Boys-soccer conduct shameful

The Utah High School Activities Association executive committee has put its foot down — bad behavior at boys soccer games has got to stop. So, the executive committee has placed boys soccer on probation for a year after the number of player ejections, 111, increased 43 percent in one year. At least one coach faces a possible sportsmanship hearing for berating a UHSAA staff member over officiating at a championship game. In another case, a player ejected from a game made an obscene gesture toward a referee and tried to spit at him. En route to his team's bench, he taunted the opponents' crowd.

Off the field, some students and parents have wantonly disregarded rules and policies during and after boys soccer games. In one post-season game, a player pushed an official. To add to the chaos, some parents refused to leave the field after the game and engaged administrators of the host high school in an argument.

This is boys high school soccer, people, not life and death.

This would be a good time for athletes, coaches, parents and fans to contemplate their respective behavior and determine how they can improve sportsmanship on and off the field. Leveling probation should be viewed as a wake-up call.

We commend the UHSAA for taking a firm stand on this issue. It also has taken action against individual players and coaches for their respective misconduct throughout the season and in post-season play.

Unlike other levels of sport, high school athletics largely are played for the love of the game. But youth sports differ now from in the past when students played in a number of sports during the school year. Now many students specialize in a particular sport, some starting as young as preschool. Parents have made substantial investments in time and money to help their child hone his or her skills. Some even consider it an investment in a college scholarship. No small wonder that some parents' emotions get the best of them when they perceive their child has been slighted on the field of play.

At the end of the day, however, children look to their parents and other trusted adults to be their role models. They need to comport themselves with dignity and model sportsmanship. Coaches must remember that they not only are molding athletes for the field of play, they are shaping human beings for the game of life.