New Ulm Public Schools Superintendent Harold Remme is to be commended for putting "teeth" into the public schools' code of conduct at athletic events when he suspended a number of students including football players from attending extracurricular events as a result of their conduct as fans at a volleyball game.

As it appears that these students had plenty of warning that their conduct was not acceptable as it not only broke the "rules" of good sportsmanship but of just plain civility itself, there shouldn't have been any dispute as to the need for the action Remme took.

However, that didn't keep some parents of the students involved in the matter from condemning the action that Remme was literally forced to take in the wake of the warnings these very same students had that their conduct was not acceptable.

The saddest part is that the long-held concept of high school athletics, in particular, developing "sportsmanship" within the players, as well as their fans, took another hit which should be taken as additional evidence that the concept of athletics developing "sportsmanship" in the players (and fans) is a myth. It always has been.

Why do you say that, Ron?

Well, I'll tell you why. During my lifetime, I traveled with my college's baseball team when I was a college student. I've coached fourth-fifth-sixth grader basketball and women's softball, and I've played fast-pitch, slow-pitch softball but more importantly as a reporter I've been an observer, not only when I was actively covering games as a reporter/photographer, of what goes on and off the playing field.

The conclusions drawn from my conclusions drawn over the past 55 years is that while the allusion is created that it's all for the sake of good sportsmanship that we have such competition, it just doesn't bring out the best in many of us.

I'm sure coaches out there will agree when I say that while they are trying to teach a little sportsmanship among their players, if they are so inclined, too many parents are right there trying to tear that concept down.

An example of what I'm talking about: My basketball team of fourth, fifth and six graders were about midway through the game in this cracker-box gym at the school. The playing floor took up all the available space so my team, our fans, and I all sat on the stage on one side and there was a tier of bleachers across the floor for the visiting team and its fans.

So, anyway, we're approaching the end of the second quarter when I became conscious of someone yelling behind me and someone else yelling from the bleachers across the way.

It turned out it was the father of one of my players yelling at an apparent father on the other side. My player's father was challenging the other guy to go outside and settle this about who had the better team. So, I spent the better part of the quarter break, telling my kid's father to shut up and sit down before it finally took. I don't recall but someone must have been doing the same on the other side, but valuable time and image was lost on that one. If you don't think kids pick up on that, you're in lah-lah land because the kid was as difficult to work with as his father was.

(That also was the father who couldn't grasp the concept that at this level ALL the players should be given an opportunity to learn and experience the game rather than having a "starting five." He and I had a number of go-arounds on that one.)

Then, when my son wanted to try football, he got on a peewee football team. So, when I was watching his team play another team, a mom sitting nearby watching her son try to tackle the ball carrier shouted to him that he should have torn the other kid's arm off. Now, this was all back in the late '60s.

So, I am of the mind that as long as we have admittedly violent professional sports like hockey and football and parents who are not good sports themselves, good sportsmanship, I'm afraid, will continue to take the biggest hit of all.