Take a knee .... Pleeease!

[badfrog68]

I am one who believes that Sportsmanship and Respect for the game is as important (or more important) than what happens during a game itself. Teams win or lose during a given week but usually by Monday they start practicing for and focusing on the next game. Even with winning or losing seasons, right after the season underclassmen start conditioning for the following year and seniors focus on college. Wins and losses are important but kids move on from them. If someone doesn't, it is usually a parent not a child. But Sportsmanship and Respect is something that can be passed along to the next generation of kids. It is important that kids are taught these aspects from the game at an early age so it carries with them through their sports career and into the future. It also makes an impression on fans (home or visitor) who are watching a given team. It sets the tone. Sportsmanship and respect for the game being played is important.

My complaint is that LWW Varsity Football, while being very successful last year on the field, and this years team, while having some problems, is (in my opinion) overlooking this one aspect of the game in one area that I think is important. And that is, when a player is injured, whether that player is from your team or the visiting, the rule of Sportsmanship is for all player to take a knee until that player is off the field and back on their respective sideline. It is a simple rule but I think an important one. The LWW Varsity team has not done this for the past few years and I just don't like it or agree with it.

I understand coaches use this time like an extra time out to talk about strategies and plays. But you can still make sure that the 11 players on the field are on their knees listening to the coaches. The 11 starters sitting on the bench can get off the bench and take a knee and still hear the coach talking to them and all the rest of the players who are standing on the sideline not directly involved with the game at the moment, there is no reason they can't take a knee. It shows respect for the game and the team you are playing. It shows Sportsmanship.

All the teams LWW has played during this stretch seem to follow this rule. I went to a Crete/New Lenox Pee Wee game this weekend and the announcer of the game announced over the PA to all players to take a knee when a kid got injured. He outwardly got on the kids/coaches who did not. This is extreme but he felt is was important. So do I. And a lot of the other LWW parents do too (especially the woman). What started out as grumblings in the stands are now multiple people yelling out for the LWW players to take a knee. I am not the only one who seems to feel this way.

Do all the teams that you follow take a knee when a player is injured? If not what is your opinion on the situation? Would like to hear other opinions on this situation.

Sincerely,

Badfrog68

 

[biglatte]

I agree with you 100 percent . My nephew plays pee wee football and when a player is injured all of the players take a knee. My son just graduated from high school and played for 4 years and when a player was injured all of the players that were on the field took a knee. It is just the right thing to do

 

[LHSTigers94]

I am one who believes that Sportsmanship and Respect for the game is as important (or more important) than what happens during a game itself. Teams win or lose during a given week but usually by Monday they start practicing for and focusing on the next game. Even with winning or losing seasons, right after the season underclassmen start conditioning for the following year and seniors focus on college. Wins and losses are important but kids move on from them. If someone doesn't, it is usually a parent not a child. But Sportsmanship and Respect is something that can be passed along to the next generation of kids. It is important that kids are taught these aspects from the game at an early age so it carries with them through their sports career and into the future. It also makes an impression on fans (home or visitor) who are watching a given team. It sets the tone. Sportsmanship and respect for the game being played is important.

My complaint is that LWW Varsity Football, while being very successful last year on the field, and this years team, while having some problems, is (in my opinion) overlooking this one aspect of the game in one area that I think is important. And that is, when a player is injured, whether that player is from your team or the visiting, the rule of Sportsmanship is for all player to take a knee until that player is off the field and back on their respective sideline. It is a simple rule but I think an important one. The LWW Varsity team has not done this for the past few years and I just don't like it or agree with it.

I understand coaches use this time like an extra time out to talk about strategies and plays. But you can still make sure that the 11 players on the field are on their knees listening to the coaches. The 11 starters sitting on the bench can get off the bench and take a knee and still hear the coach talking to them and all the rest of the players who are standing on the sideline not directly involved with the game at the moment, there is no reason they can't take a knee. It shows respect for the game and the team you are playing. It shows Sportsmanship.

