Throughout the school year, TSSAA-registered contest officials report incidents of unsporting behavior to the TSSAA in order for the Executive Director to insure that schools are respecting association bylaws regarding unsportsmanlike conduct.
The TSSAA and its member schools believe strongly that the major purpose of education-based athletics is to be a part of the total educational program. A major part of this purpose is to stress to coaches, players, officials, and fans the vital importance of sportsmanship. It is critical that all parties understand the role they play in maintaining an atmosphere of good sportsmanship and being a positive role model for others.
A finalized list of incidents and responses is maintained by the state office staff and presented to the Board of Control each year at its June meeting.
512players |
89fans |
47coaches |
2faculty/staffs |
2Bench personnel |
2others |
To address these issues, coaches and school administrators can teach and demonstrate positive behavior by emphasizing the importance of respect and sportsmanship. Coaches should lead by example, treating officials, opponents, and their own players with respect at all times. They should emphasize the importance of fair play and encourage their players to display good sportsmanship. Additionally, coaches and administrators should create a positive game environment by promoting crowd etiquette and addressing any fan behavior that goes against the values of sportsmanship. It is crucial to educate everyone involved in the game about the importance of positive behavior, both on and off the court, to create a more enjoyable and respectful atmosphere for all participants.
Based on these ejection reports, the most common unsportsmanlike conduct scenarios in high school baseball revolve around disagreeing with umpire calls, particularly strike zone decisions. Players and coaches frequently voice their frustration with called strikes, often using profane language or aggressive behavior toward the umpires. This leads to ejections for arguing balls and strikes, using inappropriate language, or failing to comply with warnings from the umpire and sometimes even malicious contact. Post-game incidents involving both players and parents further highlight the volatile nature of these confrontations.
The full list of disciplinary actions is only available to school personnel. Sign into the Portal and return to this page to view the report.
Based on the officials' reports, the most prevalent unsportsmanlike behaviors in boys' high school basketball involve verbal abuse and taunting directed towards referees and opposing players, often accompanied by physical acts of aggression. This includes players receiving technical fouls for contesting calls, using profanity, shoving opponents, and retaliating after fouls. Spectators also contribute significantly to the problem, with fans frequently ejected for using threatening language towards officials, engaging in altercations with other fans, and even running onto the court to confront referees or players. Head Coaches are also frequent recipients of technical fouls, usually for berating the officials over perceived poor calls. The escalation of these behaviors often leads to ejections, flagrant fouls, and game suspensions, disrupting the flow of the game and detracting from the overall experience.
The full list of disciplinary actions is only available to school personnel. Sign into the Portal and return to this page to view the report.
Based on these reports, the most common unsportsmanlike scenarios in girls' high school basketball revolve around escalating emotions and confrontations. These situations frequently involve players engaging in physical altercations like punching or throwing the ball aggressively, often triggered by fouls or perceived slights. Additionally, fans exhibiting unruly behavior, including using profanity towards officials or even entering the court, is a recurring issue. Coaches also contribute to the problem with unsportsmanlike behavior such as arguing with officials or going to the scorer's table at inappropriate times, which can lead to technical fouls and ejections.
The full list of disciplinary actions is only available to school personnel. Sign into the Portal and return to this page to view the report.
Based on these reports, the most common unsportsmanlike scenarios in high school football revolve around physical altercations and verbal misconduct. Ejections frequently result from punching, shoving, or striking opponents, often escalating from in-game skirmishes or dead-ball situations. Players also face consequences for contact with officials, such as pushing or bumping them, or directing profanity towards them. Finally, inappropriate language, including profanity and racial slurs, aimed at officials or opponents, is a recurring cause for unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and subsequent ejections. Leaving the bench to join an alateration or confrontation also led to automatic ejections.
The full list of disciplinary actions is only available to school personnel. Sign into the Portal and return to this page to view the report.
Based on the officials' reports, the most common unsportsmanlike scenarios in Boys' Lacrosse involve illegal body checks, targeting the head and neck, and fighting. These incidents often escalate due to late hits, cross-checking, taunting, and players leaving the bench to engage in altercations. Physical confrontations like throwing punches, shoving, and aggressive use of the lacrosse stick (slashing) are also frequent triggers for ejections and penalties.
The full list of disciplinary actions is only available to school personnel. Sign into the Portal and return to this page to view the report.
