WIAA bans AIRBALL chants at HS basketball games

[superfly]

I am ashamed to call myself a Wisconsinite. This is a disgrace, people need to be fired.

 

 

http://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2016/01/11/wisconsin-high-school-basketball-air-ball-scoreboard-chants-banned

[jerichoholicninja]

I'll all against the wussification of sports but I've never been a fan of these negative chants in high school sports. These are kids, show some sportsmanship and support your kids while not putting down the opponent.

[MrTPlush]

In full support of this. What you should be ashamed of is kids negatively chanting at other kids playing a game...just trying to have fun. While some other kid sits on his butt making fun of him/her. There is no need for this at that level. So many kids are playing sports at that level for different reasons.

 

Once I saw a kid horribly miss a fly ball and everyone was making fun of him. His background? Foreign exchange student who never played baseball before.

 

Great example of HS sports becoming too serious. Not allowing negative chants is suddenly some kind of crime? Yikes.

[superfly]

Let's just ban wins and hand out ties only too while we're at it. Teenagers these days have the mental toughness of a rock.

[homer]

Warning before this gets out of hand that political talk is verboten on this site. Thanks.

[MrTPlush]

Let's just ban wins and hand out ties only too while we're at it. Teenagers these days have the mental toughness of a rock.

 

Rocks are pretty tough...

[RobDeer 45]

What are they going to do, kick the whole student section out? Technical fouls? I'm just curious how they will police this.

 

My first reaction was, you have to be kidding me. I took a step back and I guess I think it's probably for the better. On one hand, I think it's another step in the direction of a better society. On the other hand, I'm worried kids can't deal with adversity because everything is made to be fair and polite.

[pacopete4]

Let's just ban wins and hand out ties only too while we're at it. Teenagers these days have the mental toughness of a rock.

 

Rocks are pretty tough...

 

 

Honestly, haven't laughed this hard on here in awhile. Sorry superfly, just not a great example used.

 

I think its a positive step towards sportsmanship but I can see both sides. Kids can be very weak-minded today. The littlest things bother them. Sometimes hearing the negative makes you focus and work harder. I do agree that we have to have winners and losers and that losers should realize that they they did lose and take steps to work harder and do better the next time. That's how winning is eventually achieved.

[Outlander]

The overall tone of the letter is actually fairly positive and some of the chants do get out of hand and mean so I imagine this was to curtail it a little bit. The problem comes toward the end of the letter when rather poor examples are given. Chanting something like "airball" at a basketball game is perfectly fine and shouldn't have been included and is one of the reasons it is getting headlines nationally.

[pacopete4]

When I played high school hockey back in the early 2000's, our student section pulled the "Mystery Alaska" and had news papers for when the opponents were being introduced. They got to do it for one game and the next it was not appropriate. The reason I bring that up is it was almost 15 years ago now and even back then, things were being put in place to make student sections more tame.

[MrTPlush]

More importantly who really is pushing for these rules? Kids? Doubt it.

 

This is almost surely pushed by the parents and school administrations. Many times the students don't care or even notice. You know who is starting to care more about the outcome these days? The parents. I have literally seen parents cry because their team lost. This is probably about parents getting upset because their child was the one who made the mistake.

[stoutdude04]

When I played high school hockey back in the early 2000's, our student section pulled the "Mystery Alaska" and had news papers for when the opponents were being introduced. They got to do it for one game and the next it was not appropriate. The reason I bring that up is it was almost 15 years ago now and even back then, things were being put in place to make student sections more tame.

 

I agree. When we traveled up to Hudson/New Richmond to play puck they would be outside tailgating chanting 'stinky beavers'. We just smiled and moved on. Sometimes I think we need to put more pressure on kids instead of holding their hands. When they get jobs are they not supposed to hear anything negative?

 

I for one am a person who tends to rise up to negative comments and expectations, so this new ban chaps my backside a bit. I think it should be looked at what level is being played. If it is freshman or JV level I think any negative chants should be frowned upon...but if its the varsity level...well, suck it up. My 2 cents only.

[Baldkin]

Pretty sure, 20 years ago now (man I'm getting older) when I was in HS in Madison, no negative chants what so ever were allowed. Whether that was "AIRBALL" or anything else derogatory towards the opponent -- "Scoreboard" was not allowed either.

 

Not surprised by any of this.

[paul253]

This is pathetic. Seriously. And we wonder why kids can't deal with failure or stress anymore? Why don't we just ban scorekeeping because when you keep score someone loses and their feelings might be hurt. I played a lot of sports growing up. Whenever I lost or did something stupid it motivated me to try harder next time so it didn't happen again. We are slowly making that unnecessary now by eliminating as many opportunities to fail as possible. And no that's not a good thing. Kids have to learn how to deal with and overcome failure and mocking and things that show them they aren't always precious little kittens who can do no wrong.

