Officials Discuss State of Sportsmanship in High School Sports

In his legendary 59-year career as a high school boys basketball coach in Minnesota, the late Bob McDonald, an NFHS National High School Hall of Fame inductee in 2014, was never assessed a technical foul. That was a span of 1,440 games – 1,012 of which were victories.

After his retirement in 2014, he shared with a newspaper sports reporter from St. Paul, Minnesota, that the no-technical foul streak wasn’t something he dwelled upon. What mattered to him was paying high levels of respect to the game, and he demanded his players to mirror that. He respected officials for the valued roles they played so that students had the opportunities and valued experiences to participate in interscholastic activities.

“I suppose there were times I came close, but I think I knew how far I could go to get a point across,” he said with a grin.

“As he got longer in his tenure, his leash got a little longer because so many officials had respect for him, and vice-versa,” said Paul McDonald, Bob’s son, former player and longtime college men’s basketball coach. “Back then, we had benches on the floor. When he stomped his foot on the floor, people knew he wasn’t happy about something.

“My dad wouldn’t tolerate any of what is going on now. In our day, if you did something (unsporting), he would point to the end of the bench and say, “I’ll let you know if I need you.’”

Just as Chisholm High School’s trademark crewcuts, wearing suits to games and sporting knee-high socks during practices and games are throwbacks, so too seemingly are the character values that stress discipline and respect toward the game and officiating.

As the decades have slipped away from that bygone era, headlines now include shocking accounts of unsporting behavior that range from attacks on officials to “acceptable” respect levels that were once deemed unfathomable.

Episodes of unsporting behavior, unfortunately, no longer qualify as breaking news. It is happening as a common occurrence and continues to leave school administrators and officials groups challenged on ways to curb the behaviors.

Efforts and initiatives are ongoing throughout the country from the local, state and national levels to promote the positives of our events while educating against poor behaviors that are marring activities and creating negative headlines.

Are they making an impact?

“I have officiated high school football for 25 years and I may have a different perspective than some officials who have worked as long as I have,” said Ethan Rolen, football mechanics coordinator for the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association.

“I haven’t seen much change in sportsmanship through the years. There are always teams that challenge us in that area just as there will be teams that emphasize and practice good sportsmanship. On the nights that sportsmanship is a challenge, I believe it is on us as officials to get on top of potential issues as quickly as possible.”

The view is similar from the state association’s vantage point.

“Sportsmanship towards officials has been consistently bad,” said Sara Hayes, an associate commissioner of the South Carolina High School League. “Some sports receive it more than others due to proximity of spectators to officials, for instance, baseball tends to be worse than football.”

In looking at common symptoms of unsporting behaviors, officials throughout the nation believe it begins with a head coach.

“Over the past year, I think things have improved a bit,” said Zach Gustafson, a three-sport official and director of basketball operations for the Minneapolis Officials Association. “I think we were at an all-time low for (unsporting behavior) coming out of the pandemic. Things have gotten better, but you’ve also got some bad apples out there. It starts with coaches not controlling their emotions, questioning judgment and not knowing the rules. Once their emotions are elevated, others feed off that.”

Officials across the country concur that a strong pregame with their crew is critical in setting the tone for a contest filled with positive behavior that leads to a great experience. Pregame conferences can take on different looks, but it typically begins when an official confirms a game. Rick Barnes, a longtime three-sport official from Columbus, Ohio, uses a template that asks questions of site administration. They include:

• Who will be the site administrator for the game?

• Is there a designated space for the officiating crew?

• Will teams be using the same gates for entry and exit?

• Will visible security be onsite?

“We do a good job of talking about exit plans and our roles in a heightened situation,” Barnes said. “That helps set the tone for a successful event. When we arrive onsite, we also do a virtual assessment of the area.”

In Oklahoma, Rolen said, “In our pregame meetings with both coaches, we stress sportsmanship and ask that the coaches help us if/when we have any issues with players on the field. It is very rare that coaches are not receptive to this and readily agree to assist us if the need arises. I believe coaches and officials need to work together in a partnership to provide the students with a positive experience.”

Too often, however, those good intentions disappear when a game begins. Old habits and mannerisms push the positivity aside. A lack of respect for officials and authority permeates and eventually boils over too often in the form of demonstrative behavior. Officials do have management tools to greatly discourage these behaviors. They come in the form of warnings, technical fouls and unsportsmanlike conduct. Unsporting behavior isn’t reserved just for the participants.

The South Carolina High School League puts the responsibility on member schools to act against spectators who behave poorly. Member schools are subject to fines from the state association if they have recurrences of poor spectator behavior.

In Ohio, Barnes said a positive development has been a visible presence of administrators and security during the regular season and Ohio High School Athletic Association state tournament events.

State associations are continuing their collaborative efforts in support of embattled officials by promoting the NFHS #Bench- BadBehavior campaign and encouraging grateful gestures toward officials through the ThankARef initiative. Promotional videos featuring sportsmanship and the benefits of officiating are a common sight in arenas and stadiums during tournament time. Web pages and public-service announcements are other tools being used.

“The little gestures of appreciation go a long way,” said Gustafson, who stressed that while there are modest steps toward improvement at the high school level, the youth level is a major concern. There are many news reports of officials who are being targeted with verbal and physical abuse at the youth and AAU levels.

“You’ve got parents that believe their son is going to play in the NBA or pitch in the Major Leagues,” Gustafson said. “The behavior of fans and coaches is a major problem that isn’t getting better. I don’t officiate anything if it isn’t a sanctioned sport. I only do high school and NCAA. It’s not about money and never has been. The newer generation just doesn’t seem to understand.”

“We do have struggles with poor sportsmanship at times, but how we respond to poor sportsmanship as officials is the key,” Rolen said. “Officiating is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you respond. Keeping a game under control and keeping the focus on the competition on the field is part of our job as officials. This is done with effective communication and partnering with coaches to always keep things professional.”

While plenty of work still needs to be done to educate and promote positive sportsmanship toward officials, most officials and administrators are optimistic about the future.

• Hayes: “I think it can improve if we all work together and continue to promote good examples of sportsmanship.”

• Gustafson: “I am. I do feel there is an awareness and schools are supportive. They are taking care of issues. It is a collective effort.”

• Barnes: “I am hoping. I have cautious optimism, but I am a realist. I see things as they are. It pains me to think about if this continues. Are we ever going to get there? I sure hope so.”

• Rolen: “I am excited about the future of high school sports and the students who participate. There will always be games, teams and coaches who challenge us. Some will challenge our rules knowledge. Some will challenge our professionalism. Some will challenge our communication skills. How we respond to those challenges will ultimately define whether we will succeed or fail as officials. What an honor and privilege it is that we are entrusted with this responsibility. Sportsmanship is a two-way street.”

Tim Leighton is communications coordinator for the Minnesota State High School League, and he is a member of the High School Today Publications Committee.