January 30, 2009
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Sportsmanship
My 15 year old son is on the basketball team with his school.
They have done well this season in that they have won 8 games and lost 1. They are in the middle of a basketball tournament.
Last night at one of the games, the fans from our team would stomp their feet on the bleachers when the opposing team was taking a free throw. A mother of one of the basketball players from the other team was angry because of the distraction. She yelled at my daughter who is 5 years old and told her to stop stomping her feet. She said it was poor sportsmanship.
Is it poor sportsmanship to stomp your feet while the other team is trying to shoot free throws?
Comments (119)
no. the other fans from the other team could do the same thing and how else will you teach the kid that is shooting the ball to stay focus.
No. That’s just the fun of the game!
And to yell at a 5 year old for doing it?
wow im first. i always see people saying that. WOOHOO im FIRST.
Gee I wonder if her side was doing it too. I am afraid I would have been forced to smack her for yelling at my kid. I’ll show her poor sportsmanship.
Please tell me you did not let her get away with that Theo.
It’s no different than football fans making lots of noise while the opposing team’s offense is trying to call plays. It’s part of the game. Poor sportsmanship is yelling at an innocent young child who’s just having fun doing what everyone else is doing.
For anyone over the age of 10, yes.
Depends on the age of the players..8th grade and up is fair game for the most part.
Oh please. Tell that bitch go watch some NCAA action when people are MOONING the damn ball player making the free throw.
And to yell at a 5-year old?? That’s poor sportsmanship.
I would have yelled at the woman to mind her own business. It depends how bad it was. Technically, it is bad sportsmanship because you do it to make the kid miss the free throw. However, I don’t think it’s that bad.
it’s poor sportsmanship to yell at a 5-year-old.
This is exactly why kids these days are such pussies! Sheltered and overprotected from day one.
hell no! apparently she doesnt watch enough basketball games on TV! that biznatch. if someone yelled at my 5 yr old, trust me, her tires would’ve been slashed. all 4 of them! how the hell are you gonna yell at a 5 y/o for stomping their feet during a game? shit, should we all just sit still? dont cheer or boo the teams because it would distract them when they’re chasing down the ball up & down the court!!!!
Heck no! Now if they throw something at them while they are shooting thats different
You yell and scream during the game, is THAT bad sportsmanship.Getting behind the goal while they are shooting a freethrow and flashing a camera right as they are shooting,THAT would be poor sportsmanship and not only that, they should be kicked out of the gym.Making noise is PART OF SPORTS.Just means the players have to learn how to concentrate and block it out.I know, I played in big High School games.
I have to agree with saintvi. Stomping on the bleachers is part of the game, at least at that level of competition. Yelling at a five-year-old for having fun is being a poor sport.
I mean, if we were talking about elementary schoolers here, then the stomping would be in poor taste. But high schoolers should have enough spine to take it. I mean, seriously, we’re talking about making him miss a shot in a freaking game, not mugging him in a back alley and taking his wallet.
Older players play dirtier. I played ultimate frisbee with friends last year, and never got hurt. This year, since I’m bigger, I’ve jammed both thumbs and two other fingers, not to menion almost put a nail through my palm when I got slammed into the wall. I’ve been tackled, punched, kicked, kneed, and had the crap beat out of me. I usually dish it back, but when there’s little kids playing, everyone’s nicer.
Little kids have it EASY compared to to older kids, in any sport.
OH PULEEEZE !
Unless it’s profanity or name calling, it is acceptable. =D
Maybe but it does not mean you should yell at a 5 year old. Honestly, that’s worse than bad sportsmanship. Little kids do not know better. Sportsmanship is important, but I think people like her are the real problem at games. The angry parents. They fail at life yelling at a stupid kids game.
no, that’s like not cheering for your defense in football for a huge 3rd or 4th down play!!!!!!!
it poor sportsmanship to stomp your feet while the other team is trying to shoot free throws?
No. It’s called “Home court advantage.”
No.
It’s poor sportsmanship on her part. It’s all part of the fun, and that’s not even her kid
No, it’s part of the game. Bad sportsmanship is punching the victorious team when they beat you. Heckling has always been part of sports.
no, it’s called being a fan. What did you say to the lady that yelled at your daughter?
