By Tim Brown

Tim Brown, CMAA, is in his 19th year as the Director of Athletics and Activities at Mt. Anthony Union High School in Bennington, Vt. He has served as President of the Vermont State Athletic Directors' Association and is a two-time recipient of the NIAAA State Award of Merit. He can be reached at: tbrown@svsu.org.

Knute Rockne, the legendary football coach at Notre Dame, might be best remembered for his "Win One for the Gipper" speech at halftime of his team's 1928 game against Army. But for athletic directors, there is another, more compelling quote attributed to Rockne: "One man practicing good sportsmanship is far better than 50 others preaching it."

To promote sportsmanship at our own games, most of us address crowds over the PA system, hang posters with positive messages, and enforce rules of respect. Some of us have even had athletes read a scripted message to make a more powerful impact.

Unfortunately, that's really not enough. If, after the first whistle blows, your coaches rant and rave on the sidelines, and your players jaw at officials and taunt their opponents, your pre-game words and good conduct rules will be meaningless. A key element of teaching good sportsmanship to fans is having administrators, coaches, and athletes exhibit it. This takes persistence and creativity on the part of athletic directors.

COACH YOUR COACHES
More often than not, bad behavior exhibited by players and fans is a direct reflection of the coach. When a coach yells at officials or makes disrespectful comments, it is often construed by others as an invitation to follow suit. Fans who might otherwise behave view this as an opportunity to join in the feeding frenzy on officials. Once your coach has initiated inappropriate conduct, you have lost all chance to convince spectators to act respectfully.

However, in many sports, there is a tradition of coaches being vocal on the sidelines and confronting officials if they don't like a call. They see it as their way of supporting their players and letting the officials know they are being critiqued.

In response, it's critical for athletic directors to take every opportunity to tell coaches how their behavior influences the crowd. I explain that if they are unable to show restraint during times of adversity, they can't expect their players to rise above it and perform to their potential. It is up to the coach to lead by example and provide an atmosphere of calmness and control.

A preseason coaches meeting is an excellent time to tackle this topic. I start by pointing out examples of great things I've seen coaches do to convey respect. Next, I open the discussion so everyone can share ideas on what they do to promote good sportsmanship.

I then continue the emphasis throughout the year. If I see good sportsmanship by a coach, I take a moment to drop him or her a note or make a comment to reinforce that I have taken notice. If there are issues of unsportsmanlike behavior that I hear about or witness, I address them immediately, and I always try to capitalize on a teaching moment. I also make sure that their conduct and behavior is an important part of their evaluation process at the end of the season.

TALK TO ATHLETES
One obstacle we face in trying to get student-athletes on board with good sportsmanship is the sports media's fixation with negative images of athletes. You can't pick up a newspaper or turn on a television without hearing about a professional athlete breaking the law, violating league substance abuse policies, testing positive for performance enhancing drugs, or simply exhibiting poor judgment. To concede that it is a "now generation" problem and neglect the issues would be short-sighted and irresponsible on our part.

The antidote is to talk to your athletes about the problem. Explain to them the difference between professional sports (which are about entertainment) and high school athletics (which are about education). I try to meet with players from each team before the start of the season, doubling or tripling up teams when applicable. I emphasize that it's up to the coaches to take care of game strategy and teach skills, and up to me to ensure that athletes represent our school in a positive light on and off the court. I ask them for positive examples of good sportsmanship and we talk about how they can emulate that. Then I share with them my "Fab Four" rules on Sportsmanship:

1. If you knock down a player, and the whistle has blown the play dead, offer to help your opponent up. Whether they accept your help or not, at least you are sending a message to everyone in attendance that you didn't mean to harm your opponent. You can be fiercely competitive and still respect the players on the opposing side.

2. Never make an official pick up a ball. It is a great show of respect to the official if you make the effort to retrieve the ball and hand it to them.

3. Whether you score a touchdown or goal, hit a three-pointer, or belt a home run, don't act like it is the first time you've ever done it. It's easy for the opponent to tell the difference between genuine excitement and an act of arrogance.

4. Don't complain to or challenge officials. If you need to make a point, be respectful and you can expect to be treated the same way in return.

I tell the athletes that I will be holding them to the Fab Four--and I do. When I see an athlete follow these guidelines, I commend them after the game. Sometimes, I even let their parents know the great example they are setting. If I see athletes ignoring these points, I speak to them about doing a better job next time. I also make a mental note of who is exhibiting great sportsmanship throughout the season and ask coaches to consider this when choosing recipients for postseason awards.

THE ROYAL TREATMENT
In some areas of the country, there is a severe lack of officials. It's difficult enough to find adults willing to become certified and knowledgeable in a sport and travel to all corners of the state to perform this job--for very little money. On top of that, taking verbal abuse from fans and coaches makes it very easy to hang up one's whistle.

