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A
big part of sports is the cheering, booing, and everything in between. This
aspect of athletics only becomes more prominent as we get older and we can’t be
the ones in the competition. Just go to any baseball, football, hockey, or basketball
game and you know exactly what I am talking about. For those outside the U.S.
think rugby or soccer.
When
I was younger I can remember my parents on the cold uncomfortable metal bleachers
just beyond the dugout cheering on the rare occasion when I actually showed
some semblance of athletic ability. Albeit a rare occurrence I had a few
moments. Most people know that feeling of those moments (some more some less)
when they can hear the cheers of their team mates and family ringing in their ears.
It is a part of growing up and it motivates you to try and get better.
On
the flip side, we all know that feeling when we let our team down. I remember
many long hits given up when I could see hear the cheers against me and see the
faces of my team mates as they did whatever they could to minimize the damage. Even
those moments can prove to be formative ones as you bear down, move on, and
focus on turning things around. Learning how to deal with a little adversity is
a great thing growing up. In many respects it is a better learning tool than
the moments of glory.
In
both of these instances the roar of the crowd for or against is the fuel that
is needed to succeed the next time around. But what if there weren’t any
cheers? What if parents were penalized for cheering? I know, that is just crazy
talk and things would never become so screwy that something like that would
ever happen. Right?
Think
again. The notion of “Silent Cheer Day” has been around for probably 20 years in one incarnation or another and
every once in a while a story pops up to remind us all of the quality ideas
coming out of California. I know, it sounds like something from the stoner Olympics
(Denver 2018). This year, Idaho is in the news for implementing this mellow means
of ‘you’re all special’ kind of athletics. Funny, I was certain it would have
been Colorado this year. From The Coeur d' Alene Press:
“Silent Cheer Day” focused on sportsmanship and
encouragement without spectators yelling negative or even positive remarks at
the players or referees.
“Coaches said the kids played a little better
because there was less noise,” said Post Falls recreation coordinator Justin
Brown.
Brown got the notion for the silent cheer at a
seminar he recently attended at the National Alliance for Youth Sports in San Diego.
The goal is for parents and spectators to find less distracting ways to
communicate their support for their kids, such as applause and signage, and
eliminate some of the negativity that can come out during a game. If they were
loud during Saturday’s games, they were given a red penalty card and sent to
the penalty area for one minute.
I
repeat, hearing cheers either for or against you are a means of motivation (especially
when they use your name or position). Incurring such penalties, even for a day,
is a ridiculous waste of time and energy. And what is it really teaching these
kids? It’s not your fault if you don’t succeed, the crowd was too noisy. Give
me a freaking break.
Oh,
wait, I forgot. It’s a California idea. That means we can’t hold people
accountable for their own actions. We can only blame those around them or some
other circumstance that was out of their control. We might as well start them
off early and teach them while they are young that there is always something or
someone else you can blame for anything that goes wrong.
I
just wish that they would start silent bitching day. Instead of forcing the
rest of us to participate in this crap, how about you miss and moan silently to
yourself and leave the rest of us out of it. That is a day that I will be happy
to stand behind.
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