No more postgame handshakes in KY high school games. . .

[WinThemAll]

10/08/2013 – Commissioner’s Directive on Postgame Activity | Kentucky High School Athletic Association

Several sports have “traditions” regarding postgame handshakes, etc. by team members (both en masse and as individuals), but none of them have such action dictated by playing rules. While it is an obvious sign of sportsmanship and civility, many incidents have occurred both in Kentucky (more than two dozen in the last three years in Kentucky alone) and throughout the country, where fights and physical conflicts have broken out. And this is not restricted to specific sports. In our state alone, incidents in soccer, football and volleyball have occurred this fall.

Unfortunately, the adrenaline and effort required to participate in the sport sometimes seems to deplete the supply of judgement available to participants. And this can be particularly problematic when there is a lack of an appropriate level of adult supervision, or counterproductive actions by the adults involved with the team. After consultation with the Board of Control at its last meeting, the Commissioner is issuing the following directives and recommendations to the schools and officials regarding post game in baseball, basketball, football, soccer, softball, volleyball and wrestling:

 

[WARRIORMIKE]

Wow, very sad and embarrassing for KY

 

[fusionmom]

Heaven forbid our young people should actually be taught appropriate sportsmanship and respect...just put a band-aid on the problem to make it all better...

 

[JJsqueeze]

Sluggers is on his game today.

 

[BadMonkeys]

I'll behave. I did see the rules leave the ability to have an organized handshake under the supervision of the coaches, admins and game management.

 

[Ajaywill]

As far as I'm concerned, the following excerpt from the statement is the crux of the problem:

...there is a lack of an appropriate level of adult supervision, or counterproductive actions by the adults involved with the team...

 

[sluggers]

I was in a large department of 200 people. One idiot on business trips made ridiculous charges for lunch. Rather than a supervisor walking up to him and say, "stop it or you are fired", they implemented a policy that made it harder on all of us.

Supervisors dislike confrontation, so rather than address the problem, they come up with stupid 'policies' that punish everyone.

 

[smddad]

In one year, KY has around 25,000 HS contests throughout the different sports, and I'm on the conservative side cus I'm not separating JV and Varsity. So in the past two years (50,000 sporting contests) they have had 24 incidences. Why on earth does ANYONE make policy based on something that happens less than 0.05% of the time!? That is just beyond stupid!

 

[Amy in AZ.]

I guess we don't know what the incidences are. I am guessing that they are more serious than spitting on your hand.

 

[Comp]

Why not just make it clear to all the schools/coaches/players, if you are involved in an incident, your school is banned from competing in any interscholastic sports.