INAPPROPRIATE ADULT behavior at high school athletic events throughout the country has reached epidemic proportions.

When more than 2,000 high school athletic directors were asked in a recent national survey what they like least about their job, 62 percent said it was “dealing with aggressive parents and adult fans.”

The men and women who wear the black and white stripes on the basketball courts and playing fields agree with that dim perspective of fandom. In fact, almost 80 percent of interscholastic sports officials quit after the first two years on the job, and unruly parents are cited as the reason why. Verbal abuse of officials by heckling fans has been an issue for many years, but accounts in recent years of physical assaults on officials are deplorable and indefensible.

As a result, there is a growing shortage of high school officials nationwide.No referees, judges or umpires means no more games.

Active Intervention
School leaders must do more to protect these individuals from the verbal abuse of fans. In preseason meetings, athletic directors ought to share expectations for behavior on the part of parents and spell out the disciplinary actions that will ensue should they violate the code of conduct.

Superintendents and principals must back athletic directors in their efforts and take a strong public stance themselves on zero tolerance for boorish behavior by parents at high school events.

Whenever and wherever possible, school leaders should share these six messages about acceptable behavior at school sporting events.

» “Act your age.” You are, after all, an adult. Act in a way that makes your family and school proud.

» “Don’t live your life vicariously through your children.” High school sports are for them, not you. Your family’s reputation is not determined by how well your children perform on the field of play.

» “Let your children talk to the coach instead of you doing it for them.” High school athletes learn how to become more confident, independent and capable, but only when their parents don’t jump in and solve their problems for them.

» “Stay in your own lane.” No coaching or officiating from the sidelines. Your role is to be a responsible, supportive parent — not a coach or official.

» “Participating in a high school sport is not about getting a college scholarship.” According to the NCAA, only about 2 percent of all high school athletes are awarded a college sports scholarship, and the total value of the scholarship averages only about $18,000.

» “Make sure your children know you love watching them play.” Do not critique your child’s performance on the car ride home. Participating in high school sports is about character development, learning and having fun — not winning and losing.

Channeling Passion
Purchasing a ticket to a high school athletic event does not give parents the right to be rude, disrespectful or verbally abusive. They should cheer loud and be proud, but they must be responsible and respectful.

Parents want the best for their children and want to support the school’s teams, and sometimes they wrongly take their frustrations out on game officials. School leaders can involve parents in ways that positively support sports programs, such as booster clubs or game-day activities, thereby channeling their passion in a more fitting manner.

The estimated 350,000 men and women who officiate high school competitions do so for the love of the game and as a way to stay involved in sports. These individuals sacrifice evenings and weekends, and parents and educators alike ought to be grateful. Quite simply, these games could not go on without them. Parents have a lot to say on that prospect.


KARISSA NIEHOFF is executive director of the National Federation of State High School Associations in Indianapolis, Ind. Twitter: @Karissa_Niehoff