All the teams LWW has played during this stretch seem to follow this rule. I went to a Crete/New Lenox Pee Wee game this weekend and the announcer of the game announced over the PA to all players to take a knee when a kid got injured. He outwardly got on the kids/coaches who did not. This is extreme but he felt is was important. So do I. And a lot of the other LWW parents do too (especially the woman). What started out as grumblings in the stands are now multiple people yelling out for the LWW players to take a knee. I am not the only one who seems to feel this way.

Do all the teams that you follow take a knee when a player is injured? If not what is your opinion on the situation? Would like to hear other opinions on this situation.

Sincerely,

Badfrog68

For the most part, I think all teams take a knee. There are times in which teams don't take a knee including the team with the injured player. I don't think any of it is intentional however, I can see your point.

 

[ramblinman_rivals165935]

I am one who believes that Sportsmanship and Respect for the game is as important (or more important) than what happens during a game itself. Teams win or lose during a given week but usually by Monday they start practicing for and focusing on the next game. Even with winning or losing seasons, right after the season underclassmen start conditioning for the following year and seniors focus on college. Wins and losses are important but kids move on from them. If someone doesn't, it is usually a parent not a child. But Sportsmanship and Respect is something that can be passed along to the next generation of kids. It is important that kids are taught these aspects from the game at an early age so it carries with them through their sports career and into the future. It also makes an impression on fans (home or visitor) who are watching a given team. It sets the tone. Sportsmanship and respect for the game being played is important.

My complaint is that LWW Varsity Football, while being very successful last year on the field, and this years team, while having some problems, is (in my opinion) overlooking this one aspect of the game in one area that I think is important. And that is, when a player is injured, whether that player is from your team or the visiting, the rule of Sportsmanship is for all player to take a knee until that player is off the field and back on their respective sideline. It is a simple rule but I think an important one. The LWW Varsity team has not done this for the past few years and I just don't like it or agree with it.

I understand coaches use this time like an extra time out to talk about strategies and plays. But you can still make sure that the 11 players on the field are on their knees listening to the coaches. The 11 starters sitting on the bench can get off the bench and take a knee and still hear the coach talking to them and all the rest of the players who are standing on the sideline not directly involved with the game at the moment, there is no reason they can't take a knee. It shows respect for the game and the team you are playing. It shows Sportsmanship.

All the teams LWW has played during this stretch seem to follow this rule. I went to a Crete/New Lenox Pee Wee game this weekend and the announcer of the game announced over the PA to all players to take a knee when a kid got injured. He outwardly got on the kids/coaches who did not. This is extreme but he felt is was important. So do I. And a lot of the other LWW parents do too (especially the woman). What started out as grumblings in the stands are now multiple people yelling out for the LWW players to take a knee. I am not the only one who seems to feel this way.

Do all the teams that you follow take a knee when a player is injured? If not what is your opinion on the situation? Would like to hear other opinions on this situation.

Sincerely,

Badfrog68

I'm all for good sportsmanship and have gone on record on this board on several occasions lamenting a lack of sportsmanship, especially as it concerns fan behavior.

That said, however, I never really liked the idea all that much of taking a knee other than at the lowest youth levels. When little kids are playing a game, I get that taking a knee gives them something to do and keeps them out of the way of the injured player and those adults taking care of that player. In my own experience playing youth sports before the taking the knee thing became a thing, I recall little kids would try to gravitate toward the injured player out of concern/curiosity and basically get in the way of whatever assistance was being offered. Plus, when a little kid goes down in a youth game, it is typically a matter of seconds, not minutes, before that kid is either up and continuing in the game or is helped off the field. Not so at the high school level.

In these days where doctors and training staff are rightfully exhibiting an abundance of caution in the immediate treatment of high school athletes who go down with an injury, it seems unnecessary/overkill for players to be on their knees for minutes at a time. If an ambulance, stretcher or golf cart is called, I think it is silly for others to be on their knees for all that time.

