I work an insanely stressful job.
If you read Jeff Hamlin’s piece in the News of Orange about me from January, you read where I work long hours, encounter dangerous criminals, and even have to take medication to help me cope with stress of the job.
When I go to Cedar Ridge to announce games, it’s much needed therapy. It allows me to de-stress and to even return to normalcy. But when you see incidents like the one in Lakewood, Colo. last month, the stress I want to escape from returns with a vengeance.
In case you missed it, a baseball game being played by seven-year olds, was being officiated by a 13 year old umpire. During the game, coaches and parents of both teams became incensed by the officiating. Tempers flared and before anyone knew, the coaches and parents (not the kids) poured out on to the field, and began a brawl. The police were called as twelvepersons ranging from 24 to 55 years of age were cited for disorderly conduct, two City of Denver workers were placed on administrative leave, and others were injured – one seriously.
Last year, and more closer to home in Kingsport, Tenn., a fracas among parents broke out during a softball game played by 12 year olds. Police were summoned, but no charges were filed as video evidence and eyewitness testimony couldn’t identify the participants in the fray.
This edition of The Franklin Mint is a reminder to those watching young athletes in athletic competition to not just come to the games and be passionate for your team, but remember your place as spectators. When I say “spectators”, I mean parents, relatives, fans, and anyone that fills the seats for an athletic contest.
I. Spectators should follow the Code of Conduct
As a part of my announcing scripts, there is one universal statement that PA announcers are required to recite – The Code of Conduct. It says:
“The North Carolina High School Athletic Association welcomes you to tonight’s game and
reminds you of the NCHSAA’s initiative – “Sportsmanship … Together we make the right call”.
The score of any athletic event is generally forgotten over time, but the actions of the players, coaches and spectators can result in lifelong memories. The next time you attend a high school game, think of how history will remember you.
Integrity, Respect, and Responsibility are values that are important in our daily lives. On the playing surface, these values are translated into the word Sportsmanship. Sportsmanship is one of the strongest educational lessons and lifetime values taught by high school athletics. The NCHSAA views athletic participation as an extension of the classroom where valuable life lessons are taught and learned by student-athletes.
Cedar Ridge High School, The Big Eight Conference, and the North Carolina High School Athletic Association encourages and promotes sportsmanship by student athletes, coaches, and spectators. Profanity, ethnic, racial, sexist, or other kinds of derogatory comments; and all intimidating actions directed at officials, student-athletes, coaches, team representatives, or other fans will not be tolerated. If any kind of unsportsmanlike conduct is witnessed, you will be asked to leave the premises of Cedar Ridge High School forthwith.
After all, Cedar Ridge and (visiting team) have many traditions, but bad sportsmanship isn’t one of them.
Sportsmanship … Together we make the right call – A message brought to you by the NCHSAA.”
In addition to this, I also give a separate announcement that only authorized persons (coaches, officials, players, and support personnel) are the only people designated to be on the playing surface at all times.
I bring these things up to communicate with spectators that, a) Spectators should be mindful of others with their words and actions.b) Spectators have no business being on the playing surface at any time.c) Spectators are warned of the consequences of expulsion from a game should they violate the code of conduct.
It’s a shame that I have to even bring these things up. But when situations like the recent ones in Colorado and Tennessee occur, I wonder if they might have not happened if a series announcements were made? I also wonder that if these games had monitors or a presence of security, would these situations still have occurred? Maybe. But with proper warnings, fans would definitely know of what would happen if these incidents should occur.
II. Spectators need to realize that the majority of participants WILL NOT become a collegiate or professional athlete.
In over 25 years of announcing sporting events, the vast majority has been spent on the high school level. If I had a dollar for every time I heard a parent get giddy over the concept that their child is the next (name your big-time pro athlete), I could retire from my job. Many of them delude themselves into thinking that their child will make it to the major leagues.
The unrelenting fact is that the majority of student-athletes will not play beyond high school. A good number of them will not get an offer to play collegiately.
According to a 2016 study from Online Casino, approximately one million student-athletes per year will play in some form of high school athletics. Yet, only 256 of them will make it to the NFL Draft – which makes the odds at 4,233 to 1. The NBA picks 60 players per year, which means the odds skyrocket to 11,271 to 1. The WNBA is much worse at 13,015 to 1. If you’re wanting to make into Major League Baseball, your chances improve as 1,217 youngsters are selected – making the odds at 821 to 1. But the best chance at going pro is to get into the National Hockey League. Their odds? A modest 598 to 1.
Even to be a collegiate athlete, your chances are still slim. According to the NCAA, if you wishto play college football, the chances you get on a roster is at 7.1%. To be a collegian in basketball, your chances are at 3.4% and 4% for men and women, respectively. To play baseball, the chances increase 7.3%, and to play collegiate softball, 5.5%
I bring up these stats to say this, not everyone is going pro or even to play collegiately. If they did, the odds of them being the next household name is much higher than your chances of winning the lottery. So why is there pressure brought to bear on these kids?
Many will say they want a better future for their children. Some see it as a way to get into college. Others dream big and think their children will resolve a financial issue. While I understand a parent’s wish for their children to become a greater success, parents also need to be realistic.
What means more to a student-athlete is to play in front of family and friends who are givingthem their unconditional support, while giving their absolute all for their team. I don’t know of one student-athlete that is thinking about playing on a professional level. Most are thinking about the next play, homework when the game’s over, or planning time to spend with friends during the weekend.
Most players are playing for the fun of the game, and not thinking of the future.
