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.
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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 the umpire reports, the most common unsportsmanlike scenarios in high school baseball involve arguing balls and strikes—often leading to profanity-laced tirades from players, coaches, and even fans—along with taunting behaviors such as bat flips, staring into dugouts, and verbal exchanges that escalate into on-field confrontations. Repeatedly, coaches who fail to control their benches or who continue arguing after warnings are restricted or ejected, while fans who direct personal insults and profanity at umpires are removed from the stands. Malicious slides, excessive bat tossing, and players leaving the dugout to join altercations also appear frequently, underscoring a persistent lack of respect for the game’s sportsmanship rules.
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 high school boys' basketball involve players receiving technical fouls for arguing calls, taunting, or engaging in physical altercations—often escalating to ejections after a second technical. Coaches frequently draw technicals for berating officials, while fans are repeatedly removed for profanity, threatening remarks, or entering the court. These incidents highlight a pattern of unsportsmanlike conduct that disrupts the game and requires official 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 officials' reports, the most common unsportsmanlike scenarios in girls' basketball involve fan misconduct—specifically profanity, verbal harassment, and court intrusions leading to ejection—followed by player-on-player altercations that escalate to fighting or flagrant technical fouls, and head or assistant coaches receiving technical fouls for arguing calls, bench violations, or derogatory comments.
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 high school football involve fighting or throwing punches after a play, often leading to multiple ejections, along with verbal abuse of officials or opponents, including profanity and racial slurs. Additional frequent violations include leaving the team bench area to join a skirmish, taunting gestures such as spiking the ball or obscene acts, and physical contact with game officials.
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 officials’ reports, the most common unsportsmanlike scenarios in girls’ flag football involve heated emotions boiling over into fights, retaliatory shoves or punches after plays, taunting opponents and benches, and ejections for abusive language or multiple unsportsmanlike penalties. Coaches and parents also sometimes cross the line, with outbursts, throwing balls or flags, and even entering the field to confront officials, often forcing games to be stopped early or ended altogether.
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 high school soccer involve dissent toward referees, reckless fouls leading to second cautions and ejections, and inappropriate fan behavior. Verbal abuse of officials—such as yelling “you suck” or challenging their eyesight—was widespread, while repeated reckless challenges often resulted in red cards. Fan interference and entering the field during stoppages also frequently disrupted matches, along with post-whistle confrontations and excessive physical reactions that escalated into violent 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 the officials’ reports, the most common unsportsmanlike scenarios
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 Girls' Softball involve persistent fan harassment—including berating umpires, questioning their integrity, and making personal or threatening remarks—along with coaches who escalate arguments to the point of ejection, and players who commit malicious contact or direct unsporting comments toward officials.
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 girls' volleyball involve coaches and fans verbally abusing referees over judgment calls, refusing to follow game procedures, and escalating confrontations—often with profanity, thrown objects, or attempts to follow officials after ejection. Additionally, disruptive behavior from spectators, including yelling at scorers and officials, frequently requires administrator or police intervention, while the absence or inaction of school resource officers compounds the problem.
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 wrestling involve profanity directed at opponents or officials, physical aggression after the match (such as shoving, swinging, or slapping), and biting, with multiple incidents of each resulting in flagrant misconduct and ejection.
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.