That's why "practicing what you preach" in terms of good sportsmanship must include the way in which you treat officials. In every interaction with officials, you want to show the fans and the individual referees that they will be respected throughout their stay. In fact, at our school, I treat officials like royalty. Here are some tips you might consider:

> Provide a reserved parking space for the officials as close to the entrance of your gym as possible. In basketball, for example, since varsity officials arrive after most of the crowd is parked, they really appreciate not having to park far away. It also avoids a long walk through the parking lot after the game, where a potential conflict could occur.

> Have a separate room for officials to change and shower, which is isolated from the team locker rooms. Provide soap and towels for them to use after the game. Officials appreciate not having to put wet towels back in their bags.

> Make sure to greet your officials when they arrive. If you cannot welcome them yourself, assign somebody to do this. Walk them to their designated changing room and discuss any pregame or halftime activities and anything else they should know about. Give them a key to the room so they have easy access.

> Take care of payment or vouchers before the game. Don't risk forgetting after the game. And you don't want to give the impression you are holding payment as a threat to their performance. If you are paying officials by check, try to be discreet and deliver the payment in a private setting.

> At halftime, meet the officials at half-court and walk them to a private room. Provide water, chairs, and towels. Offering them a small snack is also a nice touch.

> After the game, escort them off the court and to their changing room. Since I am busy with the teams and crowd after the contest, I designate a security officer for this duty. This discourages fans from being confrontational or acting inappropriately. Since we do this after every game, everyone knows it is standard procedure.

Having captains seek out officials after a game to shake their hand and say thank you also adds a touch of class to your program. I have even seen entire teams line up to thank the officials. I think this idea works best if coaches suggest it to their players and let them initiate the gesture as opposed to requiring players to do it.

POSTGAME REPORT
In the ever-competitive world of interscholastic athletics, students and coaches seem to respond better to challenges when there are extrinsic rewards or rebuffs. That's not to say a pat on the back or warning of disapproval is not important. But a banner on the wall can be a visible reminder of a job well done, and a reprimand from peers can light a fire for change.

With this in mind, our league (Marble Valley) developed a sportsmanship reporting tool eight years ago that rewards teams for good sportsmanship and identifies any problems. The report asks coaches of each sport after every game to rate the sportsmanship level of the opponent in four areas: coach, players, fans, and administration/facility. Scoring is on a 1-to-10 scale, with a 10 being outstanding and a score below 5 being poor. Any score below 5 must be followed up with an explanation.

The first three categories are obvious to rate, but we wanted another section to cover the intangibles, such as the condition of the field, facility, and locker rooms, as well as the treatment by the host administrator. Did you feel welcome? Were you treated well? Did they accommodate your needs?

These reports are kept on file by each sport coach and turned in at the end of the season at our all-star selection meetings. Since attendance at these meetings is mandatory, and we do not start a meeting until all the forms are turned in, we have a successful return rate. One person from each sport collects the sheets from the coaches and tabulates the data. An administrator in the league then enters the scores into a database program where each school can access its own results as well as the high and low scores.

The importance of this sportsmanship report is twofold. First, it provides athletic administrators with a valuable tool to help evaluate a coach and their program in regards to sportsmanship. It can be used to reinforce what you already believed was strong leadership in this area, or be a powerful tool to help coaches realize where improvements are necessary. It can also give administrators leverage with the school board at budget time, when poor ratings from opponents can bolster the case for facilities improvements.

Secondly, it can provide your school with visual reinforcement of the importance you place on sportsmanship. Our league makes note of the top scoring schools in each sport for each division. At the end of the school year, we hang up a banner in the gym that lists the sports in our school that had the top sportsmanship rating for that year. These banners hang alongside our state championship banners in the opposite color scheme to make them stand out.

I tell the students that no matter how much effort, desire, or talent they have, a state championship is an achievement that also takes an element of good fortune to achieve. But, there is no luck involved in getting a good sportsmanship rating--just an unwavering commitment to the principles we've talked about.

A DAILY BATTLE
Nobody can ever claim to have conquered the problem of unsportsmanlike conduct. Every year brings new students, new parents, and often some new coaches. It's a day-to-day battle that continually needs new ideas, reinforcement, and evaluation.

However, if you have your coaches, athletes, and staff committed to setting the right example, you have already won the toughest fight. After all, the only thing better than Rockne's advice of "one man practicing sportsmanship," is to get everyone practicing it. 

Sidebar: MEET THE OFFICIALS
Many teams have a "Meet the Coaches" night for parents. Consider inviting an official to these meetings so parents can also "Meet an Official." The official can talk about how he or she tries to maintain fair play in the game, and about the role parents can play in good sportsmanship. He or she can also share new rules and offer an interpretation on some calls that are commonly misunderstood.

A fellow athletic director in our state titles his presentation "Officials are People Too!" He has found that if he brings in an official who can be funny and deliver a positive message, it really hits home.

You can also capitalize on the moment by having a student-athlete speak. He or she can reinforce to parents that when they act in an unsportsmanlike manner, it is embarrassing and hurts the team, and it sets a bad example for kids who are being taught by coaches not to behave that way.