He resisted and cursed all the way. The player was told to stay in the locker room for the remainder of the game but of course he didn t. He came out cursing some more, using some of the most vile words and exhibiting some of the ugliest behavior I ve ever experienced. He cursed and banged his fists on the glass for the rest of the game. The Tonya Harding - Nancy Kerrigan attack was extreme, but incidents of intimidation and even of intentionally induced injuries in the genteel world of figure skating are more common than we know.
Coaches are teachers and have a huge responsibility.
They can inspire children to think, create, experiment, be artistic, or instead teach them instead to fear authority, to obey without question and to perform mechanically. They can demand that their athletes exhibit honesty, fair play, courtesy, consideration, sportsmanship and etiquette as being integral to winning, or they can stress that they should do whatever it takes to win. Throughout good times and bad they have always played their game with class. I believe it is time to come down hard on negative behavior and poor sportsmanship. Young athletes must be taught that how they play the game counts.