Its cat calling and heckling and goes with any sport… and has since the sport was created. Think about it… She was showing poor sportsmanship by yelling at a 5 year old to stop doing it… Had it been my 5 year old… Oh boy, she would have been asking for it. If she can not handle what happens at a game then she should not be there.
Yeah sorta, but she’s five. How does she know that?
Please. No. Hell, we thrust when people shoot free throws. Having hundreds of people grunting is apparently quite distracting.
no, it’s part of the game…the free thrower should be able to block the noise out…in fact they probably do.
First off. I can’t believe she yelled at your 5 year old daughter…man. thats poor sportsmanship right there. She had no right. She’s young, a child. Following what others are doing.
Second. Nah. If they players get distracted. Their heads aren’t in the game! LOL Besides. It is just a game, makes things more exciting!!
Its when fits between parents break out & the kids get stressed over their parents behaviour that makes it not sportsmanship anymore!
blah.
but. Man. She yelled at your daughter?! Not cool….
I agree that it was somewhat bad sportmanship, but that woman was out of line. She could have asked you if would mind telling your daughter not to do that. Why did she pick on a 5 yr. old? Would she yell at a 35 yr old burly angry looking man?
Players should be used to that sort of thing. I think it’s time we worked over the golf and tennis players. They’re too coddled.
at my brother’s games, everyone is silent until the ball leaves the free throw shooter’s fingertips. it surprised me that it played out that way; i remember when i was younger people yelling and stomping and stuff.
it irritates me when adults get so wrapped up in their kids’ games that they blow things out of proportion.
i dont think that is, thats as much a part of the game as doing the wave or something… its toptally expected from fans
It happens in all sports, when I used to go to the football matches to watched the team I support there were a lot of foot stamping, the band making a lot of noise etc.
Of all the people there, she chose to yell at a five year old? What a coward. Yell at someone who can yell back.
It seems like if they were stomping everytime, it would have just become background noise. It would be bad sportsmanship if it was quiet and then someone yelled just as the player was starting to shoot.
i would, like many here, be more upset that some freak is reprimanding my daughter…i don’t let people i KNOW tell my daughter what to do…i’m a very protective dad, and would have laid into her, with some unsportsmanlike conduct, too…besides, fan noise and distraction has always been, and still is a routine part of being in the game, fair or not…being a part of the din, is a fans prerogative, and comes with the price of admission…so, Dan, what DID you say to her?…peace, animal
booing is never nice. stomping feet? i think that’s fair game.
I would have been furious with that woman. Bad things would have happened. You do NOT yell at my kid for no good reason.
no it’s not and she’s pathetic for yelling at a 5 year for showing support!
give it a break…. there is certainly no connection whatsoever between a 5 year old girl tapping her feet with sportmanship… crazy lady
Guess that mother has never been to a professional basketball game. They hand out blow up sticks that you pound together to people sitting in the hoop sections of the arena…for just that reason….to distract the freethrow players of the opposing team.
Haha I don’t think it’s poor sportmanship.
I mean even boo’ing at the other is accepted.
I guess the mother wasjust too nervous about the game since her dear son is losing.
“People need to take the stick out their asses”
yes, definitely so and it’s pure heroic glory to make that shot while the nubs are stomping.
no. not at all.
and agreed with the other comments, its poor sportsmanship to yell at a five year old.
Yes.
No… she was just jealous…
Uh, no. It’s part of the fun of watching sports.
no, it’s not bad sportsmanship, i’e seen worse.
no it’s not. I was in the marching band when I was in high school and whenever we went to the football games and the other team was trying to get a field goal we’d screeech with our instruments haha. Its all part of the game!
Yes: If the other team is polite enough to not stomp their feet
No: if everyone is doing it anyways.
The game isn’t dictated by the croud, but parents should be responsible enough to respect other parents and demonstrate to their kids how a civilized sports game should be conducted. There are simple rules that should be followed in order to keep the players focused on the game and not anything else.
It’s for noobs.
No and I would have slapped that bitch for yelling at my little kid.. now THAT would have been well deserved poor sportsmanship.
Aren’t MOST basketball games noisy and rowdy? Don’t people stomp their feet ALL the time?
It’s certainly poor sportsmanship to correct someone else’s child, ESPECIALLY since everyone else was doing it as well. How dare she! I hope you didn’t let her get away with that.
