They’re all bums!

At least that is how I feel, as you see, the WIAA (Washington Interscholastic Activities Association) is debating banning booing at high school sporting events in Washington state. Yep, because I weep at the sound of “boo”, but “f**k you” just boosts my esteem like you would not believe. I really cannot believe this garbage. I know I did not play my high school ball in Washington, but it can’t be that much different, and honestly I don’t ever remember crowds booing us… but I do remember the obscenity laced tirades. And yes, to be fair those are considered to be illegal as well, but anyone who’s been to a high school game in the past ten years knows that just because it’s not legal for the crowd to do does not mean its not happening. But really, let’s rethink this gentlemen, ban booing?

“They’re kidding, right?” asked Rainier Beach High School boys basketball coach Mike Bethea, who played as a student at Franklin High School. “I can see stopping someone if they’re saying derogatory remarks, but not letting people boo? Come on.”

Bethea, who has led the Vikings to three Class 3A state championships, said not all of the hundreds of fans attending high school games would know the specific rules, and it would be ridiculous to penalize the players or schools.

“Booing is part of the game,” he said. “That’s what gets people hyped up and changes the momentum of a game. If they won’t let people boo at a basketball game, what’s next?”

Honestly, imagine if they really have a point here. Think about Duke home games where the student section is essentially silenced in the name of fair sportsmanship. Football fans would be asked to simmer down if the opposing team has a hard time hearing… because its only fair.  Honestly, I’ve played and coached at the high school level and the fan behavior almost never gets noticed by me, but the one thing I have noticed is that in most occasions, the fans causing the most problem are not the kids, they are the parents and adults.

“The crowd should be able to say what they want to say,” said one woman. “They pay their money. They should be able to boo if they want to.

See now, there is the problem.  Its not the booing, its the damn parents and adults who are making most of the problems.  The same people will tell the opposing coach he is a f**k**g a**h**e, and then will complain to the school board because little Timmy got upset whey they booed him.  Good lord peoples, this has to be one of the most misguided attempts at PC that I have seen, and unfortunately for me I’m right in the middle of it all.

• No booing ban! I’m talking to you, WIAA (Seattle Times)
• Officials Weigh Booing Ban (ABC News)