I think that all other players should be allowed to huddle up on the field some minimum distance away while the injured player receives on-field attention. As that player is helped off the field, then certainly a show of support through applause is an appropriate demonstration of good sportsmanship.

What about other sports besides football? Should basketball or volleyball players take a knee? Hockey? See what I mean? I think what you are suggesting may well be a solution in search of a problem.

 

[mchsalumni]

I think what you are suggesting may well be a solution in search of a problem.

I'm with @ramblinman here, oddly. I think it is a solution in search of a problem. Stay respectful, don't be close the player who is down and don't taunt. Standing or kneeling? Not a big deal either way. What if some of those players have knee issues and would prefer to stand?

 

[SiuCubFan8]

Not why the only show of respect/sportsmanship is kneeling?

 

[Voodoo Tatum 21]

If it's a prolonged on field injury - I think both on field teams should move over to their respective sidelines and give the refs and medical folks a lot of room. Kneeling/standing - not sure I have a stance on that (no pun intended). College players rarely kneel from what I have seen in person and on TV,...unless they know it's serious injury

I like the clapping for the injured players when they are able to come off the field. I have yet to see any high school games where both sets of fans were not giving a nice round of clapping for the injured player.

 

[Goomlah]

It's funny you mentioned this Voodoo because at some point I wanted to post that a Lake Park freshman player was taken to the hospital Saturday with a possible neck injury. Both teams took a knee but when they realized this was going to take a while it was nearly impossible for freshman to be freshman. The good thing is Glenbard North all came to the injured player when the ambulance was ready to escort him out of the field.

My point is you don't have any more or less sportsmanship if you take a knee or not. Actions that are bigger than that speak a lot more for sportsmanship than taking a knee when a player is down and is not part of the bigger solution.

 

[badfrog68]

I like the clapping for the injured players when they are able to come off the field. I have yet to see any high school games where both sets of fans were not giving a nice round of clapping for the injured player.

In my own experience playing youth sports before the taking the knee thing became a thing, I recall little kids would try to gravitate toward the injured player out of concern/curiosity and basically get in the way of whatever assistance was being offered

Not why the only show of respect/sportsmanship is kneeling

To SIU kneeling is certainly not the only way to show respect but it is the most visible one at the time of the injury.

To Voodoo, I love the clapping as well and fully endorse it but my problem here is that the clapping is done by the fans, not the football players themselves. I happen to separate fan sportsmanship and player sportsmanship. When unruly fans are yelling at the coaches, players and refs during a game they are being unsportsmanlike but you can't associate these actions with the players. Same goes for this. In my opinion, you can't associate goods sportsmanship from the fans and say that carries over to the players.

To Ramblin, while I can absolutely see your point about why this is important in youth football (I never thought about that aspect of it) and can understand your opinion of why this is less important as kids become young adults (17 - 18 at the varsity level), my rebuttal is this. If most teams do the knee thing, than if a team doesn't do it, it appears to me as a fan that they are disrespecting the injured player and the game itself. I am not saying that they are doing it intentionally. I am not saying the knee thing is even necessary at that age but if everybody else does it and your team does not, it comes across as being disrespectful. When multiple fans for the LWW team are complaining and I have heard fans from the opposing team mention it after a game, right or wrong, I think it is an issue that needs to be addressed.

 

[jwarigaku]

Badfrog,

First off I think sportsmanship is key across life. That said the coach could be concerned that a forced knee could be considered an outward sign of coach endorsed prayer. I know it's not necessarily meant that way but with Coach Stine at Naperville Central being called out by an atheist group and being threatened with removal I would think twice about mandating knees.