Who cares? What makes anybody think that high school is supposed to be fair or nice? Stomp your feet, yell mean things, spit at the other schools’ cheerleaders when they walk past. These are the best years of their lives. Let’s make those years as awful as we can.
i dunno,,, is basketball considered a sport? i thought it was a kids game,,,,
monopoly,,, now thats a sport,,,
Everyone is either on the delivering or receiving end of that situation at least once. That’s not bad sportsmanship it’s called fun.
The only poor sport here was the crank that yelled at your daughter. If she thinks that distractions should be removed from the game, then we should ban all fans and especially cheerleaders. This one goes in my “I’d rather be a smart-ass than a dumb-ass” file.
Probably, but yelling at a 5 year old girl because of that is deranged.
Fans do it all the time. The players know it’s going to happen. They’re learning to work with those distractions. And I agree with everyone else, yelling at a five-year old for that is not only poor sportsmanship, but just plain mean.
stomping is weak…i would moon the fucker, and then flash my 8 inch hard on =D
@sarahb_86 - I’m with you! Nobody better yell at my kid unless I tell them they can.
That’s what Home court advantage is all about! It is poor sportsmanship to yell at a 5 year old, she couldn’t find someone her own size to chastise? Please tell me you politely told her not to yell at your child!
I don’t think this has anything to do with sportsmanship. She is a spectator, she has the right to do this thing. It is legal and not actually harmful. It would be stupid to be distracted by that.
Maybe a little….
No way !
From the basketball games I went to, free throw was generally when you be quiet and watch really… it’s the hold-your-breath moment, and I think spectators shouldn’t purposely try to screw the players up, no matter which side of the game they’re on. It’s kind of like booing to me, you just kind of shouldn’t do it. Rooting for your team and booing the other are two different things.
But when it comes to a 5 year old doing it, I don’t think you can consider that bad sportsmanship on any level. It’s mimicry at most.
Yes, it’s poor sportsmanship, because it’s unfair. Other people doing it doesn’t make it OK.
Yes.
nah, it’s half the fun
they’re used to it
stomping your feet ! oh no ! someone alert the church elders ! extreme tactics like feet stomping are just appalling . what’s next ? people standing and raising their arms in the air in rows creating wave like patterns ! ah , the audacity of some people !
I think she was just mad because she’s a loser.
no. it’s called playing the game.
it’s the lady who has the problems. really, who yells at five year old girls?
If we don’t let our kids learn how to overcome adversity including being distracted during a sporting event at what point do we allow them to learn it? On a battlefield shooting real bullets against a real enemy would be a very bad time to learn this lesson. Okay, the analogy is a bit extreme but I think most of us can tell that many other less intense analogies would apply.
pfft. That’s stupid. I did that all the time when I was a kid playing basket ball. In high school when we start winning everyone gets their keys out and starts jingling shouting “go home”. It’s just tradition. People do it everywhere. Stomping feet, shouting, gesturing, and other expressions are just expected in sports environments.
I would have slapped that lady for yelling at my kid though. Not her kid to yell at.
Hmmm.. Maybe I’m one of those tough sports fans. I thought it was customary to heckle and ‘distract’ opposing sports teams. If you can’t take the heat, you don’t belong on the court (or field or ice or whatever).
it’s extremely poor sportsmanship when you yell at a five year old girl just because she wants to stomp her feet for the fun of it.
i would’ve yelled in her face.
Ummm… definitely not! That’s the whole fun of going to a game. It would be boring if the fans were completely silent! Geez, there’s just something about middle school / high school sports that makes parents go insane!
yes.
wait… no. no?
HAHA. Our team fans will hold up newspapers as a whole section and start reading them, or simply turn around in the their seats and face the wall whenever the other team is being announced. They’ll sing nursery rhymes during free throws, and they’ll usually pick one member of the other team to “get in his head” the entire game. It produces some great results.
That’s like not being able to cheer for your team. She just happens to cheer when they are taking a free throw. That’s all.
No, that’s part of the game. If she doesn’t like it, she can leave. And yelling at a five year old for stomping her feet is just wrong. If she didn’t yell at anyone else to stop, we know why she picked the five year old…
Stomping feet is a bit rude but, yelling at a 5 year old girl is even more inappropriate.
