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COACHES ARE BLAMED FOR ACTIONS OF FANS

 

Survey by Basketball Mentors Shows Level of Seep nae Is Set by
Instructors .
By SACK MARTIN, in PROVIDENCE SVENING, OLLETIN

Rhode Island's gohseis, ‘along ‘with those of Ag rest of the nation,
this year have- launched. a concerted. campaign for the improvenent of "spec-
tator sportsmanship." : Generally,. it seems, the Tay. the spectator behaves
at a basketball game. is considered, 2 reflection of hov the coach behaves,
This is no malignment of the hard-working and worrying montor; it is the
result of a study stretching over several seasons, nation-wide, and made
by the National. Association, of. Basketball Coaches itself, no less,

This National Association has an ethics committees whi ch has conduct-
ed the survey. ‘The results of the survey have been circulated smone the
high school coaches in this State through the mediun of the State Prin-
cipals! Athletic Comnittee., The principals do not say the conches under
their jurisdiction must follow the rules laid down; they merely pass then
along as something worth readingsend. assimilating as fer as vossible with-
out too much pressure being exerted.

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t- We find that the attitude of ‘the coach on the bench either en-
courages good spectator and player sportsmanship, - of throws’ fuel on the
fire of poor sportsmanship, which the National Basketball Coaches! Associ-
ation is attempting to eliminate," reads. the survey; "If the coach is in
the habit of. making unconplimentary gestures every tine the official calls
a foul on one of his players, then you mn‘be assured that the partisars
of his team will break loose in their loud disapproval of the decision.
This conaition sometimes leads to worse sittiations on. the court ec spects
tors exercise a tremendous influence in determining the sportsmanship ii
tude, or Lack of-ity among the contestants,

* * * *

Well, that is right ‘in line with whet a lot of the folks closely con-
ducted. with the game herendouts have said in the past. The officials
themselves haven't been the only ones to blame the coaches for the few
flareups which have cone in Rhode Island, . Still ‘youre ean*t help tut con-
sider the fact that the conches, nationally and locally, have made this
concerted effort : -to clean their own houses... Perhaps the referees, who
have loesl and National groupings,: too, could devote sone of their time to
looking. into their orm. participation in basketball; maybe they could still
be honest and find sone of the. blane | for ruffled tenpers-~of which there
are no more in sports than in basketball--reflect ed in their conduct.

The. coaches have been Noval enough to the gane to see their own
faults, publicize and try to correct them, | Putting basketball on the same
high plane of ‘spor tsnanshin as football, bDaseball ‘and some. of the other
branches largely is A natter of co-operation, . You. can't forget that the
indoor court. zane sprang ‘from .an ‘educational. . institution and primarily
vas rooted only: in the idea of pleasant, body-building | recreation in

connection with the more acadenic pursuits in that institution.
fa ien © Ae *F.

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