Stop blurring the lines

Sarah Cunningham, News Editor

As a student athlete at Xavier, I have witnessed discrepancies on the field. I’m not one to make a big deal out of nothing, but there is one issue that seems to be constant on the highlight reel: inconsistent expectations of students at sporting events.

During the Dowling vs Xavier girls’ soccer game on April 4, Xavier students were vocalizing their frustration and dismay at an unfair call. At the time, administration was near the entrance. The referees proceeded to pause the game and wouldn’t resume play until the vocal students left the stands. This led the administration to step in and proceed to remove student fans. Unfortunately, they didn’t even remove the correct students. Then immediately following, administration accused a group of Xavier parents for sparking the situation. This further embarrassed and frustrated the parents, students and other spectators at the soccer game.

The girls’s soccer team runs to cool down after a home game. Valerie Campbell Photo.

However, I have not been to a Xavier basketball or football game where the game of play had to be stopped in order to deal with the obnoxious behavior of the student section, let alone have students kicked out.

This is where the line blurs. There is a double standard of the expectations of the student section at various sporting events, which leads to confusion for the spectators on what they can and can’t say. If there is going to be a standard set in place, it needs to be the same for all sporting events, whether that be boys’ or girls’ sports.

I understand some referees are more sensitive than others, but why not enforce the same expectations from the get-go so that there are no more blurred lines? It’s more than unfair to be inconsistent with expectations when dealing with spectators, mainly students. It’s hard enough to get fans to our games, and now we’re worried they won’t come out and support us.

These types of confrontations are not getting properly addressed. The IHSAA (Iowa High School Athletic Association) can eradicate the existence of blurred lines by setting the same expectations for all student bodies amongst all sporting events.