Wisky high schools are telling students they can't chant something that might hurt the other teams feelings at basketball games...like "Air ball" and the like. I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess there are a ton of liberals in Wisconsin....
Ohhhhh Wisconsin....REALLY??
- Thread starter litespeedhuskerfan
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At this rate, they'll probably remove the scoreboard in few years. The incoming freshman won't even notice because they're used to "participation ribbons".
They need to stop hurting our feelings in football &*^%$%
My sister has lived up there for about 22 years. There's plenty of conservatives, but in Madison and Milwaukee it seems the lib's are overboard lib's. I'm not surprised that this came out of there.
I'll probably come out on the minority side of this, but I'm perfectly ok with Wisconsin doing this. We preach the value of sportsmanship in athletics, particularly high school athletics. Most places around here either do a sportsmanship announcement before games, or have a banner hanging in their gyms with a sportsmanship creed on it. Then, as soon as the game starts, sportsmanship is out the window. How about the novel idea of cheering FOR your team instead of AGAINST the other team? Why shouldn't we be cognizant of each others' feelings? Seems like they're encouraging showing a little decency toward your fellow man. That's something I'm always on board with. Treating each other well doesn't undermine competition. Just my initial thoughts after reading the link posted above.
If a player I am coaching can't take "AIR BALL", I just assume he move on, I would have zero use for him and would laugh at him for the rest of my life behind his back. This is waaaay overboard and leads to crap like what we had at Missouri a few months ago. No thanks, I just assume they be able to take a little good natured ribbing, since you know, they might encounter it in real life someday.
I live in Wisconsin. As another poster mentioned, most of the liberal folks live in Milwaukee and Madison. The rest of the state is just like Nebraska and filled with conservatives who like to shoot things.
Shouting "air ball" hurts somebody's feelings? If that hurts your feelings, you shouldn't be in sports, period. This is about the continuing wussification of sports. Come on, if you want to criticize being nasty to your opponent, then find something really nasty to talk about. Making derogatory remarks about a player's race, heritage or appearance or maybe the background of the student body of a particular school-that's the kind of stuff that should be banned. This doesn't even come close to qualifying.
And how far do you take this? Is being loud at football games and making it difficult for the opposing team to hear each other "poor sportsmanship" too? Is trying to distract a player making free throws at a basketball game poor sportsmanship too? Is cheering when a player misses a free throw poor sportsmanship? Or missing a field goal? Or throwing an interception? All of those things are just as, if not more humiliating for the players involved than shouting "air ball". Should we be banning those things too?
No problem. I consider myself for a liberal than conservative, but this new policy is dumb.
Come one man. As someone who's job is all about law and order, to me that stuff (those specific chants) are all about fun.
I recently went to a high school grils/boys double header of heated rivals. I heard, "Airball", "Score Board," "You can't do that!" etc, etc from both sides. The students were showing school spirit and getting into the game. It adds to the atmosphere. When the games were over, the crowds intermingled and there wasn't a bunch of trash talking or anything. It's just part of going to a high school basketball game.
Basketball is all about home court advantages. Creating a hostile environment for teams to either rise above and deal with, or melt under the pressure.
I fail to see how this will be enforced, other than throwing out students who are seen as "instigators" and banning them from future games. These kids are only in high school for 4 years, let them have fun. It is common sense when the line has been crossed, and having worked security at sporting events, that line is pretty clear, and it is usually handled in my experiences.
The only thing I see coming from this is a percentage of students will not come to games, and that is a shame. Every kid who plays varsity basketball in high school deserves to have a full gym of screaming fellow students during their home games (and away games if they are not terribly far away). This will take away from the atmosphere and fun of going to games in that state (which produces a lot of good players).
The association should butt out and let the local school officials and whomever they hire for security decide what is appropriate and not appropriate regarding cheers. These cheers are harmless and just good fun. For goodness sakes, this is competition! This is truly making a mountain out of a molehill. What is next? Telling fans at football games they can't scream and whistle when the opposing team has the ball because that's not fair to the offense????????
