A Parents Code of Ethics

[Sean]

1. The parent shall be aware that he or she has a tremendous influence, for either good or ill, on the education of the student-athlete and, thus, shall never place the value of winning above the value of instilling the highest ideals of character.

2. The parent shall uphold the honor and dignity of the purpose of high school athletics. In all personal contact with coaches, student-athletes, officials, athletic directors, school administrators, and the public, the parent shall strive to set an example of the highest ethical and moral conduct.

3. The parent shall take an active role in the prevention of drug, alcohol and tobacco abuse.

4. The parent shall avoid the use of alcohol and tobacco products when in contact with student-athletes.

5. The parent shall promote the entire interscholastic program of the school and direct his or her child in harmony with the total school program.

6. The parent shall understand and increase their knowledge of the contest rules and shall teach them to their child. The parent shall not seek an advantage by circumvention of the spirit or letter of the rules.

7. The parent shall exert his or her influence to enhance sportsmanship by spectators, both directly and by working closely with coaches and school administration.

8. The parent shall respect and support coaches and contest officials. The parent shall not indulge in conduct which would incite players or spectators against coaches or officials. Public criticism of coaches, officials and opposing players is unethical.

9. The parent of a current player shall play no active part in the evaluation of coaches. The parent shall support the decision's of the coaches, athletic director, principal, superintendent and school board.

10. A parent shall not exert pressure on coaches or faculty members to give their student-athletes special consideration.

[Sean]

Since players and coaches must go by a code of ethics as a requirement in order to participate or coach in high school sports, then why can't we complete the circle by having a parents code of ethics. Would this not be an attempt to put the sanity back into these extra-curricular activities. The only group of people associated with high school sports that don't have an official standard of conduct are parents.

It appears, more times than not, that when a child participates in athletics that it is more of a hardship on the parents than the student-athletes. It is some parents, not all, that yell "foul" against coaches whenever they feel that their child is not getting enough playing time or maybe their son/daughter is not starting. They often blame all the negatives on the coaches such as the team not playing the right offense or defense. Or perhaps they might feel that the coach does not have the right players in the game at a certain time. Some parents have no qualms making their opinions heard by shouting their resentment from the stands during games. No matter how obscene or embarrassing their complaint may be during the heat of competition, they feel they are justified to do this "for the love of their child". No matter the reason this conduct such as this unacceptable and those guilty need to be held accountable just like coaches and players. If watching their son of daughter's games brings this much hardship on them, then perhaps staying at home would be a better alternative for everyone involved.

Do these parents that scream bloody-murder against athletic coaches hold everyone else in the field of education to the same standard? Does the math teacher that does not give out "A's" to every student have to worry if his or her contract is not renewed for the next school year? Does that math teacher have to face a band of irate parents after every test is given because they may not be satisfied with the results? In all reality, they probably should be but with their kids and not with the teacher. If the band does not win the state level competitions every year, is the band teacher subjected to public comments about his competency or knowledge of music? How many times has the school board gone into "executive session" to decide the math or band teacher's fate for these reasons?

Coaches are not out to ruin the experience of playing high school sports for any student-athlete. First of all, coaches want to win just as much as anyone. So they select the most experienced and talented players for the varsity squad. Sometimes a coach is limited to the amount of experience or talent he/she will have at the varsity level and winning games will be few and far between. This can be a job-ending combination for a coach.

There is one interesting case where a couple of coaches at a particular school (no names will be mentioned) will allow players from neighboring communities to come into their program and bump one of its own all in the name of winning. This has been a pattern at this public school system for quite some time. This is one time when public outcry from parents would be justified and even expected. Where is the defense for that student-athlete who may never get a chance to be part of a varsity team or perhaps an opportunity to go to the state tournament? Here is a perfect example of two coaches that should probably be run out of town on a rail. The purpose for high school athletics is not to see how many championships can be won by stepping on others and taking short-cuts to obtain them. If parents are truly interested in their child's welfare, then why isn't more made of instances such as these? The answer here is simple... winning! Winning always makes everything look better than it is and may actually keeps those, otherwise, vocal parents at bay. Who can question a winner, right?

And so if these parents are truly concerned and want the best for their child, then following a code of ethics would not be too much to ask, would it? Not if they are fair and in the total interest of the child. Well, here are ten easy-to-follow rules any well-intentioned parent can follow.