State Sportsmanship Concerns

[Corndog89]

I teach at a Las Vegas high school. This morning I received the following from our athletic director regarding the NIAA (Nevada Interscholastic Athletic Assoc) and its concerns with blowout games. The comments and recommendations below are directly from the memo.

Sportsmanship:
Eddie XXXXX from the NIAA was at the meeting and said that his office had been inundated with letters attempting to explain victories of 50 or more points in basketball. Most of the letters have been coming from the middle school level.

Recommendations from the NIAA:
- Start your substitutes against weaker teams
- Give all non-starters more playing time
- Start players in unfamiliar positions
- Remove all starters when you are ahead by more than 30 points
- Play a tight zone defense when you are winning by more than 30 points
- Do not play man-to-man defense with on-ball pressure when you are winning by more than 30 points
- Do not allow fast breaks when you are ahead by more than 30 points
- Do not allow three point shots when you are ahead by more than 30 points
- Require a minimum number of passes on offense (4 or 5) when you are winning by more than 30 points
- Never press a team when up by 30 points or more
- No trapping when you are ahead by 30 or more points
- Play as many players as possible
- Agree to a running clock. This is something that the NIAA is considering instituting in basketball, much like they have in football (mandatory running clock once you are 30 or more points ahead in the fourth quarter)

If you know you are going up against a much weaker team, it is easier to play a slower paced game from the beginning than it is to try and slow a game down when you are already up by 30 or more points

Do any of the states you work in make such recommendations or have such rules? Is it just me or does this seem like too much/unneccessary oversight and regulation? And please don't misconstrue that to mean I'm against sportmanship or coaches using good judgement during a blowout. I think these are all good ideas. But by high school (and yes, I realize most of the concern over 50+ point blowouts in this memo are from middle school games, but the message was delivered to high schools as well) shouldn't the game be about competition, not self-esteem? And shouldn't individual coaches (and perhaps their school's athletic director and/or principal) determine how they want to play a game even if ahead by 50 points? Am I way off base here?

[Adam]

Seems a bit nannyish to me.

[jdw3018]

All I see are recommendations. Not requirements. I've got no problem with recommendations on how a coach who finds himself up by a large number of points might work to minimize the appearance of "running up the score."

That said, I don't personally get to worked up about it, and in the end sportsmanship is as much - or more, in this instance - about intent as it is about actions. A coach may need to work on his transition game or pressure defense to prepare for his next opponent. I have no problem with that, but I can see why others do.

Especially at the MS level, those recommendations don't seem completely out of line. In the end, it's still up to the coach, and if his AD has an issue with it, then it's up to him to do something about it.

[Smitty]

I think the coaches who already do some of those things will continue to do them and the coaches that don't will continue not to.

[just another ref]

Nothing here one could call unreasonable, but I consider publishing such a list to be right up there with the instructions on the restroom wall instructing employees how to wash their hands before returning to work.

[TheOracle]

High School Basketball: Managing A Blowout Game - The Athlete's Sports Experience: Making A Difference

State should stay out of that business.

[letemplay]

Middle schools (and some hs) around here are lucky to approach 50 points total.

[bainsey]

As long as these are recommendations, and not rules, I'm fine with these. Still, like Snaq, I wonder if we're going too far with policing these things.

Wasn't there a rule in Connecticut (Billy?) that punished football coaches by winning by margins of more than 50 points? Actually placing a margin cap is going too far, IMO, but I can't say I mind getting everyone on the same expectations page when a game gets lopsided.

[Adam]

Maybe the state should post some pointers on teaching kids to play defense and make free throws..

[Stat-Man]

I've never seen this being recommended by a state association. Our Local CYO has both requirements and recommendations for its 7th/8th grade teams winning by 20 and then by 30 or more, however.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by bainsey

Wasn't there a rule in Connecticut (Billy?) that punished football coaches by winning by margins of more than 50 points?

Yes.

The New Britain Herald : New Britain, Conn., and surrounding areas (newbritainherald.com)

[Mregor]

I had boys game last night, 50-6 at the end of 1st Q, yes 8 min quarter. 22 seconds into the game it was 6-0 and a timeout. Final was 102 - 36. Took out starters after 1Q. Too bad, it was the best ball I've seen in some time.