An athletic code of conduct for interscholastic athletes is designed to help younger competitors behave in a civil and proper manner when participating in sports. A rise in sports-related violence throughout the years has led to the implementation of codes of conduct for high school athletes to prevent incidents from spinning out of control.
Prior to the Season
Before an interscholastic sports season starts, a coach will talk about the behavioral expectations for each player. The talk will normally outline the ground rules for acceptable behavior. Players will then be required to read and sign a statement committing them to civil behavior before, during and after sporting events. The code of conduct bans specific behaviors such as fighting, use of insulting language and disrespectful behavior toward officials.
Practical Impact
Sports can be highly emotional for high school athletes. A basketball player going up for a layup may get fouled and hit the ground hard. That player may be angry and emotional about taking a hard foul and may want to confront the player who fouled him. However, the rules of the game will punish the player who committed the hard foul and the fouled player may not take the matter into his own hands. Before that player can react, the thought of previously reading and signing the code of conduct may flash through his mind and prevent an incident from escalating.
Additional Signees
Coaches and players' family members may also be required to sign a code of conduct in many communities. Coaches are asked to set the tone for their players by behaving in the proper manner. A coach may be more angry about a penalty call than the player. The code of conduct prevents the coach from doing nothing more than asking about the details of the call. She must return to the bench after she makes her inquiry and the official responds. She may not belabor the issue. Parents and siblings sign statements saying they will not threaten violence or insult opponents or officials.
Goal of the Code of Conduct
The goal of the code of conduct is for a sporting event to be conducted in a safe environment. Coaches, players and fans should be allowed to attend a high school sporting event without feeling physically threatened. Violent acts involving California youth football or the Massachusetts hockey dad incident have forced interscholastic sports officials to take the proactive step of implementing codes of conduct to keep sports safe.
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