NEPSAC

Code of Ethics and Conduct

 As basic principle, we believe that the lessons learned from fairly played athletics, whether interscholastic or not, and including games and practices, are of benefit to our students and our schools. The purpose of this Code of Ethics and Conduct is to define what “fairly played” means and to provide guidelines for NEPSAC athletics, coaches, officials and spectators alike to follow.

Proper Conduct and Good Sportsmanship:

At the heart of this matter lie several terms which are often hard to define—yet no more important task confronts teachers and coaches than to set standards which are fair and honorable. Throughout this Code, when such terms as “proper conduct” and “good sportsmanship” are mentioned, they refer to such standards as these:

• Treat other persons as you know they should be treated, and as you wish them to fairly treat you.
• Regard the rules of your game as agreements, the spirit or letter of which you should not evade or break.
• Treat officials and opponents with respect.
• Accept absolutely and without quarrel the final decision of any official.
• Honor visiting teams and spectators as your own guests and treat them as such. Likewise, yourself behave as an honored guest when you visit another school.
• Be gracious in victory and defeat; learn especially to take defeat well.
• Be as cooperative as you are competitive.
• Remember that your actions on and off the field reflect on you and your school.

Guidelines For Players:

• Players shall at all times represent themselves and their school with honor, proper conduct, and good sportsman ship.
• They shall understand that competitive rivalries are encouraged, but that disrespect for opponents is unsportsmanlike and lessens the value of the rivalries.
• They shall confine the competitiveness of the game to the field, and in particular behave properly on the sidelines and in the locker rooms both before and after games.
• They shall comply fully with the rulings of the officials. In no way, either by voice, action or gesture, shall they demonstrate their dissatisfaction with the decision made.
• Players will not deface property or remove equipment of any kind from their own or another school.

Guidelines For Spectators:

• Spectators—whether students, faculty, parents, alumni or friends—bear important responsibilities to the school for the atmosphere and conduct of games, whether home or away.
• Spectators should watch games from those areas defined by each school as spectator areas. They must not run up and down sidelines, call to players, coaches or officials in an unsportsmanlike manner, go onto the field of play, or deface property. Any action which detracts from the ability of coaches, players and officials to do their best is not acceptable.
• Faculty members should remember that their responsibilities for student discipline and behavior extend to disciplining and controlling students who misbehave as spectators.
• The use of alcohol and illegal drugs should not be associated with any athletic event.