You're right, "airball" is not really damaging anyone's feelings, but it's not necessarily respectful either. What good does it do?
I would tend to disagree that showing respect and common decency to opponents makes one a wuss.
Definitely agree that the more egregious of the chants are the most damaging, and should really be the ultimate focus. However, I can't excuse a "more tolerable" level of disrespect for an opponent just because it could be worse.
Hey, I'm all for the exciting high school sports atmosphere. Scream, yell, whistle, clap, stomp to your heart's content. Cheer for your team, celebrate your victories, commiserate in defeat. Just be respectful. I think a game can be exciting without being hostile. Am I being a bit idyllic? Obviously. I don't expect to change the culture of sport in America. It is what it is. I just don't see the need to attempt to embarrass an opponent in the course of competition. Thanks for your thoughts on the matter, it's certainly an interesting philosophical discussion.
If you asked every kid who plays high school basketball if he cares about this, I am willing to bet most are more than fine with the chants and find it fun. It's like we're inventing a solution to a problem that doesn't exist, as if kids are completely incapable of dealing with this stuff and we adults have to look out for their feelings.
Very good point. So often things like this are done by do-gooders who think they are solving a problem that in reality doesn't exist.
I agree totally, but I just don't see the list of banned phrases rising to the level of hostility:
From the article:
The following words were reportedly included as examples:
• “Fundamentals”
• “Sieve”
• “We can’t hear you”
• “Air ball”
• “You can’t do that”
• “There’s a net there”
• “Scoreboard”
• “Season’s over” (during tournament play)
Have I seen hostile? Oh yes, absolutely, and games I've been to it gets squashed quickly, and if it isn't, that's on the particular school and staff. I am in no way say the kids should have free reign to chant whatever they can come up with.
To me this is line the old line about pornography. Can't define it, but I know it when I see it. Well, when it comes to chants, you can certainly tell when it has crossed the line of decency and needs addressed, and I think high school kids are pretty aware of it too.
I would guess you're probably right, they don't care. But that's largely because we have created a culture (inside and outside of sport) where its ok to be disrespectful to people because they play on another team, have a different opinion, vote a different way, worship a different deity, etc. I mean, it plays out daily on this message board. Twitter is a wasteland of people bashing other people behind the guise of anonymity. I guess I just yearn for a higher level of discourse, both in sport and in our country. Probably just me being a do-gooding wuss, though.
Bunch of spoiled entitled brats speaking their minds.(Please assign me to a side).
This is where the difference comes in. I don't see yelling "air ball" as disrespect. It's just all in good fun. You also use the term "hostile" above. Yelling "air ball" is hostile? You never addressed my question about cheering when a player misses a free throw in basketball, missing a field goal, throwing an interception, etc., . Are those disrespectful? Is yelling to keep the opposing team from being able to hear each other hostile? People talk all the time about playing "in a hostile atmosphere". Part of having a home field or home court advantage is making it difficult for the opposing team. Is that poor sportsmanship? Where do you draw the line?
Compared to some of the chants at Wisconsin football games, I would saying that chanting "air ball" should be the least of their concerns. I don't really care what they chant because the feeling is mutual and I'm not as sensitive as some.
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I disagree. This isn't about disrespect at all. It's more about the pussification of the US. When I played HS Sports I loved the crowd yelling stuff at me. A lot of the guys in the arch rival towns, I was great friends with from other sports and camps during the summer, and it was fun to have that atmosphere. Wisconsin is being ridiculous, and this is just another ridiculous thing to add to the dumbass list we have going in this PC world. Wisconsin will probably just drop championships as well and just give trophies to everyone.
Yelling air ball is in good fun for you, probably the kid who threw up the air ball doesn't think it's that fun. In that way, sure, it could be considered hostile. Sorry I missed your other question earlier. I think fans should make noise, and cheer. I don't think it's disrespectful to make noise to try to distract the opponent. Personally, I don't like celebrating opponents missteps like you mentioned above, but I do understand why people do it. It's beneficial to their team, so they are happy about it. Essentially, they are elemental to the game play. I draw the line at embarrassing high school kids by taunting them when they make mistakes. We don't (or maybe shouldn't) let players taunt each other on the field, what gives the fans a right to do it in the stands?
