Colburn comments
Marion-Florence USD 408 director of athletics Tod Gordon is about to inherit a new, unofficial, and undeserved title.
Tod Gordon, Chief Party Pooper.
I was startled, in my first two weeks on the job, to hear Gordon described by a fan as someone who routinely seeks to quash crowd enthusiasm at home basketball games.
At the time, I placed my puzzlement on hold.
Following a recent conversation with Gordon, I now understand why he, and other USD 408 staff members, can be unfairly judged and mischaracterized by fans.
Rule 52 is a Kansas State High School Activities Association regulation regarding sportsmanship. It requires member schools to foster a competitive environment that is, in many ways, the polar opposite of what fans have been conditioned to believe is appropriate.
Viewers of college basketball broadcasts are routinely bombarded with sights and sounds of fan behavior Rule 52 classifies as unsportsmanlike.
TV cameras angle for shots of rabid fans trying to rattle a free-throw-shooting opponent with swaying arms, waving newspapers, and verbal taunts.
Behind the booing that accompanies an unfavorable officiating call, you'll frequently discern the sound of fans vigorously chanting a vulgar alternative to "cow manure."
Boos aren't reserved for the officials — opposing players, coaches, cheerleaders, and even band members are routinely targeted.
Handshakes don't get players air time on ESPN, but trash-talking, taunting, and fights often do. Coaches are seen and heard lambasting officials, both during and after games.
These are, after all, today's accepted norms in collegiate and professional sports behavior.
Gordon's difficult challenge comes when these behaviors inevitably spill over into Marion High School Gymnasium.
Rule 52 is crystal clear — "ALL ACTIONS are to be FOR, NOT AGAINST; POSITIVE, NOT NEGATIVE or DISRESPECTFUL!"
Schools have always sought to instill sportsmanship values in their students. Rule 52 charges them with the additional responsibility of actively policing all fan behavior.
I don't envy Gordon and other district officials one bit when it comes to this thankless task.
Imagine this: a visiting Hillsboro Trojan steps to the free throw line, his team trailing by one point with 1.2 seconds left in the game, the league title hanging in the balance.
What Marion fan wouldn't have an impulse to scream, to do something, anything, to cause the player to miss the shots? Doesn't that seem normal, natural to want to do so?
Yet in that scenario, Rule 52 requires USD 408 officials to actively try to minimize any negative disruptions, from all fans, adults as well as students. If they don't, the school could be reprimanded, put on probation, or even suspended by KSHSAA.
Enthusiasm for the home team is great. Our kids deserve every ounce of support you can give them.
So do our school officials when it comes to promoting sportsmanship during games. Adults can help by understanding Rule 52, and taking responsibility for their own behavior.
Accentuate the positive, and don't mistakenly berate school officials for trying to do what we pay them to do: provide educational athletic experiences for our youth that instill character and positive values.