I am one who believes that Sportsmanship and Respect for the game is as important (or more important) than what happens during a game itself. Teams win or lose during a given week but usually by Monday they start practicing for and focusing on the next game. Even with winning or losing seasons, right after the season underclassmen start conditioning for the following year and seniors focus on college. Wins and losses are important but kids move on from them. If someone doesn't, it is usually a parent not a child. But Sportsmanship and Respect is something that can be passed along to the next generation of kids. It is important that kids are taught these aspects from the game at an early age so it carries with them through their sports career and into the future. It also makes an impression on fans (home or visitor) who are watching a given team. It sets the tone. Sportsmanship and respect for the game being played is important.

My complaint is that LWW Varsity Football, while being very successful last year on the field, and this years team, while having some problems, is (in my opinion) overlooking this one aspect of the game in one area that I think is important. And that is, when a player is injured, whether that player is from your team or the visiting, the rule of Sportsmanship is for all player to take a knee until that player is off the field and back on their respective sideline. It is a simple rule but I think an important one. The LWW Varsity team has not done this for the past few years and I just don't like it or agree with it.

I understand coaches use this time like an extra time out to talk about strategies and plays. But you can still make sure that the 11 players on the field are on their knees listening to the coaches. The 11 starters sitting on the bench can get off the bench and take a knee and still hear the coach talking to them and all the rest of the players who are standing on the sideline not directly involved with the game at the moment, there is no reason they can't take a knee. It shows respect for the game and the team you are playing. It shows Sportsmanship.

All the teams LWW has played during this stretch seem to follow this rule. I went to a Crete/New Lenox Pee Wee game this weekend and the announcer of the game announced over the PA to all players to take a knee when a kid got injured. He outwardly got on the kids/coaches who did not. This is extreme but he felt is was important. So do I. And a lot of the other LWW parents do too (especially the woman). What started out as grumblings in the stands are now multiple people yelling out for the LWW players to take a knee. I am not the only one who seems to feel this way.

Do all the teams that you follow take a knee when a player is injured? If not what is your opinion on the situation? Would like to hear other opinions on this situation.

Sincerely,

Badfrog68

 

[SiuCubFan8]

You could have a few kids kneeling but joking around ect and a group of players standing in concern with their hands behind their back. Which group is showing sportsmanship?

 

[godfthr53]

I never got the whole kneeling thing. Just stay out of the way and be quiet.

 

[SiuCubFan8]

I never got the whole kneeling thing. Just stay out of the way and be quiet.

Yup, it's cool if you want to kneel but get out of the way and at least pretend you are concerned.

 

[ramblinman_rivals165935]

If most teams do the knee thing, than if a team doesn't do it, it appears to me as a fan that they are disrespecting the injured player and the game itself.

I understand what you are saying, but I think worrying what the other team is doing or not doing, and the perception that creates, can easily be taken to extremes. Take the national anthem, for example, and how different teams comport themselves. Team A removes their helmets and lines up in exact order from shortest to tallest along the sideline by height, spaced exactly one arm's length apart, left arm cradling helmets at their sides, with right hands on their hearts? Are they showing up Team B that doesn't do that? If Team B does something less formal, are they somehow disrespecting the flag or the game? Should anyone talk poorly about Team B relative to Team A?

And, again, what about those prolonged injury timeouts? How long is appropriate to ask a player to be on his knees? What if the field is a mud bowl or covered in snow? Why football and not other sports?

 

[GMAN81]

When I read the title to this thread I thought it was going to be about teams not taking a knee when they were comfortably ahead very late in the game....

 

[Hinterland]

I agree with you 100 percent . My nephew plays pee wee football and when a player is injured all of the players take a knee. My son just graduated from high school and played for 4 years and when a player was injured all of the players that were on the field took a knee. It is just the right thing to do

Colin Kaepernick agrees with you 100%!!

 

[MS4EVER]

When I read the title to this thread I thought it was going to be about teams not taking a knee when they were comfortably ahead very late in the game....

Me too Doc! Whew!

 

[badfrog68]

And, again, what about those prolonged injury timeouts? How long is appropriate to ask a player to be on his knees? What if the field is a mud bowl or covered in snow? Why football and not other sports?