If there is one thing that is tired and old, it's conservatives complaining about things being "too PC these days." Every once in awhile--like in this instance--they have a point. Most all the time, however, lingual changes are intended simply to show a basic level of common decency and respect towards others and doesn't hurt anyone or signify the end of America as we know it. People just need to be decent to one another and use common sense.
The University of Wisconsin is incredibly tough to get into, even for in-state kids. My nephew, who isn't a stupid kid, is a junior in high school, and has zero chance to get accepted there. You truly have to be among the best an brightest to get accepted there.
With that in mind, I'd at least have some respect for the WIAA, if along with this dumb policy, came out and publicly condemned the actions and chants at Wisky football games, considering a large percentage are Wisconsin born and bred students. Maybe they have, but I doubt it, and doubt they ever would. I know they have no power over the university system, but hey, if they want to make a statement about behavior in society, then go for it. Dream big and change the world, or at least the state.
I consider people complaining about conservatives who are sick of all the PC crap anymore, to be tired and old, so we're even.
It aint just conservatives:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/...itically-correct-racism-sexism_n_7534978.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/01/chris-rock-colleges-conservative_n_6250308.html
http://www.ijreview.com/2015/11/471...essage-to-pc-college-students-loud-and-clear/
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/06/arts/television/06dunham.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
The difference is, that the PC Police want to press their views onto everyone, society wide with their points. They are the ones who push for rules and consequences. They are the ones who push for boycotts and firings.
The biggest threat to the freedom of speech today does not come from any governmental entity. It comes from the PC police.
You want people to use common sense? I agree. Common sense says this is just kids having a little bit of fun. If we had brawls after every high school basketball game between opposing fans, then I'd say we have a problem. But we don't. We still have the teams and coaches shake hands after the games, so if anything, maybe that is what should be reminded to these kids?
Regarding lingual changes? Here's my take on lingual changes, from another man who'd get blasted by the PC police if he were still around:
I do think it's interesting - in many cases, older people tend to wish for things the way they were when they were younger. In this case, the way things were in the 50s, 60s, maybe even 70s - I don't think the notion of trash talking or intimidating opposing teams was that popular or even expected. Somewhere in the 80s and 90s, trash talk became much more prevalent and "normal". In this case, you see people actually asking to return to the time when trash talking wasn't the norm, and people are saying "you big wuss", yet in other cases, they pine for the days of old before things were as they are now.
I just find this whole notion interesting to me.
I just find this whole notion interesting to me.
This idea (original post subject) is not a liberal idea, it's just a stupid idea. A very, very, very stupid idea. I'm all for aiming not to offend, but trying to enforce something like this is not helping anyone deal with how the world works.
Oh no. I remembert back in the lat 70 at my HS almost the exact same things were said. Along with "Nuts & bolts, nuts & bolts, we go screwed". That was minor. IMO when you want to the crowd to not rib or taunt the opposing team at home things have gone too far & the pendulum needs to swing back the other way.
You do realize it's a blue state and where unions began?
Nebraska and Indiana are the only red states in the Big 10. Quite a different story in the Big 12
I don't think that's true. "Hey batter batter" has been a part of little league baseball forever. And those chants often come from the opposing players too, not just fans. As far as I can remember, my 10-year-old self was never offended or hurt by that baseball chatter.
Sports are supposed to teach young people how to overcome adversity. But pretty soon, they'll want to ban high school sports just so the players on the losing team don't get their feelings hurt.
Maybe what we should be teaching our kids is how to overcome mistakes and how to not be afraid to make them; instead of trying to be lawnmower parents and try to prevent them from getting their feelings hurt when they do. I have news for you...everyone screws up in life. Learn to deal with it instead of making other people cater to your inability to handle slight adversity
I love it....this becomes a ""kids these days" thing...but the kids didn't make the policy, the adults did...and who taught those adults? The "Back in my day". People did...
