By Dana Hess
For the S.D. Newspaper Association
PIERRE — At its annual meeting Wednesday, the South Dakota High School Activities Association heard an impassioned plea from the Pierre athletic director for greater consequences for people at games who display poor sportsmanship.
“There has to, at some point, be consequences,” Brian Moser said. “If we don’t do something, it only has to get worse.”
Moser described his experience when Pierre served as the neutral host site of a basketball playoff game. He said a coach was using vulgar language with his players. Moser had to escort the officials out of the gym after the game because some fans were waiting for them.
“This was not a fun atmosphere,” Moser said.
An ejection can cost a coach a $200 fine, which some schools will pay for the coach. “What’s the coach learning?” Moser asked.
According to Moser, at the game he hosted, some problems were caused by a school athletic director who failed to take action when the game started to get out of hand. He said there have to be greater consequences for the student body, coaches, athletic directors and administrators.
Board member Eric Denning of Mount Vernon said perhaps it was time for the association to form an ethics committee. It might help allay the problem of poor sportsmanship “if we had some ethical guidance,” Denning said.
