Parents cross line at basketball game

In an intense sophomore boys basketball game on Jan. 5 at Washington, some parents got too involved with the game and some informal complaints were reported to the Kennedy administration. The parents were showing their disagreement with some calls by the referees and voiced it too much. “I just got a couple reports that… some of our sophomore boys basketball players’ parents went over the line in terms of their behavior as adults, so I wanted to address that,” Athletic Director Aaron Stecker said. No formal complaints were filed, but an email was sent by Stecker to the sophomore boys basketball parents.

One thing high school athletics are suppose to do is teach kids about life. “One of the biggest things I tell parents, one of the most important lessons we can use sports to teach our kids, is how to positively handle adversity. If our adults are stamping in the bleachers because they disagree with a foul call or charge call, how are we asĀ adults being a role model for our kids?” Stecker said. The game was close throughout, with no team gaining a lead of more than nine points.

Even though the parents did not act in a positive way, this is just a blip on the radar on how the crowds at sporting events throughout the year have behaved. “Actually, I’ve been thrilled [with the crowd’s] behavior, especially the students. The students have been very good during the indoor basketball season. I wasn’t at the game Friday night [varsity games] but I haven’t had any report that we were out of line,” Stecker said.

If crowd control becomes an issue, there are two ways it can be handled: kick the person out, or hold each other accountable and realize that it’s just a basketball game, according to Stecker. “I’m trying to remind folks about what it’s all about and keep things in perspective. If sometimes we have to go the other way and kick people out we will, but I don’t want to go there.”

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