Sportsmanship

The IHSAA is offering all Indiana high schools the opportunity to win the IHSAA School Sportsmanship Award, an annual presentation which will consist of a championship banner for winning schools to hang in their gymnasiums and extensive community recognition.

IHSAA Sportsmanship Award Winners

Sportsmanship, quite simply, translates to lessons in citizenship for the 160,000 young men and women who participate in high school sports in Indiana. Your enthusiastic participation in this IHSAA program will help counter possible negative influences that exist in our society in regards to sportsmanship. More importantly, it will help set a positive example for others to follow. We encourage and thank you for your school’s full support of this program.

To be eligible to win the IHSAA School Sportsmanship Award, the following nine criteria must be met:

1.      Every winning school should have a written sportsmanship plan in place and on file in the principal’s office.

2.      Every winning school is expected to have a method for sharing its sportsmanship plan with faculty, coaches, parents, fans and the student body (participating in this program constitutes compliance with this criterion).

3.      Sportsmanship posters provided by the IHSAA must be posted in prominent, high-traffic locations within the school and/or school grounds.

4.      Every winning school must read a sportsmanship message prior to every home sporting event, providing a public address system is available and in use. Examples are included in this booklet.

5.      A winning school cannot have a coach ejected from a game because of a sportsmanship violation during the school year.

6.      A winning school cannot have player ejected from a game because of a sportsmanship violation during the school year.

7.      A winning school cannot have a corroborated report about unsportsmanlike fan behavior filed by a licensed IHSAA official. 

8.      A winning school cannot have an IHSAA rules violation.

9.      The principal of each school that qualifies for the IHSAA School Sportsmanship Award will be asked to confirm that all of the above criteria have been met prior to the presentation of the award.

“Good sportsmanship is viewed by the National Federation as a commitment to fair play, ethical behavior and integrity. In perception and practice, sportsmanship is defined as those qualities which are characterized by generosity and genuine concern for others. The ideals of sportsmanship apply equally to all activity disciplines. Individuals, regardless of their role in activities, are expected to be aware of their influence on the behavior of others and model good sportsmanship.”

 FUNDAMENTALS OF SPORTSMANSHIP:

1.      Show respect for self and others at all times.

2.      Show respect for the officials. Good sportsmanship implies the willingness to accept and abide by the decisions of the officials.

3.      Know, understand and appreciate the rules of the contest. Good sportsmanship suggests the importance of conforming to the spirit as well as the letter of the rules.

4.      Maintain self-control at all times. Prevent the desire to win from overcoming rational behavior.

5.      Recognize and appreciate skill in performance regardless of team affiliation.

The actions of the coach have a great deal to do with how sportsmanship is valued by the members of the team. In order for good sportsmanship to become a reality, the coach should:

1.      Always set a good example for members of the team and fans to follow.

2.      Instruct members of the team in regard to proper sportsmanship.

3.      Respect the judgment of contest officials.

4.      Display no behavior that could incite fans.

5.      Treat opposing coaches, participants and fans with respect.

6.      Shake hands with officials and opposing coaches in public.

7.      Develop consequences for those who do not abide by sportsmanship standards.

The responsibility of players with regards to sportsmanship is second in importance only to the coach. Because players are admired and respected, they can exert a great deal of influence over the actions and behaviors of spectators.

1.      Treat opponents with the respect they deserve as guests and fellow human beings.

2.      Shake hands with opponents and wish them good luck before and after the contest.

3.      Exercise self-control at all times, accepting decisions and abiding by them.

4.      Respect the integrity and judgment of the officials. Never argue or make gestures indicating the dislike of a decision.

5.      Accept both victory and defeat with pride and compassion, being neither boastful nor bitter.

6.      Congratulate opponents in a sincere manner following either victory or defeat.

1.      Realize that a ticket is a privilege to observe a contest and support high school activities. It is not a license to verbally assault anyone or act in an outrageous manner.

2.      Realize that athletics are part of the educational experience and that its benefits go beyond the final score of the contest.

3.      Respect the decisions made by officials and learn the rules of the game to better understand their decisions.

4.      Participate in positive cheers and refrain from encouraging those who take away from the spirit of the contest.

5.      Respect and support the task of the coaches.

6.      Respect opponents as students, and acknowledge them for striving to do their best.

7.      Be a parent your child would be proud of! Be a fan, not a fanatic!

1.      Realize that a ticket is a privilege to observe a contest and support high school activities, not a license to verbally assault others or be generally obnoxious.

2.      Know and demonstrate the fundamentals of sportsmanship.

3.      Respect, cooperate and respond enthusiastically to cheerleaders.

4.      Respect the property of the school and the authority of school officials.

5.      Stimulate desired crowd response using only positive cheers, signs and praise without antagonizing or demeaning opponents.

6.      Show respect for an injured player when he/she is removed from the contest.

7.      Do not applaud errors by opponents or penalties inflicted upon them.

8.      Do not heckle, jeer or distract members of the opposing team. Respect opposing spirit groups, fans, coaches and participants.

9.      Never criticize the players or coaches for the loss of the game.

10.  Respect yourself, your team, officials, coaches, opponents and fans.

11.  Refrain from using profanity, racial or sexual comments and intimidating language or actions directed to others.

The officials of any contest are impartial arbiters who are trained and perform to the best of their ability. Mistakes by all those involved in the contest are a part of the contest. We should not rationalize our own poor unsuccessful performance or behavior by placing responsibility on an official. The rule of good sportsmanship is to accept and abide by the decisions that are made.

1.      Accept the role of an official in an unassuming manner. Avoid showboating.

2.      Maintain confidence and poise, controlling the contest from start to finish.

3.      Know the rules thoroughly and abide by the established Code of Ethics.

4.      Publicly shake hands with coaches of both teams before an athletic contest.

5.      Never exhibit emotions or argue with participants, coaches and fans.

6.      Work cooperatively with fellow officials, scorers and time keepers for an efficient contest.

7.      Withdraw from the playing area without delay at half-time and at the end of the contest.

8.      When watching a game as a spectator, give the contest officials the same respect you expect to receive when working a contest.

The officials of any contest are impartial arbiters who are trained and perform to the best of their ability. Mistakes by all those involved in the contest are a part of the contest. We should not rationalize our own poor unsuccessful performance or behavior by placing responsibility on an official. The rule of good sportsmanship is to accept and abide by the decisions that are made.

1.      Accept the role of an official in an unassuming manner. Avoid showboating.

2.      Maintain confidence and poise, controlling the contest from start to finish.

3.      Know the rules thoroughly and abide by the established Code of Ethics.

4.      Publicly shake hands with coaches of both teams before an athletic contest.

5.      Never exhibit emotions or argue with participants, coaches and fans.

6.      Work cooperatively with fellow officials, scorers and time keepers for an efficient contest.

7.      Withdraw from the playing area without delay at half-time and at the end of the contest.

8.      When watching a game as a spectator, give the contest officials the same respect you expect to receive when working a contest.

1.      Develop a program for teaching and promoting the ideals and fundamentals of good sportsmanship within the school, the conference/league and the IHSAA.

2.      Provide appropriate supervisory personnel for each interscholastic athletic event.

3.      Support participants, coaches and fans whose team displays good sportsmanship.

4.      Recognize exemplary behavior and actively discourage undesirable conduct by participants, coaches and fans.

5.      Attend events whenever possible and function as a role model—show good sportsmanship. This includes communicating with spectators during an event as to what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior.