What happened to sportsmanship?
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
The Victory Bell at Richards Memorial Field rang Tuesday evening after a soccer win.
Not a problem most nights at RMF. In fact, it should be rung after each win by the Hillsboro Lady Indians.
The problem was it wasn't a win by the Lady Indians; the bell rang after their opponent decided it was a good idea to infringe on tradition.
Whatever happened to sportsmanship?
I'm not even going to place blame on the girls who decided it was "smart" to add insult to injury by ringing their rival's bell that signifies a home victory.
When I was witnessing it, I thought, “that's not right” and “wow!”
Honestly, I couldn't believe they had the nerve to do it. I may have even smirked when they did it and probably just shook my head.
These are high school kids. It happens.
The decision was made after a very heated South Central Ohio League game, and again, it involved high school kids, so possibly the decision wasn't all the way thought out.
Maybe we would have done it, too, if we were that age and had a game of that caliber following a win against a team that more than likely wouldn't be exchanging Christmas cards with us come December.
OK, I'm pretty sure they won't exchange gifts during the eight days of Hanukkah or any other holiday celebrating some sort of gift exchange.
Do I think it was a good decision? No.
Was it creative? Kinda.
There are a couple of things I have a problem with.
My first question in all of this is, Where were the coaches for that team?
Well, I know where they were. I was there. I saw them.
They were packing things up, getting ready to head to the bus.
And if an argument came up about not being able to stop those girls from tugging on the rope, that in turn made a loud clanging noise for a few seconds ... that ain't gonna work!
But the question is not only about the location of the coaches, but why did they let it happen?
It's not like those few girls sprinted (at first) to the bell. There isn't anyone as quick as Usain Bolt on the team, so they were within earshot of hearing someone to tell them to stop.
Plus, they had to run at least 50 yards to get to the bell that sits in the back of the end zone.
Then, after slowly jogging to the bell, then moving a little faster, they rang it.
This embarrassment could have been stopped if coaches for the other team – or fans, for that matter – would have, I don't know, been adults and taken control of their players and/or kids.
It's that simple. Right?
If I'm wrong, PLEASE, someone, let me know.
All I know is from what I've watched, hundreds of players in various sports, and that has never happened at games I've attended.
I've never seen that happen in six seasons of covering high school soccer (or any other sport); so I know it doesn't – or at least, shouldn't – happen.
Again, the question is, what happened to sportsmanship?
We even had a comment on the game story on our website from someone calling themselves "Hillsboro Indians" saying, "Wow! How classy to ring the Indian Victory Bell. … Now that is class!"
I don't know if the coaches disciplined their team, maybe they did; but still, my point is it shouldn’t have happened.
I keep asking what has happened to sportsmanship – at more than just soccer events. (Plus, why is it some soccer players can raise their hands at officials or argue with them? If that happened in a baseball game, the kid would be ejected quickly.) I need to make a note of that as well.
Then I found this quote on sportsmanship: "In the end, it’s extra effort that separates a winner from second place. But winning takes a lot more that that, too. It starts with complete command of the fundamentals. Then it takes desire, determination, discipline, and self-sacrifice.
“And finally, it takes a great deal of love, fairness and respect for your fellow man. Put all these together, and even if you don’t win, how can you lose?”
– Jesse Owens
That quote is by a man who should have been mad at the world, certainly more than most people; but he always held his head high and played his sports with the utmost class and respect for his opponents.
I like the part where it says: "Then it takes desire, determination, discipline, and self-sacrifice. And finally, it takes a great deal of love, fairness and respect for your fellow man …"
I always thought high school sports were about respect and using lessons from sports in real life, not just in the games.
Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think I am.
Here is another good quote that should comply with high school athletics: "Sportsmanship for me is when a guy walks off the court and you really can't tell whether he won or lost; when he carries himself with pride either way."
– Jim Courier
At most events, you can hear PA announcers reading off a paper about how teams are friendly rivals … or something to that effect.
Where were the officials?
There should be a rule where officials stay on the field until both teams are gone and on their way to the buses. Just my opinion. Everyone there needs to realize that it is just a game.
The older I get, the more I realize it is just a game. When I played, high school sports were my life, and that was OK. And to a point, sports are still very important in my life, and I love every second I get to cover these events.
Maybe the bell-ringing incident will be a reminder to keep a closer eye on the players, and a better check on our tempers – even after the final buzzer sounds.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor for The Highland County Press.
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