Cheering during game....
 

Question about this because this popped up on me last year and again two weeks ago, and there are conflicting opinions on enforcement.

PONY Tournament - National Qualifier. 14U

Head coach of defensive team comes to PU in bottom of first inning and asks if he could tell the other team to not "cheer loudly" when pitcher is in her windup, as it is distracting.

* How do you handle this? The cheering is NOT derogatory, nor is it unsportsmanlike. It is loud, but I'm sure we've all heard it before..."Too high..too to high...to high to make it fly.." "to the green 16 to the green" ... "I see a Gap and _______ is going shopping...." etc.

I don't like to open a can of worms when I don't have to...but I had a situation in which I had the bases for a semifinal game and my partner told both coaches and team captains NOT to cheer loudly .. especially during the pitcher's windup...and when I had the plate for the Finals, one of the coaches wanted the same "rule" enforced by me.

Because the can of worms was opened, the coach even asked me to talk to the other teams' coach about re-stating the count while the pitcher goes into her windup.

This is a game the coaches are playing and I won't let them one up each other on MY time.

Is there a rule in PONY that states no cheering during windup? I know that it's an unsportsmanlike thing to do to scream or distract when the pitcher begins her windup and I will be happy to enforce that, but the back and forth games that the coaches are playing just to get into each other's heads I will NOT tolerate.

I am not a babysitter.

Opinions? Please steer me right on this.

This is NOT golf, tennis or chess - if his little snowflake of a P can't concentrate because somebody is CHEERING....she will never make it anyways....:rolleyes:

Speaking ASA...... let them cheer......

Sure wish I could coach. No one hates cheering more than me. If it wasnt for cheering, softball would be the perfect sport. Have a nice day.

What is this the No Fun League? Let them cheer, let them dance, let them have fun.

"As long as it is not unsportsman like, they can cheer. This is softball, not church, good try coach." :rolleyes:

Speaking PONY.... no there is nothing to back the coaches request as is.... now if it gets vulgar or personal or racial.... then warn.

Personal, I'd warn. Vulgar, I'd definitely warn, if not eject (depends on what's said). Racial? Hell no, they're gone. If the whole team is cheering a "racial cheer" (boy, isn't THAT an oxymoron!), and the coach does nothing to stop it, I'm running the coach.

Yeah well, things are a little different in Louisiana ;)

Durned Cajuns! :D

Now define vulgar or racial. What may be racial in CA may not be in LA. What may be vulgar in OH may not be in NC.

I'm not suggesting what is considered "socially unacceptable" language altogether (though I do not believe in profanity), just make sure you are aware of the context in which a certain word or phrase is being used when working a game between teams from different regions before you start warning and ejecting folks. Even if it is unacceptable where you may be standing, most coaches will understand the problem if explained to them assuming there is some level of intelligence there. Okay, stop laughing, I was trying to be serious.

I always appreciate a good verbal smack at our friends from the swamp. :D

I'm a little gun shy this week. I tried to give a verbal jab at one of the swampers last week on another board, all I did was step on it. :o

They do this thread over in basketball a couple times a year.

Everyone has opinions on whats socially unacceptable and so forth.

Here is my jibberish.

I'm reffing a HS basketball Boys Varsity. Both schools are urban schools. Visitor player blocks Home players shot OOB. I'm watching the kids.

kid whose shot was just blocked " he!! ni**er you couldn't do that again if I let you. "

Blocker : Laughs: then they do a handshake thing and play on.

In context there was nothing going on but 2 kids doing their thing. Out of context we got racial slurs, taunting and whatever else you need to grab out of said Sitch.

I let the kids do their thing.

So it may be a had to be there thing.

I have lived and officiated boys'/girls' H.S. and women's college basketball in both Miami and Los Angeles, and in my games, the "blockee" would be gone. Why? There is NEVER (with apologies to the late J. Dallas Shirley) any excuse for one not conducting herself/himself as a lady/gentleman. It is crass and boorish behavior at the very least. If they want to do that on the playground that is their business but not in an organized game at the high school or college level.

MTD, Sr.

Thank you for making my point. Different cultures, different reaction to the same event.

Part of the problem with this country is the lack of intelligence in understanding we ain't all the same. While some may take tolerance to an extreme absurdity, others believe their way is the only way and everyone should conform to them.

In the infamous words of Frank Burns: Individuality is fine, as long as we all do it together.