Uh, no.
That’s not bad sportmanship. That mom was just being a bad sport. lol
The kids in my high school (and the kids from our opponents’ schools) always did that and other things like it to distract each other. I don’t see what the big deal is. It’s just a game, it’s supposed to be fun.
No,
And if they were good enough at basketball
I’m sure they would’ve gotten it in regardless of noise.
What did this woman want?
Silence for her boy? =
She was probably just upset bc her team was losing. =X I hope your daughter started screaming at the top of her lungs or something hahah. [:
Also! no it is not poor sportsmanship. Players should be used to that.
no, it’s called “home court” advantage.
being able to focus on the game is part of the game-within-the-game.
sports are not for the faint of heart.
hmmm i dont know how to answer this…..
There should be a law forbidding foot stomping and children from losing in the first place. We should have winner and morewinner.
@IfonEarth - She was probably a liberal. I hate liberals.
no it isn’t—she showed poor sportsmanship for fussing about the stomping– good for your daughter to encourage her brother’s team, hope you guys won
Nope… pro and college get the same thing, lady.
Yeah, I’d call it bad sportsmanship. It’s a ridiculous and annoying attempt to throw off the concentration of the opposing team. Sort of like if someone was trying to putt in golf and some jackass yelled just as he was swinging. Let the game happen as it will. Douchebags.
sumtymez the momz of the other teamz playerz needa be bitchslapd reel bad you shudda aktid quikly in defense of yer child maybe calld the cops too
this is basketball, not fucking tennis. lol.
@MereBenjimon - Ahhh, fuck you, too. (No, not literally.)
What’s with the new account?
So my coach in high school would have us practice our freethrows while our team mates would stomp on the bleachers and cause all sorts of distractions. It is part of the game, and its part of life. Plus when you make your free throws in spite of those distractions, it feels great!
i do not think i have ever been to a basketball game where noise wasn’t made when the other team was shooting a free throw….
we would stomp our feet and yell ohhhh miss miss miss
Yeah. but that doesn’t stop people from doing it.
She should not have yelled at your daughter. Out of all the people in the crowd, why your daughter? That’s not poor sportsmanship, people can do what they want.
pfft
that lady is poop
-oh i yelled at a 5-year old today-
it’s stupid
and ruins the girl’s day
my understanding of “poor sportsmanship” deals with the actual athletes acting in manners that do not flatter their organization…but maybe that’s just me…
Just, no.
Time for some bitchslappin’!
I guess it depends what kinda crowd it is. If it’s one like the games I score where fans get quiet and show respect when players shoot, then I guess it can be perceived as rude.
But if it’s like a huge tournament with wild crazy atmosphere where fans are getting into it and yelling and stuff, then it’s part of the game.
Players deal with this from a young age.
i think it’s kinda mean but whenever i attend games, both sides of the team do it so it’s like “w/e”. i go to my cousins basketball games and when the other team has a shot for a freethrow instead of stomping their feet, they just yell stuff out like “miss it!” or just start yelling.
I definitely would not encourage it below high school jv/varsity.
@saintvi - I agree.
No. It’s not even a good distraction. I played basketball in high school and you when you’re playing, you tend to ignore everything but the game at hand.
It’s an aspect of home field advantage. get used to it. dumb bitch.
yes. every parent that did should’ve been called for a technical foul, and the other team should’ve had a free throw for every single asshole parent in the gym.
seriously, shut the fuck up. when I was five, and was talking to somebody while somebody shot a free throw, i got in a lot of trouble. i got yelled at. but i deserved it, even if i didn’t know.
seriously SHUT UP WHILE PEOPLE ARE TAKING FREE THROWS.
its ironic that an adult would yell at a 5 year old about poor sportsmanship. how cowardly.
what an awful mom. nobody but you should yell at yer kid, she shouldve known better. i hope you threw a hotdog at her or started usign a bullhorn. hooray for little kids upseting grownups
sorry thats the mom in me talking, rather typing..
hm…stomping on the bleachers has always seemed like a tradition to me. it also made the game so much more fun and exciting.
Maybe but yelling at a 5 yr old is even more poor sported (if thats even a term, lol).
Why didn’t she confront the parents?
Chicken shit.
no, its poor sportsmanship to yell at a 5 year old.
what a bitch!