Schools Ban Handshakes After Girls Soccer Games

[matcom]

<snip>

A series of ugly run-ins between girls soccer teams in San Francisco's high schools has prompted a ban on that proverbial act of good sportsmanship -- the post-game handshake.

Not only that, but "all soccer players will be barred from saying a single word to their opponents, opposing coaches or officials upon the conclusion of every soccer game,'' Donald Collins, the school district's high school athletic commissioner, decreed in an e-mail to all coaches and referees Monday.

So instead of winners and losers exchanging friendly or even perfunctory high-fives, "all soccer players will immediately proceed to their respective sidelines upon the conclusion of every soccer game,'' Collins commanded.

Seems the end-of-game handshakes -- long a mainstay of team sports -- have been anything but good or friendly this season in girls soccer games.

There's been a rash of name-calling, hard hand slaps and even hitting.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/03/23/BAGCTBTCDG1.DTL

[Wilber_Stool]

1. Are we

having fun yet?

[madrchsod]

2. that`s some really badly coached

teams. i`ve had my share of some nasty kids in my coaching experiences but i never had any like this happen to this extent. if they were that bad they wouldn`t be on my team no matter how good they were.

[wtmusic]

7. Agree. Bad coaches.

They show bad sportsmanship, they sit out the next game. It's a very simple problem to solve.

This is idiotic.

[GreenPartyVoter]

3. Pa-thet-ic. I agree. If my kids couldn't show good sportsmanship

they wouldn't suit up.

[Jokerman]

4. Can't teach sportsmanship if you don't even try.

Sorry but I think this is ridiculous. Having to GRACIOUSLY congratulate the winning team should be part of the game for any young athlete.

If this were my team, any player who failed to do this would not play the next game.

[Blue-Jay]

5. My little league coach solved this problem easily.

His first rule: Any display of unsportsmanlike conduct EVER earns you the bench for two straight games. Period. We were a very polite team after we saw that he wasn't kidding and made no exceptions.

[Lars39]

6. How about banning their @sses from a few games instead?

They're in HS! They should have learned good sportsmanship after their very first game ever.
No excuses for the player, or for the school district's high school athletic commissioner

[KittyWampus]

10. The Parents Would Probably Sue If Little Briana Was Forced To Sit Out

of a game. It might ruin their 'record'.

[DS1]

8. Handshakes lead to fear, fear leads to hate, hate leads to

two opposing teams of high-school girls dropping the C-bomb on each other

[lpbk2713]

9. Yet another sign that the republicans are in the majority.

Anybody seen the black helicopters lately? I hope I don't arrive in Gitmo too late to get a cot.