LETTER: We need to teach sportsmanship

What ever happened to good ole fashioned good sportsmanship?

We read in the paper and hear on the news of parents taking out their anger by punching umpires. We see umpires using their authority to bully players and to confront coaches. We see coaches who are showing their players that it is OK to win a ballgame no matter what.

I’ve witnessed a coach instructing their players to "slide into home and take out the catcher." I’ve witnessed coaches telling their players, "Do not swing your bat until the pitcher has thrown you two strikes" or in the case of girls’ softball three-strike rule, "go ahead and swing at a ball over your head when you have two strikes, then run because you can beat the throw down to first base - the catcher can’t throw it." What are the adult’s teaching these children? What are the parents doing to allow this type of behavior to continue?

I know that some will say, "It’s not if you win or loose, it’s how you play the game? or "It’s OK to coach that way, you’re acting within the rules of the game."

Come on.

If we want our future to improve and things to become better in this world, then we need to start right now in making some positive changes. Show the youth of today that there is a right way to handle things. Show them that you will go farther by playing fair and doing your best. Show them what true sportsmanship is all about.

We as adults need to set the example that our children should live by - not just on Sunday mornings or when it suits us but all of the time.

We need to work together as a community to build positive influences to the youth of this community, to the future of this community and beyond. Let’s keep the "bending of the rules," the anger, the violence out of the youth sports. Let it stay in the Major Leagues. Let our children be children and learn how to play the game correctly, how to play the game in a fair manner and how to respond positively when a call doesn’t go the right way.

Adults, please keep your anger and negative attitude off the fields and away from impressionable young minds. Coaches, please coach in a positive responsible manner. Let your love of the game shine in what you are teaching the youth. Remember they are young, they are learning and they will model what is taught to them. Let’s do our best to teach them the value of good sportsmanship and that it does mean more to play a good clean honest game.