No More Booing!!!
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by user BU ICEMAN
During the Cold War, there was a theory called "The Domino Effect" that theorized that if one country were to fall to Communism, all the surrounding countries would fall as well, just like dominoes. Hopefully, "The Domino Effect" will not rear its ugly head with the following proposal currently under review in the state of Washington.
The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association is considering a proposal that will ban booing and offensive chants. Now, of course "offensive chants" is sufficiently vague enough that it can encompass all sorts of chants, all dependent on who makes the determination what is "offensive." Certainly, profanity falls into this category, but there are a lot of other chants that would probably fall victim to this proposal. In a classic case of going way too far, the association wants to extend the ban to "booing." Booing is a perfectly non-offensive way of showing displeasure at whatever has gone wrong. It is completely unfair to expect viewers of a sporting event to non-offensively cheer when something good happens, but completely shut up when something bad happens. The proposal is being considered to encourage new coaches and referees to take up the profession, the thought being that many do not because they are afraid of the negativity. If there are people out there who are using this as an excuse not to take up coaching or refereeing, they shouldn't ever be considering it in the first place! Learning how to handle negativity and negative situations is an integral part of both jobs and to try and eliminate booing does neither a favor. Were this proposal to pass and catch on and start a "Domino Effect" across the country, watching a sporting event would become an impossible exercise in self-control for all the fans! Some areas of the country have even gone so far as to ban ALL cheering on the sidelines, be it positive or negative! These "Silent Games" are an abomination and do nothing to enhance the games, I would argue that it is counter-productive as it completely ruins the atmosphere inherent to sporting events.
In a final historical reference, I remind everybody of President Harry S Truman's famous quote: "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen." If you are unwilling to handle the pressures commensurate with a job, you shouldn't even consider taking on the job.
Sources: Seattle Post-Intelligencer http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/305898_booban03.html
Institute for International Sport http://www.internationalsport.com/nsd/nsd_articles.cfm#11