Far too many Frank Burns in this world.

and not enough Margaret Houlihans......;)

(sure I wasn't the first to think it... just the first to type it)

To paraphrase Potter Stewart (Supreme Court justice, not Col. Potter), I don't know how to define vulgar or racial, but I know it when I hear it. What is vulgar or racial to me (a white guy who was raised middle class back when there was a middle class) may not be racial or vulgar to you. When I hear it I will likely take care of it, but my definition and Mike's definition I can assure you are different.

The one thing I do NOT allow, no no no no no, is banging balls, bats, other equipment off metal benches, dugout fences, etc. The cheers I can tolerate. 10 girls banging one or more softball(s) on the bench to make more noise, nope, not today. Do all that "holy cow that was foul, moooooove it over" you want, do "16 to the green" just as the hands seperate, I don't care.

Irish:

It is not about different cultures it is about one conduciting herself/himself as a lady/gentleman. Either one act in a sportsmanlike manner during a sporting event or one does not.

MTD, Sr.

Having experienced life in places of different cultures North America and meeting folks from many different places, I can assure you different cultures can create a huge difference in opinions of behavior.

There are many people that consider their actions or language completely within that of a sportsmanship manner that others may consider utterly disgusting.

Well I think the moral of the story is..

If you are going to have little girls cheering racist chants..

know your crowd.

:cool:

In many parts of the country, younger folks likely refer to elders as "sir" or "ma'am." In some parts of the country, you'd damned well better call them "sir" or "ma'am." Part of the "conducting oneself as a lady/gentleman."

Up here, however, they are often considered to be terms of derision, even though not used with THE teenage sarcastic sneer ("Don't you 'ma'am' me!").

We have many different cultures across this United States. You know what. That's a good thing.

Rule 11 section 9 .. players get ejected (removal from game and grounds) immediately for any "disparaging or insulting remarks to or about opposing players, officials or spectators". Coaches or managers for first offense may be a warning on second offense they go bye-bye.
no reference to anything "racial"..but we all know what we would do for that.

So, i guess i misspoke earlier. (like i've never done that before ;) )

I've warned for a chant once... forgot the exact words but it was for a hit batter and offensive team in their chant called the pitcher a "beaner"... suppose by rule they shoulda took a EJ for it... but i didnt do it.

Yeah.... I'm thinkin In CA, having a chant with the word "beaner" in it would not go over well at all. Heck the team might start fighting amongst themselves. :cool:

One day, a friend of mine and his wife were walking through Target. The wife was walking a few steps ahead of my friend, and she turned the corner to walk down one of the aisles. As my friend was turning into the aisle, he hears his wife happily exclaim, "look, Matt, they've got beaners here!" My friend looks just beyond his wife to see a bunch of Hispanics looking at bicycles, then looks at his wife with a look of shock and disgust...

... only to see her pointing to a bucket full of carabiners. By the way. They're into hiking and all sorts of outdoorsy stuff.

now that's funny!! :D

Actually, that is a good example of needing to know before acting.

There is a player/umpire in this area who someone call "bean" one night because of his shaved head. Over the years, it has turned into "beaner" to which the individual has been answering to the point some don't know his real name.

A few years ago, there was an individual who took exception to someone calling anyone a beaner. It took more than five minutes to get this guy calmed down and explain that is the name to which this very pale caucasian responded and how he got the nickname. This guy still didn't buy it and insisted everyone should change because that word was offensive.

And here I thought I lived in the Land of the Free :cool:

iN the Army my First Sergeant had to fight off a racism charges... while taking a picture just goofing around he put up his fingers like rabit ears behind a guy. The guy, a jew, said the 1SG was making devil horns because he was a jew. Such a stupid thing became very very serious to a guy who had a put a lot of time into the service.

Darn. I've got a local college pitcher whose nickname is "Bean" (first name is Jill, and I guess it's from "Jilly Bean"). Guess I'll have to start warning them! :D

speaking of sportsmanship, what do you guys do about the "Bubblegum...POP" or "Hey batter, batter, batter,......SWING!" chants the defense likes to do? I usually just tell the catcher to shut up since she's right next to the batter but I let the rest slide...

Many teams spend way too much time trying to gain a small advantage when they could use that time to develop their skills to kick their opponent's @$$. I say rather than try to distract the batter, just have your pitcher blow some heat right by the batter...

Either its unsportsmanlike and worthy of ejection .. or its not.

That is not.

So I dont worry about it or "prevent trouble" by worrying about it because I dont intend to start trouble over it.

I don't think you'll have to worry about the opposing team. It might be the men in attendance you'll have a problem with. :eek: