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

[MTR]

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.

Who is going to make it clear to the adults who are probably just as guilty as some of the kids?

 

[Comp]

If they are having this many incidents, I seriously doubt just stopping the end of game handshakes is going to be the end of their trouble.

 

[MTR]

If they are having this many incidents, I seriously doubt just stopping the end of game handshakes is going to be the end of their trouble.

Never did this when I was young. Game was over, everyone left the field, went to their respective dugout/bench to discuss game and what came next. Any interaction came as the kids were leaving or in school or during the next sandlot game.

And there wasn't any lack of sportsmanship, just didn't put on a show about it after the game.

Maybe this is why I never understood why people had a problem with Buddy Ryan just leaving the field at the end of a football game. To me, that is part of the problem with the people today. You are expected to act as others deem necessary, not how you want to act. And those not in step are considered the bad guys.

 

[Lenski]

I don't think it's that big of a deal to slap or shake hands after a game. In all honesty it's not true sportsmanship because the kids don't necessarily want to do it....they are forced to do it. MLB does not shake after a game. It's really not that big of a deal IMO. One can find true sportsmanship in the parking lot, in line at the concession stand, etc.

 

[MTR]

I don't think it's that big of a deal to slap or shake hands after a game. In all honesty it's not true sportsmanship because the kids don't necessarily want to do it....they are forced to do it. MLB does not shake after a game. It's really not that big of a deal IMO. One can find true sportsmanship in the parking lot, in line at the concession stand, etc.

Agree. If a player doesn't want to shake hands, why should they? And it isn't a sign of good sportsmanship, it is societal pressure to the point that some league/conferences regulate it and you are taken to task if you do not conform.

Pet peeve on the subject: How can you expect a feeling of sportsmanship when it is not unusual for the loser to be standing around waiting on the winner to stop celebrating that team's defeat?

[rant]
I once witnessed a quarter-final game for the NCAA D-1 Lacrosse Championship @ Navy-Marine Corps Stadium in Annapolis. The team that won conducted an extended celebration in front of the goal they were defending at the end of the game. High-fiving each other, jumping on the goal tender, chest-bumping all the while the other team dutifully stood at the center of the field waiting to show their sportsmanship. They just had their heads handed to them in the quarter-finals of an NCAA championship. Do you think they want to be standing on display in the middle of a field?

IMO, the action by the winning team was unsportsmanlike. If it is that important that the teams acknowledge their competitor at the end of the contest, that's when it should happen, immediately at the end of the contest, regardless of the level of competition. As a coach, if an opponent isn't going to have the courtesy and respect to acknowledge my team prior to any other business, no reason to hang around, I would be taking the team off the field. If the winning team has a problem with that, it is exactly what it seems, their problem.

Personally, even as a kid, I'd rather just get off the field/court at the end of a contest Feel the same way now, always have, don't expect I'll change especially just to satisfy someone else's need for attention.

[/rant]

 

[softball_mom#7]

There are far better ways to exude good sportsmanship than slapping hands because "it is the thing to do". It is like making a child apologize when they aren't really sorry; unsincere and forced.

I have had the pleasure of witnessing much better examples of good sportsmanship during games from players. I quickly found the parents of the child and payed them a compliment and let them know it did not go unnoticed.

 

[KCPRK]

This happens alot and gets covered up.

had a opposing coach punch one of my players last year in the handshake line and get himself arrested.

It was not handled to the parents liking as that coach still coaches at those fields.......as a result the player was too afraid to play and quit the sport.

 

[WinThemAll]

Now there is back peddling. . .

10/09/13 – Commissioner Issues Clarification about Postgame Activity, Corrections to Erroneous Media and Social Media Reports | Kentucky High School Athletic Association

First, for those who may choose to read no further, there has never been a ban or prohibition on postgame handshakes or other types of good sporting behavior by the KHSAA, its Commissioner or its Board of Control. Nor has such a ban been proposed. There is no ban or prohibition on such activity today or contemplated for the future.

This message has been composed entirely by the Commissioner of the KHSAA. I do not want any room for misinterpretation or anyone else being accused of being involved. As the Commissioner, I take very seriously my role to ensure clear, concise and accurate communication regarding the expectations for our membership, participants, coaches, officials and all involved.

However, yesterday (10/8), at best a poorly worded and at worst, an incomplete, notice was sent from me to the member schools regarding postgame activity. Regardless of the number of people who had written pieces or segments, discussed the situation in meetings, or otherwise reviewed, it was my responsibility to ensure clarity. In haste to get the information out, the normal expected quality control steps were not executed to ensure such clarity. For that, I apologize to our member schools. The complete (and hopefully clarified) notice is at 10/08/13 – Commissioner’s Directive on Postgame Activity | Kentucky High School Athletic Association