A code of conduct for organized sport helps to curb excessive behavior. In many youth sports leagues and high school sports, players, their family members and coaches agree to behave in a civil and rational manner while playing in, coaching or attending sporting events. This is designed to prevent fights and incidents from marring sporting activities.
Document
Prior to the start of any youth or school sports season, an athlete will be asked to sign a code of conduct in which he pledges to play by the rules, to respect opponents, coaches and officials, and to avoid verbal and physical confrontations. Parents of players sign a similar document, pledging not to engage in any conflict with other parents, coaches or athletes. Parents agree to let coaches do their job without interference and allow officials to make calls without threat or insult. Coaches pledge to treat players with respect and to do everything in their power to quell any disturbance that may occur. Coaches may question officials, but it must always be done in a respectful manner, and a coach must return to the team's designated area after the official gives his response.
Enforcement
It is up to the sports league administrators and game officials to follow through on codes of conduct. If an incident occurs in which a player, parent or coach willfully violates behavioral standards, punishment must be imposed, or the code of conduct will have no meaning. Punishment usually includes suspension for a number of practices or games or potential expulsion.
Importance
Disputes have long been a part of organized sports, particularly at the professional level. Young baseball fans may have seen their favorite team manager engage in a sharp argument with the umpire in which spit flies and neck veins bulge. Children get the message that these "arguments" are part of the game and that, if the major league manager can do it, they can also. The code of conducts lets those involved know that these arguments are not acceptable, because they take the emphasis off the game and can lead to on-field violence.
History
The code of conduct documents became a popular way to defuse potential violence after the "Hockey Dad" incident that occurred in Reading, Massachusetts, in 2000. In that incident, the parents of two youth ice hockey players became embroiled in a physical fight after their two sons had a confrontation in practice. In that fight, Thomas Junta beat Michael Costin to death. Junta was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 6 to 10 years in prison. There have been many other violent incidents in youth and high school sports. The code of conduct reminds all parties involved to act in a civil manner to prevent anyone from getting hurt or killed.
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