One needs to decide what one stands for in life. This is HS sports in which we open every game by addressing sporting behavior with the coaches and captains.
I really wouldn't feel one bit bad about penalizing a school's team for a racist chant from it's student section. The only thing which would send a stronger message would be to stop and forfeit the contest. That is what is happening in European soccer matches when the crowd gets racial with the players.
Sports is a part of life with one of several purposes being to teach people about how to interact with others. Think about the reason behind having the modern Olympic Games. I have decided to put the principles of character and civil behavior above the competitive aspects of a sporting contest. In the grand scheme, the game and any penalties suffered within it are secondary to the life lessons taken from it.
|