Sportsmanship in General Usually Refers to Athletes

Sportsmanship in general usually refers to athletes playing in a particular sporting event. How well the athlete handles him or herself in both victory and defeat speak volumes towards an athlete's sportsmanship. Athletes have been labeled bad sports for arguing calls on the field and their general interaction with fans and other players. However, the onus of sportsmanship has expanded from the players involved in the games in recent years. Fans, who have been known to throw projectiles onto the field, have been labeled bad sports in certain cities. But now a new advent of bad sportsmanship has come about. Parents of children in youth sports have developed a growing reputation for being some of the most violent and outspoken fans on any level of sports.

On July 7th, 2000 the level of violence between parents in youth sports reached a shocking low. An argument between Thomas Junta and Michael Costin at their sons' youth hockey practice turned into a one-sided physical confrontation in which Junta beat Costin to death. Costin was knocked to the ground by Junta and beaten repeatedly about the head as the horrified children watched on. This past January 25th, Junta was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to six to ten years in prison.

Parental involvement in youth sports had begun to come under national scrutiny in the past few years, culminating with the murder of Michael Costin. Many theories have arisen as to why there have been so many incident of violence and bad sportsmanship in youth sports. Some point to the idea that the win-at-all-costs mentality that is prevalent in professional sports has trickled down through the professional ranks to the collegiate, high school, and now youth level. Parents see the attitude taken by athletes who are in the public view and try to push that way onto their children. Some parents see athletes, coaches, and owners yelling and screaming on the sidelines and on the field and accept that behavior as the norm for the highest rank of sport in the world. They then adopt that persona while at their children's sporting events, thus creating a chaotic scene.

Poor parental sportsmanship has more ramifications than just the immediate effects on the games the parents attend. Children who are involved in youth sports have begun to show the signs of the violence many parents show in the stands. Just this past year a teenager in a high school basketball game faced criminal charges for assaulting a referee and a pre-teen soccer goalie suffered a broken jaw during a game when he was kicked in the face.