Officials Meeting with Boosters

[Bob M.]

REPLY: Sounds like a good idea provided the session is interactive rather than an official "preaching" sportsmanship to the boosters. It must include school administration and coaches as well. It needs to be a "we're all in this together" message that uses education of our youth as the focus, as opposed to a message where the official(s) present themselves as the "victims." It must be reinforced that the students--athletes and spectators alike--are the real victims in any display of bad sportsmanship. If bad sportsmanhip is tolerated, or worse yet, encouraged, our youth are left with a message that such behavior is acceptable and expected. That does nothing but perpetuate and escalate an already unacceptable problem.