The Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association has adopted a new policy intended to address concerns related to sportsmanship at its member schools. The policy, which was adopted by the OSSAA Board of Directors in June and takes effect this school year, addresses “egregious” acts of unsportsmanlike conduct by coaches, players or spectators. The penalty for two or more egregious infractions in a season, could be as stiff as the suspension of a team or individual for the remainder of the season.
The new policy gained increasing attention on social media this week, as athletes, parents, coaches and administrators heading back into fall sports seasons questioned what exactly qualifies as “egregious” and what the impact of the new policy would be.
OSSAA released a statement Monday night, to clarify the policy. The statement said, in part, the policy was intended to address unsportsmanlike acts not already covered by OSSAA’s playing rules of the game.
“Examples include but are not limited to incidents of fans entering the playing surface to engage in acts such as fighting or confronting a game official. Any contest resulting in an ejection, or any other ejection of a coach or player by a contest official would not be categorized as ‘egregious’ since the penalty is covered by the playing rules of the game,” according to the statement.
OSSAA Executive Director David Jackson said, “In education-based activities, it is our priority to ensure the safety of all involved as well as to provide a wholesome environment for students to participate. In an effort to keep egregious acts of unsporting conduct from escalating, the Board adopted a Policy to deal with such issues should they occur. It is our hope no school is ever put in the position to implement the penalty associated with the new policy.'
The actual wording of the new policy is as follows:
OSSAA BOARD POLICY V
Any time an egregious act of unsportsmanlike conduct occurs two or more times during the same season, at the same school, in the same activity, the team and/or individual will be suspended from participation in that activity for the remainder of the season. Egregious acts of unsportsmanlike conduct will be defined as instances not within the OSSAA adopted rules of the contest. In the event the second act of misconduct occurs when there are no contests left in the current season, the penalty will be applied to the next season in the same activity. The OSSAA will notify the school that the team and/or individual has been placed on warning after the first offense. Unsportsmanlike acts under this policy will include acts by coaches, players, or spectators.