Based on the reported incidents, unsportsmanlike conduct in Girls' Lacrosse often stems from retaliatory and aggressive actions following perceived fouls or contested plays. Common scenarios include players using their sticks to intentionally strike opponents, particularly in the arms or head, often as a reaction to being fouled themselves. Physical altercations, such as shoving, hitting, or even kneeing opponents who are down, also contribute to a significant portion of unsportsmanlike penalties, highlighting a tendency for heated emotions to escalate into dangerous and prohibited behavior on the field.
The full list of disciplinary actions is only available to school personnel. Sign into the Portal and return to this page to view the report.
Based on the provided reports, the most common unsportsmanlike scenarios in high school soccer revolve around: verbal abuse and dissent towards referees and opposing players, often including profanity, discriminatory language, or taunting; violent conduct, such as punching, shoving, or dangerous tackles motivated by frustration or retaliation; and denial of goal-scoring opportunities (DOGSO) involving fouls that impede clear paths to the goal. These incidents frequently lead to red cards and ejections of players and, occasionally, coaches.
The full list of disciplinary actions is only available to school personnel. Sign into the Portal and return to this page to view the report.
Based on these referee reports, the most common unsportsmanlike conduct in girls' soccer stems from a few key areas. These include players verbally abusing or directing offensive language at referees and opponents, often using profanity after perceived fouls or perceived bad calls. Violent conduct, such as kicking, punching, hair-pulling, or dangerous tackles, also contributes significantly. Finally, dissent by spectators, ranging from yelling insults at referees to using distracting devices like air horns, disrupts the game and requires intervention.
The full list of disciplinary actions is only available to school personnel. Sign into the Portal and return to this page to view the report.
Based on the umpire reports, the most common unsportsmanlike conduct scenarios in high school girls' softball involve fan behavior, often triggered by disagreements with ball/strike calls or close plays. This includes verbal abuse directed at umpires, accusations of cheating, and generally disruptive behavior from the stands, sometimes escalating to ejections. Coaches are also a factor, with arguments over calls leading to warnings, restrictions, and even ejections, demonstrating a lack of respect for the officials. Additionally, though less frequent, player actions like intentionally colliding with fielders can lead to immediate ejection, highlighting a concern for player safety and sportsmanship.
The full list of disciplinary actions is only available to school personnel. Sign into the Portal and return to this page to view the report.
Based on these official reports, several consistent trends emerge regarding unsportsmanlike conduct in Girls' Volleyball. The most common scenarios involve coaches losing control and demonstrating disrespect towards officials, often stemming from disagreements over calls. This manifests as persistent arguing despite warnings, use of profanity, throwing objects, and even outright refusal to follow directives or leave the premises after ejection. Unsportsmanlike parents and fans add to the problem, with reports documenting verbal abuse, harassment of officials and opposing teams, and refusal to leave the venue when requested. These incidents highlight a need for stricter enforcement of sportsmanship policies to ensure a safe and respectful environment for players, coaches, and officials alike.
The full list of disciplinary actions is only available to school personnel. Sign into the Portal and return to this page to view the report.
Based on these reports, the most common unsportsmanlike behaviors in high school wrestling appear to be related to frustration and aggression escalating into profanity or physical actions. Wrestlers often resort to using foul language towards opponents, coaches, or officials, especially after perceived slights, losses, or controversial calls. Physical altercations like punches, shoves, and headbutts after the whistle, as well as more egregious acts like biting, are also relatively frequent, either instigated by the wrestler or in retaliation to another wrestler's ungentlemanly action. Furthermore, emotional outbursts like throwing headgear, removing singlet straps, and general disrespect for the opponent or authority figures contribute to the undesirable conduct.
The full list of disciplinary actions is only available to school personnel. Sign into the Portal and return to this page to view the report.
Based on these reports, the most common unsportsmanlike conduct scenarios in girls' wrestling appear to be biting, flagrant misconduct (which includes punching), and verbal altercations, either initiated by coaches or wrestlers, often stemming from disagreements with officiating decisions. There are multiple instances of wrestlers biting opponents during matches, leading to penalties, ejections, and flagrant misconduct calls. In addition, there were multiple reported instances of disrespectful conduct by coaches yelling at referees and being ejected from the gymnasium and there was multiple reported acts of punching during wrestling events as well.
The full list of disciplinary actions is only available to school personnel. Sign into the Portal and return to this page to view the report.