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No room for indiscipline in sport
Saturday, August 21, 2010
THOUGH we fully appreciate that the sporting arena is a reflection of our general society, we are still mystified by a number of appalling events which have occurred on the playing fields over the past few weeks.
We have already highlighted in this space the case involving former Reggae Boyz captain and current national goalkeeper coach Mr Warren Barrett, who was found guilty of verbally and physically abusing football referee Mr Donat McKenley during a Western Masters League semi-final game between Mr Barrett's Violet Tourers team and the Hanover Masters team at Jarrett Park, in Montego Bay on Sunday, July 25.
For the record, after a hearing by the St James Football Association, Mr Barrett was suspended for five years and fined $25,000. Mr Phillip Wong, a teammate of Mr Barrett, was also similarly punished.
Then on August 11, indiscipline again reared its ugly head in women's football, when not one, but three Olympic Gardens players and their coaches were involved in a reported attack on the referee during a Sherwin Williams Colourscape game against Trelawny FC.
The three players — Misses Ranish Sullivan, Opal Williams and Kemicaya Carey — and coaches Messrs Michael Peart and Anthony Samuels were fined $3,000 each, and the disciplinary committee decided that a "very strong letter of reprimand" would be sent to the Olympic Gardens FC by the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF).
The incident was also referred to the JFF Disciplinary Committee to consider further penalties against the accused.
Then last week, like a spreading plague, indiscipline found its way onto the basketball court in Montego Bay during the finals of the Western Basketball Association's Division One competition between Hopewell Vipers and Sav Hawks.
As reported in this newspaper on Tuesday, Hopewell Vipers player/coach Dwight Reid forced the premature end to the game when, after fouling out with just under four minutes remaining, he shouted obscenities at match official Mr Deon Williams before throwing the contents of a drink bottle on the said match official, sparking a mass brawl between his teammates and spectators.
A decision has yet to be made in that case.
The role of sport has changed dramatically over the years, and today it means much more to our society than it has ever had. Today it brings people together, it has become a popular profession, not just a hobby, resulting in athletes becoming highly regarded role models.
Sport is now building local economies through the manufacture of sporting goods and the hosting of major sporting events. Sport provides education, it teaches important life lessons, the importance of health through physical education, it teaches teamwork, and perhaps most importantly, it teaches discipline.
As the society begins to think of sport differently, it has become more dependent on sport, thus leading sport to be more of a factor in today's world than it had throughout history.
But there is still the need for balance in today's sport, be it amateur or professional. The saying, 'It's not whether we win or lose but how we play the game', still has relevance in sporting activities today.
As a country which has experienced great successes in sport, we appreciate and accept the important role emotion and passion play in sport. We understand too, that at times emotions might run a little too high and referees' decisions might be questioned, but we remain steadfast in our opposition to indiscipline of whatever kind, especially when it involves attacking match officials, the people we consider sacred.
Despite all the changes sport has gone through over generations, one thing remains constant -- the entertainment it provides. So we urge all sporting bodies to act swiftly, firmly and decisively when acts of indiscipline against match officials arise.
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/edito...-sport_7861316
Saturday, August 21, 2010
THOUGH we fully appreciate that the sporting arena is a reflection of our general society, we are still mystified by a number of appalling events which have occurred on the playing fields over the past few weeks.
We have already highlighted in this space the case involving former Reggae Boyz captain and current national goalkeeper coach Mr Warren Barrett, who was found guilty of verbally and physically abusing football referee Mr Donat McKenley during a Western Masters League semi-final game between Mr Barrett's Violet Tourers team and the Hanover Masters team at Jarrett Park, in Montego Bay on Sunday, July 25.
For the record, after a hearing by the St James Football Association, Mr Barrett was suspended for five years and fined $25,000. Mr Phillip Wong, a teammate of Mr Barrett, was also similarly punished.
Then on August 11, indiscipline again reared its ugly head in women's football, when not one, but three Olympic Gardens players and their coaches were involved in a reported attack on the referee during a Sherwin Williams Colourscape game against Trelawny FC.
The three players — Misses Ranish Sullivan, Opal Williams and Kemicaya Carey — and coaches Messrs Michael Peart and Anthony Samuels were fined $3,000 each, and the disciplinary committee decided that a "very strong letter of reprimand" would be sent to the Olympic Gardens FC by the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF).
The incident was also referred to the JFF Disciplinary Committee to consider further penalties against the accused.
Then last week, like a spreading plague, indiscipline found its way onto the basketball court in Montego Bay during the finals of the Western Basketball Association's Division One competition between Hopewell Vipers and Sav Hawks.
As reported in this newspaper on Tuesday, Hopewell Vipers player/coach Dwight Reid forced the premature end to the game when, after fouling out with just under four minutes remaining, he shouted obscenities at match official Mr Deon Williams before throwing the contents of a drink bottle on the said match official, sparking a mass brawl between his teammates and spectators.
A decision has yet to be made in that case.
The role of sport has changed dramatically over the years, and today it means much more to our society than it has ever had. Today it brings people together, it has become a popular profession, not just a hobby, resulting in athletes becoming highly regarded role models.
Sport is now building local economies through the manufacture of sporting goods and the hosting of major sporting events. Sport provides education, it teaches important life lessons, the importance of health through physical education, it teaches teamwork, and perhaps most importantly, it teaches discipline.
As the society begins to think of sport differently, it has become more dependent on sport, thus leading sport to be more of a factor in today's world than it had throughout history.
But there is still the need for balance in today's sport, be it amateur or professional. The saying, 'It's not whether we win or lose but how we play the game', still has relevance in sporting activities today.
As a country which has experienced great successes in sport, we appreciate and accept the important role emotion and passion play in sport. We understand too, that at times emotions might run a little too high and referees' decisions might be questioned, but we remain steadfast in our opposition to indiscipline of whatever kind, especially when it involves attacking match officials, the people we consider sacred.
Despite all the changes sport has gone through over generations, one thing remains constant -- the entertainment it provides. So we urge all sporting bodies to act swiftly, firmly and decisively when acts of indiscipline against match officials arise.
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/edito...-sport_7861316
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