[Patrick425]

My son is a senior and plays baseball and golf, but attends as many other of his HS sports as he can. He loves going to the games and being in the student section with friends. So, I can't wait to here his reaction to this and if these rules will really be enforced. If they started in December, my son has been to several boys and girls basketball games since then and I have not heard anything from him about it. I'm sure he would have said something.

 

I will say that some of the chants that my son tells me about seem to be a little over the line, but still, seems like a somewhat of an over reaction by the WIAA.

 

Edit: Now that I'm looking into this a little more and talking to other people, I don't think this is a new rule. More like maybe a memo that the WIAA sent to schools to remind them of these rules that already existed on the books (but have never really been enforced)

[stoutdude04]

Apparently some high school girl sent a tweet to WIAA telling them to uh...eat poo. Her school has suspended her for 5 games. I guess they also asked/told her to remove the tweet. She told them something like, 'no, I have already been punished, so I am not taking it down.'

[Baldkin]

This is pathetic. Seriously. And we wonder why kids can't deal with failure or stress anymore? Why don't we just ban scorekeeping because when you keep score someone loses and their feelings might be hurt. I played a lot of sports growing up. Whenever I lost or did something stupid it motivated me to try harder next time so it didn't happen again. We are slowly making that unnecessary now by eliminating as many opportunities to fail as possible. And no that's not a good thing. Kids have to learn how to deal with and overcome failure and mocking and things that show them they aren't always precious little kittens who can do no wrong.

 

Yes, because 500 people shouting insults and taunting opposing players is good for a 14 year old kid.

 

I bet you played a lot of sports growing up, I did too. How often did you have people individually targeting your personal flaws and shouting insults at you from the stands?

 

Times have changed, hyper-competitive and obnoxious fans (parents included) have made enforcement of things like this necessary.

[jerichoholicninja]

This has absolutely nothing to do with hurting kids feelings. I'd guess these chants don't bother 99% of the players' feelings or do they even hear them during the game. This stuff pretty much only happens during basketball and volleyball games. What would the reaction be if the fans at a high school baseball game started chanting "error" after a kid boots a ground ball or "Who's your daddy" after a pitcher gets rocked?

[stoutdude04]

This has absolutely nothing to do with hurting kids feelings. I'd guess these chants don't bother 99% of the players' feelings or do they even hear them during the game. This stuff pretty much only happens during basketball and volleyball games. What would the reaction be if the fans at a high school baseball game started chanting "error" after a kid boots a ground ball or "Who's your daddy" after a pitcher gets rocked?

 

 

I think most people are taking issue with the examples that were included. If a kid airballs a shot...he/she knows it wasnt good. I am not sure a chant is going to make them feel any worse. To me, most of the chants aren't bad. Chanting, 'There's no net there.' isn't bad.

 

Some of these kids are going to get creative and get around these rules anyways. 'Good try, season's done' is one that I have heard in the past.

[homer]

Even if "airball" is banned kids will just come up with some other term for it.

[MrTPlush]

So what happens if everyone does it anyway? Just kick everyone out? I mean...that seems like stretch.

[paul253]

Yes, because 500 people shouting insults and taunting opposing players is good for a 14 year old kid.

 

How is shouting "air ball" or "you can't do that" an insult? If someone shoots an air ball and the crowd starts chanting "You are fat! You are fat!" then we can talk.

 

Also, having been to many HS boys basketball games over the years I can pretty much guarantee 500 people don't chant. More like 50 maybe. And it lasts all of ten seconds.

 

I stand by my comment. All rules like this accomplish is preventing teenagers from learning how to deal with situations in which someone dares to not treat them like a delicate little flower.

[Baldkin]

Yes, because 500 people shouting insults and taunting opposing players is good for a 14 year old kid.

 

How is shouting "air ball" or "you can't do that" an insult? If someone shoots an air ball and the crowd starts chanting "You are fat! You are fat!" then we can talk.

 

Also, having been to many HS boys basketball games over the years I can pretty much guarantee 500 people don't chant. More like 50 maybe. And it lasts all of ten seconds.

 

I stand by my comment. All rules like this accomplish is preventing teenagers from learning how to deal with situations in which someone dares to not treat them like a delicate little flower.

 

How many in the last 5? It's gotten worse. Much worse. Airball is the least of the problems, and the easiest line to be drawn is any chant against the opponent or any derogatory chant what so ever.

 

Watching kids chanting against an opposing goalkeeper, "Fatty five hole" after the kid gave up a goal.... well, yeah.

 

Again, this rule has been around for 20 years, at least in the Madison School district.

[MrTPlush]

As mentioned multiple times the kids are probably the people that care the least about all these chants. Regardless chanting or no chanting has no effect on a child's future. Saying air ball is not going to make a person stronger for the future. But like I said I doubt many kids care either way.

 

I really don't see the issue unless you are the type of person that likes sitting in the stands laughing at kids and making fun of their skills...if that is, well...that is unfortunate.

[homer]

I have no idea how they are going to manage this "rule". Kids will just come up with some other term...are they going to ban that new term too?