A code of conduct in athletics has become an important aspect of competitive sports played at the youth, junior high school and high school levels in the United States. In an effort to promote sportsmanship and limit incidents involving athletes, coaches and fans, all concerned individuals sign codes of conduct statements pledging good sportsmanship.
Function
Prior to the start of an athletic season, a coach in organized sports will want to call a meeting for all of the athletes on the team, as well as the parents and relatives of athletes along with the other coaches. In an effort to promote the sport, team's play and each player's development, the meeting will focus on the team's goals for the season. In addition, a big part of the meeting will be about the athlete's code of conduct. This is a statement that is signed by players, coaches and parents pledging mature and reasonable behavior in all situations. The intent of the code of conduct is to prohibit violence and arguments over such issues as playing time, player's ability levels and disagreements with officials. When the player, coach and parent sign a code of conduct, they acknowledge that violent or argumentative behavior is never acceptable and that restrictions will result if these standards are violated.
History
The code of conduct became an accepted part of organized youth and school sports after the "Hockey Dad" incident in suburban Boston in 2000 in which the father of a youth hockey player used his fists to pummel and eventually kill the father of another youth player following a team practice. Thomas Junta was found guilty to involuntary manslaughter following the death of Michael Costin and was sentenced to 6 to 10 years in prison. While there have been many incidents involving violence in sports, this one focused national attention on the problem.
Features
When athletes, coaches and family members sign a code of conduct prior to the start of an athletic season, they know prior to any incident that they will be held responsible for any behavior deemed as aggressive or unseemly before they commit the behavior. All codes of conduct outine specific behavior such as fighting, yelling, arguing or taking an aggressive posture that could lead to a confrontation. As a result, a code of conduct can have a quelling impact on any negative incident.
Considerations
A code of conduct requires athletes and their families, and coaches to follow certain standards of behavior or penalties will be imposed. However, anyone who is found in violation of a code of conduct is allowed due process. An individual may respond to charges against him and an administrator may interview material witnesses to determine if penalties should be imposed.
Benefits
The code of conduct can help any athlete who plays sports have confidence that the focus will be on performance, improvement and taking part in an enjoyable activity. Since family members and coaches must also sign codes of conduct, a player does not have to worry about the embarrassing behavior of family members or coaches. Players know that teammates and opponents also sign a code of conduct and that will keep incidents to a minimum and allow players to concentrate on their sport.
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