Trash talking apparently is epidemic in high school athletic
competitions. That should be a serious concern for coaches,
athletic directors, parents
– anybody, in fact – affiliated with competitive sports at the
high school level.
1. Expletives and the ‘n’ word directed at a player is intolerable
Trash talking apparently is epidemic in high school athletic competitions. That should be a serious concern for coaches, athletic directors, parents – anybody, in fact – affiliated with competitive sports at the high school level.
A recent incident at a Gilroy High School basketball game featured several technical fouls and an ejection. Fortunately that’s all that happened after a player from the Alvarez High Eagles allegedly blurted an expletive followed by the “n” word at a black GHS player.
Perhaps the Tri County Athletic League should consider a policy that requires immediate dismissal from the team for the season for such behavior. The Gilroy School Board should take up the issue – it rises to that level – and craft a stringent districtwide sportsmanship policy as well as a letter to TCAL officials that outlines a new “zero tolerance” league policy.
2. Slap-on-the-wrist consequences simply aren’t strong enough
If this behavior is allowed to continue with slap-on-the-wrist consequences such as a one-game suspension, the results will, at some point, more than likely turn violent.
Why not the ounce of prevention and a few disciplinary actions when necessary, that send a clear, irrefutable message? Giving up a whole season is a very big deal – and so is inciting and disrespecting a student athlete with a racial slur. If it’s not considered such, it darn well should be.
3. Coaches, parents and teammates need to help stem this tide
High school sports – in fact all youth sports – should be all about teaching. Learning how to compete with respect for the game, for teammates and for opponents should form the foundation for all sports programs, as should learning how to win – and how to lose – with class.
Coaches, parents, administrators and teammates should take a stand against trash-talking behavior. It’s not cute, it’s not cool, it’s not manly, it’s just disrespectful of the game, of the person it’s directed to and, ultimately, of the player who is uttering the poisoned words.
“Stuff like that is said all the time. You don’t think people are calling my kids [racial slurs in reference to Mexicans]?” That’s what the Alvarez High coach said after the recent game. If true, we’d better act quickly to stem that tide.
Otherwise, fights, closed gyms and perhaps worse are on the horizon.
Zero tolerance for trash talk. It’s the right policy to have in place.
