freshman basketball reviewed

Monday night was quite interesting. Nathan and I went to the basketball game. I was expecting a small crowd and some good basketball - adding up to a great father/son night. Well the crowd was rather small. Probably a bit smaller than the girls games, mainly b/c there were less students. The game was pretty good. It was actually a higher scoring game than I expected (50 to 40). And it was a great father/son night for me. But one thing I didn't expect. Really angry and loud spectators. I mean, come on its freshmen basketball.

We actually got there at the beginning, well close to the beginning, of the game. Within a few minutes of arriving it started. The refs weren't calling plays, the crowd thought they could ref better. (Now, I know this is not new nor is this behavior likely to change, but its freshmen high school basketball and the only person talking about it today is me) Most of the comments were coming from parents/fans from the visiting school. The yelling started getting louder and louder. You could feel the intensity rising in the gym. What is sad is that as the parents began to yell louder and with more anger, the players started playing more aggressively. By the end of the first half there was only 5 fouls total. By the end of the game there were at least 18. Players were blatantly trying to trip others, grabbing an arm, shoving. It was really sad to watch it unfold.

Nathan didn't notice much, though. Because about 1/2 way through the game he just began to play. I think we played more with the few toys he brought than actually watched the game. He did turn around a few times and try to figure out why the people were yelling.

Why must people be so negative when things don't go their way in sports? And I know its not just a localized problem. I've ran into it in various church softball leagues and other sports events I've been to. Monday night just seemed really intense.

What does this behavior do to the students playing the sports? How does their attitude change? Doesn't this "yelling at the refs" just take responsibility away from the losing team. See, its not our fault we're losing, its the refs. Why does it matter so much that we lose. Now, don't get me wrong I like to win, but in the end it doesn't amount to much.

I think that is enough ranting for now.