When I was in high school, there was no doubt the basketball student sections got a little rowdy. We cheered, we danced, we yelled at refs and we had a blast doing so. The loudest games I stood in our student section for are among my favorite high school memories. We were never over-the-top or outright disrespectful, but we did enjoy the competitive nature of the game. Wisconsin high school students may never have those experiences again.
Post-Crescent obtained an email the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association sent to high school officials late last month that explained that, “any action directed at opposing teams or their spectators with the intent to taunt, disrespect, distract or entice an unsporting behavior in response is not acceptable sportsmanship.” The WIAA is urging school officials to ban disrespectful chants from student sections.
The chants they want to ban? Things like “You can’t do that,” “Fundamentals,” “Air ball," "We can’t hear you," "There's a net there," and the "scoreboard” cheer. I personally cannot think of a single high school basketball game I attended during which I did not partake in at least one of these chants. The WIAA wants to cut down on chants “directed at opposing participants and/or fans.”
Well, no kidding the chants are directed at the opposing side. It is a game, a competition if you will. There will be a winner, and there will be a loser. That is the way it works. Every single person who walks into the stands and onto the court is fully aware of that, so when did we become so sensitive that we must pretend that isn’t the case?
Of course there is a line between being a fan and a ridiculously offensive fan, but has this line really been crossed by a few innocent chants? Sports Illustrated writer Kenny Ducey argued, “In what state is a 16-year-old kid yelling ‘Airrrrr-ballllll’ considered something that’s so disrespectful it needs to be banned? How is reminding the other team that you need to improve your fundamentals a bad thing? Who even chants ‘There’s a net there’ anyway?”
These rule changes may never have come to light if it wasn’t for April Gehl’s Tweet Tweet about the new WIAA regulations that lead to her suspension. The Tweet contained vulgar language against the new rules, and her school’s athletic director, Stan Diedrich, was asked by the WIAA to “take care of it.” Diedrich said he handled the Tweet in accordance with the school’s board policy, and Gehl was suspended for five games this season.
Although she was punished for her complaint, Gehl’s objection is still valid. Until we are provided concrete evidence showing that these harmless chants are posing a relevant threat to the safety of students, high school fan sections should still be allowed to enjoy their innocent chants.
Na na na na, hey hey, goodbye, na na na na, na na na na, hey hey, goodbye.
