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A new policy in New York state intends to keep rowdy parents and other spectators in check at high school sporting events.
Parents are often enthused when it comes to their kids' athletic careers, but some are animated to the point where they distract players and coaches. The New York State Public High School Athletic Association's spectator sportsmanship policy, which was implemented on May 3 and will go into effect at the start of the 2023-24 school year, is a three-tiered policy laying out guidelines for disciplining spectators' poor behavior, the Buffalo News reports.
"This regulation just now provides the same type of punitive [action] or punishment for spectators as it does for student athletes and coaches," NYSPHSAA executive director Robert Zayas told Fox News Digital.
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In the past, Zayas explained punitive measures were done on a case-by-case basis. But the new policy "formalizes what the process is."
A new sportsmanship policy in New York intends to crack down on unruly parents and spectators at interscholastic events. (Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
Athletes in New York high schools have shared some observations about some of the more unruly spectators who shout at either players, coaches or officials, with one reportedly threatening an official.
"A parent said to the ref, ‘If you keep making calls like this, you’ll be lucky to make it to your car,’" Megan Aichinger, a junior who plays field hockey and lacrosse at Iroquois, told the Buffalo News. "You could tell the ref was terrified, and that’s such an extreme, over a high school sport."
The NYSPHSAA policy reads that a first warning means spectators will be directed to refrain from further comments or actions. A second warning leads to a personal discussion between site administrators and the spectators about the disruptive behavior. The third action results in removal from an event. If the spectator refuses to comply and leave the facility, play will be stopped until they have left.
A soccer goal post cross bar. (Adam Davy - PA Images via Getty Images)
"Over time, people have felt that it becomes more of their right, by attending a game, to be able to voice their opinion about calls that they disagree with to the point where now it's starting to not only disrupt other people in the stands, but it's really taking away from the student athletes who are participating," Zayas said. "So we really need to take a look at this situation and create a regulation to make sure everybody who attends a high school sporting event understands the expectations of spectators."
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Spectators who are removed from events will be required to complete the National Federation of High School's Parent Credential course, or serve a one-game suspension, before being allowed back to interscholastic activities.
The course consists of two, one-hour online programs that address expectations for behavior at events. One course is titled "Positive Parenting Within School Programs" and the other is called "The Parent Seat."
The videos explain how a spectator can "responsibly fill the role of the parent in school programs," emphasizing the need for positivity, starting with the need to acknowledge that they "may be part of the problem in the stands."
"Sitting in the parent seat requires thought and discipline," one of the course's narrators says. One's experience in the "parent seat" should result in creating enjoyable memories, not an experience "filled with inappropriate language, or unsporty behavior," the narrator adds.
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August 16: During a Wilson High School field hockey team practice at John Gurski Stadium on the first day of fall sports Monday morning August 16, 2021. (Photo by Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images)
The spectator must provide the school's athletic department proof of completion.
"I just think they need to realize that it's a high school sporting event," Zayas told Fox News Digital. "We're not talking professional sports. Student athletes aren't getting paid. I think the perspective of understanding what high school sports is all about starts prior to them even arriving at the game. So, if they're going to be acting unruly, this regulation is in place for that type of fan that we can no longer tolerate a fan berating officials or really singling themselves out during the game."
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Since implementing the policy on May 3, Zayas said they've received "overwhelming positive support," not just from New Yorkers, but from those across the country.
"We've got quite a few people reaching out, inquiring about the regulation...but also other state high school athletic associations taking interest in what we've done," he said.
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