this perception, people in sports behaving badly has been in the news over the last few years.
Sadly, another example of people behaving badly happened this past weekend. This time it was an adult at a youth football game shooting a coach in Texas. What started as a heated argument on the field between coaches and officials resulted in fighting and eventual shooting. The shooter claims it was self defense and that he has a side to the shooting that needs to be heard. My only question was why someone or people chose to bring loaded weapons onto the field of a youth football game and why was there a physical altercation on the field where someone felt they had to use a weapon.
My heart breaks for the coach who died, Mike Hickmon, his family, community, and both of the teams and supporters watching the game. I also am extremely sad for the youth players, and any other youth in attendance, who lost their innocence at a youth football game because that witnessed the shooting. These players and other youth that were there will remember this day and it will impact most of them for the rest of their lives. This incident will be quickly forgotten by the sports world and will disappear from the news cycle quickly. Only those in attendance will remember.
Is there an increase in people behaving badly in sports? I do not have quantitative data on this, but I can share with you that as bad behavior is more prevalent in sports, it will become normalized and just another facet of the game. The culture in sports has to change at all levels and that change starts with each of us, whether we are coaches, support or front office staff, athletes, parents, fans, and officials. May this senseless fight and subsequent death be a warning to us and the catalyst for culture change in sports, if we did not already have enough reasons. Stop the bad behavior now!