While I seem to be in the minority on this, my reply to the posters bringing up prolonged kneeling, I have two points. (1) If you are worried about prolonged kneeling for the players, then have everyone take a courtesy kneel for 30 seconds and then resume what you would normally do. It shows acknowledgement for the situation but does not take up a long period of time. You then don't look like you are ignoring or are oblivious to the situation. (2) Look what happens after almost every game. Most teams get in a circle or semicircle to listen to the coach discuss the game that just ended. Normally, they are in a kneeling position. It does not matter what the field conditions are and I have seen some coaches "discuss" a game at length with their players, especially after a bad loss. They have been out their much longer than most injury time outs and everyone kneels. Why is it ok that they kneel for that but can't for this.

As for why not other sports - good question but every sport has their own tradition. Football somehow got the knee tradition - don't know when or why but they got it and it stuck. For me, it doesn't matter what sport it is and what the tradition is, if it is a part of the culture, following it is important and not following seems to send a message.

Unlike your other reference, is this going to become a national story - no. Are sponsors going to pull out of contracts with LWW - no. Are parents going to boycott games - no. Is it going to effect the play on the field - no. But why not do something so simple. Why not use this to say it is important that you respect the game and the team you are playing against. Are there others ways to do this - yes. Does this mean the kids don't respect the game and have sportsmanship - no. LWW kids constantly put out their hands to help up an opposing player up after a play is over. I think that is great. They pat a opposing player on the back after a play. Awesome. Why ruin all that positive when you could simply take a knee when an injury occurs.

 

[SiuCubFan8]

Why not use this to say it is important that you respect the game and the team you are playing against. Are there others ways to do this - yes. Does this mean the kids don't respect the game and have sportsmanship - no.

So why exactly do they need to kneel?

 

[badfrog68]

When I read the title to this thread I thought it was going to be about teams not taking a knee when they were comfortably ahead very late in the game....

Well at least my title was successful. It got people to read what I had to say.

 

[badfrog68]

So why exactly do they need to kneel?

Again, that is the football tradition. It is what is expected. When LWW Varsity played HF and there was an injury, the HF team kneeled. When LWW Varsity played Normal and there was an injury, the Normal team kneeled. When LWW Varsity played Lockport and there was an injury, the Lockport team kneeled. When the LWW sophomore team played Lockport and there was an injury, the LWW and Lockport sophomore teams BOTH kneeled. Why can't the LWW varsity do the same?

 

[ramblinman_rivals165935]

[QUOTE="badfrog68, post: 106861, member: 4923" Look what happens after almost every game. Most teams get in a circle or semicircle to listen to the coach discuss the game that just ended. Normally, they are in a kneeling position. It does not matter what the field conditions are and I have seen some coaches "discuss" a game at length with their players, especially after a bad loss. They have been out their much longer than most injury time outs and everyone kneels.[/QUOTE]

That coach talk happens after the game is over. Gotta believe there's a difference between that and going full speed for several plays, kneel for an indeterminate period of time, and then get up and go full speed again. I wonder if trainers and kinesiologists would have anything to say about that.

 

[GMAN81]

Me too Doc! Whew!

Hahahaha!! That is extremely funny coming from you!! Great post!

 

[WIU@78]

I enjoy the Maine Southing references! Seriously though, if you have a problem with anything Lincoln- Way related you can contact Ann With the savelincolnwaynorth page. They can Facebook the situation to death for you.

 

[PowerI66_]

 

[badfrog68]

Love the picture!

Ya that seems to be the opinion and that is fine. That is why I asked for feedback. You are never going to get 100% agreement on everything (especially on this board) and I am in the minority on this but still not changing my mind.

I want to reiterate, I don't think the kids are intending any disrespect for any one involved. If the coaches had told the kids from game one that they needed to kneel during an injury, I am sure they would be doing that. It just appears that way from a fans point of view. When all other teams follow that "procedure", when LWW doesn't (In my opinion) it looks bad for the school and the football program.