Opinion, Sports

Fanning the flames

Like MikeThe one thing I love about my job is that you never know when you’re going to see something new.

During the second half of an April 26 lacrosse game between Harrison and Mamaroneck, the two officials called a timeout to huddle with the opposing head coaches. But they weren’t trying to figure out who was closest to the ball as it was shot out of the field of play or which player had committed a foul; they were conferring on what to do about a disruptive parent in the stands.

In the grand scheme of things, this guy wasn’t the worst spectator I’ve seen at a high school game this year; that title goes to the 50-year-old man with his nose pressed up against the glass who took every opportunity he could to tell Pelham’s goalie that he sucked during a particularly important regular-season hockey game back in February. But the fact remains that during this recent lacrosse game, this guy, who had been loudly voicing his displeasure with the referee’s calls all game long—albeit without using any foul or abusive language—had been asked by one official to quiet down yet kept on jawing, regardless.

Should the ref have had thicker skin and done his best to ignore the heckler? Probably. Should the fan learn how to act like a reasonable adult at a high school sporting event? Definitely.

The fact that he was standing on the opposite side of the field from the rest of the fans in attendance suggests that someone—possibly his wife—has witnessed more than a few of these outbursts before.

Now, I’m not a sports prude. If you want to go to Yankee Stadium, chug a couple of beers and holler at the umpires for blowing a few calls, I feel like that’s your right as a fan.

But at a high school game, where the lessons learned by our young athletes are at least as important as the final score, you should learn how to bite your tongue.

I know, it’s not always easy.

Earlier this week, I took in a much-anticipated baseball game between Rye and Eastchester. Two of the area’s top pitchers, Garnet hurler George Kirby and the Eagles’ Greg Satriale, took the bump with about a half-dozen pro scouts lined up around the backstop. But it was apparent early on that a wandering strike zone was going to be more of a factor in the game than the right arms of the teams’ respective aces.

And while fans from both sides howled, at least initially, at the umpire’s questionable zone, it ultimately fell upon both Kirby and Satriale—and not the fans—to keep their composure, adapt to the man calling balls and strikes and find a way to pitch effectively.

Neither pitcher escaped with a particularly pretty line on the day, but that experience of not being able to get the calls they were used to and learning how to adjust will ultimately help them as they hone their craft in the collegiate ranks.

On Tuesday, the fan in question escaped expulsion from the event as Harrison sent over a security guard to the far end of the field to keep an eye on him for the final quarter of play.

But when the adults are the ones who need a babysitter during a game played by 15-yearolds, maybe we’ve got our priorities a little jumbled up.

Just let the kids play. They’ll be better off in the long run.