III. Spectators need to realize that Coaches, Officials, and Game Personnel are human, and are capable of fault.
In the years spent behind the mic, I have had countless scores of spectators that will storm into the press box (or to the scoring table), pull the mic from my hand (or take my headset off), and proceed to give me six shades of Hades over the fact I mispronounced their child’s name. Folks, it’s not personal if I mess up. I do my best to get it right the first time, but sometimes I do make mistakes.
In fact, I have apologized to athletes for messing up on their name, all to be given forgiveness. Last year, when announcing wrestling for UNC, I encountered one of the toughest names I’ve ever announced in Yianni Diakomihalis (Yee-ahn-ee Dee-ahk-o-mi-hall-is) of Cornell. I went over his name repeatedly in pre-game, all for me to screw it up when the defending 141 lb. national champ made his way to the mat for his bout. Following the match, I gave my profoundest apologies. Diakomihalis accepted, and gave me his forgiveness.
I can’t imagine Yianni’s parents being there. If so, I might have acquired Dante’s Inferno.
Spectators need to face the facts. Those that do their best to help student-athletes are not perfect. Then again, the spectators, are not perfect either. Spectators need to calm down when those assisting in the games make mistakes.
Coaches work persistently to try to get student-athletes to buy into what they are trying to do with a program. Whether it’s in the plays in games, the drills in practice, or even as much as offering positive or constructive criticism to motivate their players. But things happen, whether it’s a missed fundamental in a drill or a missed assignment in a game. Does this mean coaches are inept? Quite the contrary.
Case in point? Coach Anna Seethaler of Cedar Ridge Volleyball. Anna did a wonderful job in her rookie season despite running into a buzzsaw of five great teams in the Big Eight Conference. I truly believe that Anna is poised to lead her team to better success in 2019. But sometimes things like this happen not because they’re not perfect, but that other teams are just that good. A city can’t be built in a day, but can be built over time with the help of everyone.
The same is true of officials. No one can’t expect a referee or umpire to get every call right at every time an infraction occurs. Officials, like coaches, are taking classes, officiating games in the summer, and undergoing examinations to be better officials. But they too, will make mistakes. As retired referee Jack Huss used to tell me, “If I could call every foul, I wouldn’t be a referee – I’d be God. That ain’t happening.”
IV. Participants & Spectators should to be prepared to lose.
My dad always told me that losing games was good for building character. Dad, you’re absolutely right.
After a disastrous 1-23 season, Cedar Ridge Men’s Basketball will hopefully rise from the ashes and become a better team in 2019-2020. After 23 losses, one can only hope there is an improvement. No matter the team or the results, everyone starts at the bottom and workstheir way up.
If participants and spectators can’t handle losing, then both certainly can’t accept victories.
If a team is suffering through the slough of futility, it’s very easy to get caught up in heated emotions about where a team is going wrong. Spectators are quick to blame coaches or officials, but seldom seem to cast blame on participants. The truth is, sure, there is blame to go around on officials for bad calls. But there is also blame on the part of coaches and participants for their response from in and from a loss.
In terms – You win as a team, you lose as a team. While every coach, parent, and player should strive to their best in order to win every game, in turn, they all should be prepared to lose in case the worst happens.
V. Spectators need to realize that Games are meant to be FUN.
As I’ve often recounted games from my past in my hometown, there was one that stood out for this point.
In the 2003-2004 Northwestern 4A Conference season, the second-ranked McDowell Lady Titans were facing off against the Watauga Lady Pioneers. At the time, Watauga wasn’t having its best season, while McDowell was en route to a state finals appearance.
Early in the fourth quarter with the Lady Titans dominating by 50 points, Watauga’s coach made a substitution pulling its best players for the reserves. At this point a deranged Pioneer parent, who had been giving grief to the officials and Watauga’s coaches throughout the game, stormed down the bleachers to the bench area. As soon as he made it to the floor, he angrily grabbed his daughter’s arm and attempted to pull her away from the bench – presumably to leave the gym and return to Boone. She resisted, and returned to the bench. Thankfully, adult members of the McDowell fan section surrounded this man and told him to leave. He left The Silver Dome without incident (or before the Sheriff’s Department could order him out).
I was told a few years later that this student-athlete didn’t compete in spring sports following basketball, and didn’t return to athletics the next year, her senior campaign. What. A. SHAME. A promising student-athlete lost interest in what she enjoyed doing all because of the actions of her overbearing father. But sadly, this story is repeated in similar ways, whether they be emotional, physical, and/or verbal.
When participants see a situation like this or the one in Colorado, it gives kids less motivation to want to play or even want to quit altogether. I can’t blame them for this. Participants want to play sports because they’re games and games are meant to be fun. Sports become a pain when they encounter things such as this and athletes don’t want to be distracted or embarrassed.
Time and time again, I’ve talked to kids who didn’t return to a team all because of their parents. They told me that due to the relentless pressure they received over the years, that the sport they once loved, didn’t become fun anymore. The players believed their parents saw them as a meal ticket or a path to success, instead of them being a son or daughter.
Just a few weeks ago, I watched the 80’s classic, The Breakfast Club. I’m always moved to emotions when Andrew Clarke (a state champion wrestler portrayed by Emilio Estevez), wishes for his knee to tear so that he could be seen his father’s son and to be loved by him, instead of an athlete vying for his next championship and future college scholarship. Never mind he was serving a weekend detention sentence, but I could tell that wrestling wasn’t fun anymore, and that his quest for athletic excellence became a chore.
Athletics is a wonderful opportunity for young people to learn about competition, hard work, fair play, rules, and strategy. But sometimes the spectators are the ones that drives our youth away from them. If spectators are not careful, there won’t be many sports left to watch. Let’s all be mindful to watch our conduct at games while giving our future our full support.