Code Proposal Seeks To Increase Sportsmanship
Last updated Sunday, January 28, 2007 5:52 PM CST in News
By Richard Dean Prudenti
The Morning News
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BENTONVILLE -- It's not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game.
That counts for players, parents, coaches and officials involved in sports events.
Some time ago, parents of a young baseball player argued with an umpire over a call, and their behavior was not "becoming of the sport," said Todd Franke, vice president of Bentonville Little League.
"There's no need to boo or harass. You move on and get ready for the next play," said Franke, the father of a 10-year-old boy who plays baseball, soccer, basketball and football.
Northwest Arkansas Lightning Soccer has suspended coaches for bad behavior, said Tadeu Dias, director of coaching for the organization. "We have dismissed coaches and not allowed them to return" until they take an anger-management class or the like, Dias said.
Franke and Dias are among several community representatives wanting improved sportsmanship in Bentonville, and have spent a few months creating a community Code of Conduct for players, parents, and those who coach and officiate.
Power In Numbers
Once finalized, the Code of Conduct will be reviewed by the Bentonville City Council, Bentonville School Board and the leadership boards of various sports organizations in Bentonville for final approval.
"It all goes back to there being power in numbers," said Lauren West, athletic director of Bentonville High School, who is leading the cause. "It's easier (for one group) to do this if they know all the other youth leagues are doing this."
The Code of Conduct will be implemented at all grade levels.
"When you teach the youth right away how to act -- to represent the team and everyone else -- by the time they get to our coaches and our administration, it will only make our job easier," West said.
A general Code of Conduct for the community appeals to Mark Potter, president of Northwest Arkansas Aquatic Sharks.
"It's really a model to follow," Potter said.
Potter is the father of two 17-year-old daughters and a 13-year-old son who participate in the USA Swimming competitive team using the city's Memorial Park to train and host meets.
He teaches his children champions keep a low profile, and "You lose with grace and you win with grace."
The proposed Parent Code of Conduct states parents will teach their children "that doing one's best, competing fairly and having fun (are) more important than winning."
"I really get upset when I see someone win and not shake hands with the other person, when their difference of victory could be 1/100th of a second," Potter said. "It's good to see a girl give another a hug, or a guy shake hands with another at the end of a race. That's what it is all about."
Finer details include players and coaches avoiding offensive language or gestures.
"If the coaches don't use that, then the players won't use it," said Sam Pearson, who coaches several recreational programs, including basketball and soccer in the Bentonville area.
His daughter participates in eighth-grade girls basketball, track and cross-country.
Internal Enforcement
Alderman Rod Sanders said he plans to show the Code of Conduct to the city attorney and police department before it goes to the City Council.
The police wouldn't get involved in enforcement unless an infraction involves criminal activity, he said.
The Code of Conduct will be more successful, Sanders said, if the leaders of sports organizations handle problems, such as a parent who becomes rude and makes a scene at a sports event.
"They have several courses of action. They could say, 'Your child will not be allowed to participate,'" said Bentonville Lt. Mike Smith, who coaches sixth- and seventh-grade girls basketball for the Boys & Girls Club.
Smith recalls an incident when an upset parent screamed and waved his arms while approaching an official during a football championship game for sixth- and seventh-grade boys. Smith warned the man to stop the harassing behavior.
The man complied at first, but within 15 minutes, again acted up. "I made him leave," Smith said.
Groups that already have a Code of Conduct, including Northwest Arkansas Lightning Soccer Club, still plan to adopt the new one. Dias said the group will deal with infractions under the new code as it normally does, through a disciplinary committee.
"We're not in the business of changing people's behavior, but we shape it," Dias said.
at a glance
Code Considered
Community sports organizations representing more than 4,000 children are considering adopting a universal Code of Conduct for parents, coaches, officials and players.
* Bentonville Babe Ruth Baseball
* Bentonville Girls Softball
* Bentonville Little League Baseball
* Bentonville Parks and Recreation
* Bentonville School District Athletics
* Boys & Girls Club Football, Basketball and Volleyball
* Northwest Arkansas Lightning Soccer
* Northwest Arkansas Aquatic Sharks
Source: Staff Report
Reader Comments (5 comment(s))
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Train the refs better... wrote on Jan 29, 2007 9:18 AM:
Ok, here is where we are heading... wrote on Jan 29, 2007 9:23 AM:
Know how to win and lose wrote on Jan 29, 2007 12:33 PM:
HnD wrote on Jan 29, 2007 1:36 PM:
Not already registered?
NONtreehuggger wrote on Jan 29, 2007 7:12 AM: