Stayin' Classy

This post is a little overdue.  

I want to talk a little about sportsmanship.  I know.  We are in a disagreement about this.  So, before we move forward, I want to remind you a bit about some of the commentary that came up earlier this year in the surveys.

You told us, in pretty high numbers, that the top things that students could do to reduce stress on campus were to stop comparing and competing with each other (24.5%) and to be more kind and accepting (21.2%).  I thought, for what it is worth, that this was pretty insightful.  Certainly, a less competitive, more supportive, more open-minded environment can fuel a broader definition of success and, in turn, a less stressful climate.  Here is what I am wondering: does this just apply to time spent in class?  Or, perhaps, could this type of outlook be applied in a much broader sense?  Think about it.

At our games, I am proud of our athletes.  I am proud of the spirit of our crowd and the numbers of students, parents, and community members that come out to root for the Matadors.  I am definitely proud of our Sixth Man, who commit fully to supporting their friends and leading the school (even when this means making questionable wardrobe choices).  That's a lot of proud.  That is why it feels rotten when others don't see us the same way.  And, they don't.  They see a loud crowd (no problem there), dressed in a lot of green (again, no problem), standing up (sounds good to me), shouting at the players on the other team (this is where we need to chat).  Cheering is good.  Some chanting (you guys know the boundaries), works just fine.  What is problematic is the personal insults.  And some of them are really quite personal.  

Let's consider for a moment that the opponent, who we may want to dehumanize during the course of an intense game, is actually a high school student.  Not a college player, playing for a scholarship.  Not a professional player, playing for a (substantial) salary.  But, rather, a person, a student, a kid.  It makes me a little sad.

Now, I know that I often fall on the sensitive side of the spectrum.  After all, I am an educator and, by definition, tend to care a lot about kids.  But, I just feel that we can do a little better.  I think that we are better than that.  After all, we are a top achieving school in the state.  We should be able to think up some pretty good cheers and chants that don't involve talking about people's mothers.  Agreed?

So, here is what I am proposing.  I am asking you to think about that survey.  Many of you felt like a less competitive, kinder campus would contribute to your lives in a positive way.  How about paying it forward?  I am not asking for you to holler compliments at the other team.  But, maybe, you could give our guys some chants instead of just trying to "break" the other team down.  I think our athletes have that part under control.  It is possible to have the best crowd around without being so nasty.  

Let's stay classy, Miramonte.