The shocking assault on Burnsville youth basketball commissioner Jeff Shand took place Saturday in a gym still crowded with sixth-grade players and their families. When an angry parent began yelling at coaches and referees, Shand stepped up to stop the tirade, but paid a high price. He was sucker-punched in the face in the melee that followed, sustaining a concussion, a dislocated jaw and dental damage.
The inevitable question after outrages like this: Are new rules or new laws needed to prevent its happening again? The answer is no. Youth sports organizations can already bar kids and their parents from competitions for unsportsmanlike behavior. And Minnesota is one of about 20 states with laws on the books that provide sports officials and coaches with added protection against assault and battery.
But there is one conclusion that needs to be drawn and acted upon: People need to quit being jerks at kids' sporting events. Or if they're with someone who becomes a jerk, they need to tell that person to sit down and shut up.
No one should have to be told to keep it civil anywhere in public, much less at kids' athletic events. Yet any parent who has sat in the bleachers knows that far too often people lose their cool when watching youngsters play ball or whack a hockey puck. Badgering referees, bad-mouthing coaches or insulting opposing players or fans happens far too often.
Why do some people think such abuse is acceptable behavior? It's not. It teaches players bad sportsmanship and bad citizenship, and makes the event uncomfortable for everyone around. "These are the people who mess up the youth sports experience more than anybody else," said Dan Klinkhammer, executive director of Minnesota Youth Athletic Services (MYAS).
If left unchecked, verbal abuse can light the fuse for the kind of out-of-control spectacle seen in Burnsville on Saturday, which sadly was not the first of its kind in the state. Two years ago, a St. Paul man ended up in jail after he threatened to shoot his kid's Little League coach. Klinkhammer, who's been involved with youth sports since 1977, said he has a stack of files from other incidents involving coaches, parents, fans and players.
Klinkhammer said no one comes to a game planning to beat up a coach or official. But in the heat of the moment, parents and other family members get carried away. In their minds, lousy officiating or a timekeeping issue that thwarts a victory (the issue that led to the Burnsville assault), becomes the equivalent of an attack on their child. "All they can see is red when they're running out on the court and field. ... It's 'I'm going to stand up for my kid because he can't stand up for himself,'" Klinkhammer said.
Blowing the whistle on rage is crucial before it escalates to the point where someone gets hurt. If you're that red-faced guy belitting the refs, knock it off. Most youth sports depend on volunteers to make calls and staff the sidelines. They deserve some slack. If it's a spouse, aunt, uncle or grandparents who turn ugly (yes, Klinkhammer says grandparents go rogue, too), get them under control. Coaches and referees also shouldn't tolerate abuse. They should act quickly to halt the game until the trash talk ends.
Those who do get violent should face stiff punishment. So far, it's unclear who hit the 50-year-old Shand: the player's father or someone with him. Burnsville police are still sorting it out and plan to file charges. They should throw the book at the punch-thrower. Making an example out of him will make sports bullies think twice.
