Worst Sportsmanship Moments of 2012

Those who attended or watched the 2012 National Sportsmanship Awards saw the very best sportsmanship moments from the past year. Selflessness, respect, civility and integrity were on full display. Crying was a sign of joy and standing ovations were commonplace.

Alas, we know there are two sides to every coin. If the National Sportsmanship Awards is the head, then this next list is most certainly the tail. The Worst Sportsmanship Moments list shines a light on the type of behaviors we never want to see in sports or anywhere else.

Why would the Sports Commission create such a list? Why accentuate the negative? To be honest, some of us have to touch the hot stove. We have to be aware of what can happen to our kids and our communities if we behave irresponsibly.

Granted, negativity for its own sake is a very poor teaching tool. People can only be shocked so many times before they become numb to it. However, negativity is a very effective attention-getting technique. If I told you a coach bit off another coach's ear during a middle school game, you'd look.

However, what we do after we read the list and watch the videos is more important. How do we keep convicted felons from coaching our kids? How should we behave so that we don't embarrass ourselves and our city on national television? How do we teach our athletes that breaking records should never overrule respect for the game?

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Worst Sportsmanship Moments of 2012. Read. View. Discuss. Then, go to sportsmanship.org and get involved in the programs so you and yours never make this list.


#10.  Atlanta airport workers pelt New Orleans Saints team bus with eggs:  A few workers at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airport apparently took their love for the hometown Falcons a bit too far earlier this football season.  As the visiting New Orleans Saints boarded their team bus, the workers allegedly threw eggs at the vehicle – showing their disdain for the Crescent City visitors and apathy toward keeping their jobs in a tough economy.

#9.  There may be no “I” in “team,” but 138-performance shows there is “me”:  Grinnell College guard Jack Taylor grabbed national headlines in November when he set an NCAA record for most points scored in a single game with a 138-point outburst.  Impressive?  Sure.  A credit to Taylor’s talent?  Indeed.  But in the spirit of what team sports are about?  Not exactly.  And that’s why the runaway point total makes the top 10 list.  Taylor took an astonishing 108 shots – including 71 three-pointers.  His teammates had 28 shots total.  It wasn’t as if Grinnell needed all of Taylor’s scoring.  The Pioneers won 179-104.  Perhaps the fault is with the Grinnell coaches, who showed no sign of putting on the breaks.  Promotional stunt or not, the one-man show seems to fly in the face of teamwork, selflessness and respect for the game.

#8.  Braves fans shower field with trash:  After a controversial call in the late innings of the Braves-Cardinals National League Wild Card Playoff Game in October, Atlanta fans showered their own field with garbage in protest.  The outburst caused a 20-minute delay as crews scrambled to clean up the mess.  St. Louis went on to win the game.  This sparked another trash shower from fans – creating an embarrassing backdrop for the final game of future Hall of Famer Chipper Jones.

#7.  Youth coach arrested for attacking 12-year-old:  Ionatana Alualu was arrested for assault on a 12-year-old football player.  Alualu was an assistant coach for the Rock Solid Crusaders in the Hawaii Junior Prep Sports Association.  An altercation broke out between a Rock Solid player and a member of the opposing team.  Alualu allegedly sprinted onto the field and tackled the boy on the opposing team – causing a concussion when the child’s head slammed against the ground.

#6.  Coach arrested for biting off another coach’s ear:  Timothy Forbes, a Springfield, Mass., area youth basketball coach, was arrested for allegedly biting off part of the opposing head coach’s ear after a boys championship game in March.

#5.  Fans use banana suits to taunt rival team:  A rivalry game between Monessen, Pa., High School and Pittsburgh Brentwood High School turned ugly last February when three Brentwood fans dressed in banana suits began taunting Monessen players by calling them “monkeys” and “cotton-pickers.”  Monessen’s team is mostly African-American and Brentwood’s is mostly white.

#4.  Football coach knocks out opposing player:  Nathan Harris, a Salt Lake City area youth football coach, was arrested on child abuse charges after stepping onto the field and knocking out an opposing player who seemingly broke away for an easy touchdown.  The 13-year-old lost consciousness and suffered a concussion – effectively ending his season.

#3.  Chiefs fans cheer their own quarterback being injured:  When a football team performs poorly, fans usually clamor for the starting quarterback to be benched in favor of the backup.  Kansas City Chiefs fans’ expression of displeasure crossed the line into heartless, classless behavior.  Quarterback Matt Cassel took a hard hit in a home game against the Baltimore Ravens.  As Cassel lay nearly motionless on the field, Chiefs fans cheered.  

#2.  Youth football coaches arrested for gambling on kids’ games:  Nine youth football coaches in South Florida face felony bookmaking charges after police uncovered a high-stakes gambling ring involving a league for kids ages 5 to 15.  Authorities say bets ranged anywhere from $20,000 to $100,000.

#1.  Coach charged with robbing pizza parlor during team banquet:  Daniel McGill, a California youth football coach, was arrested after he allegedly robbed a pizza restaurant at the same time his team was having a postgame party there.