Laconia AD shouldn't be cheerleader for poor sportsmanship

To The Daily SUn,

As a native New Hampshirite, I enjoy reading The Sun and other regional papers. It is interesting to see how folks not many towns away deal with common issues.

In the February 28 issue, Laconia High Schools athletic director is quoted as saying, about the Laconia\Con Val Girls basketball game last on Tuesday night, "This was the best crowd I've seen in 10 years. When we were at the line their fans were banging the bleachers, and same for us when they were there. It was an awesome atmosphere."

If extolling this behavior isn't just the opposite of promoting sportsmanship, I don't know what is.

Participants should play hard, try one's best and never give up but such infantile fan behavior at high school games is another example of the perversion of the notion of "cheering for" or "supporting" one's team. Check out the recent article in the Union Leader about the major problem with lack of basketball officials. This type of attitude is surely one contributor to the shortage.

How about teaching students (and likely re-teaching adults) about ways to support without denigration.

Art Pease

Lebanon