THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

142

TWENTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2005

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

REQUESTING THE GOVERNOR TO ESTABLISH A TASK FORCE ON SPORTSMANSHIP IN YOUTH SPORTS.

 

WHEREAS, organized sports programs enhance the vitality of communities large and small because twenty-five to thirty million children, nearly half of all American youngsters, join at least one program in any given year; and

WHEREAS, at some time during their childhood and adolescence, nearly all children have some experience with organized sports, and outside the home and schools, no other activity reaches so many children in the United States; and

WHEREAS, organized sports programs provide our youngsters with an opportunity to learn life lessons in an environment that is safe, healthy, and encouraging; and

WHEREAS, American society creates heroes out of sports stars and many children dream about being like their heroes; and

WHEREAS, however, the problem with emulating sports heroes is that people, especially young children, also emulate them when they act in a negative fashion and believe that such negative actions are acceptable when their sports heroes are not punished, publicly and severely, for their negative actions; and

WHEREAS, incidents of parents demonstrating unsportsman-like behavior to sports officials and other participants has also been on the rise in recent years;

WHEREAS, many youth sports programs now lack qualified referees and umpires because they cannot find enough adults willing to endure abuse from players, coaches, and parents; and

WHEREAS, documented incidents of physical assaults and associated verbal threats to sports officials date back more than twenty-five years and are now widespread and of increasing severity, sometimes involving serious physical injuries; and

WHEREAS, in Hawaii there have been a number of documented attacks on sports officials in recent years that involve striking the official or knocking the official down and increasing incidents of verbal abuse before, during, and after sporting events; and

WHEREAS, laws already exist in Hawaii against physically assaulting or verbally threatening anyone, including sports officials; and

WHEREAS, it is unclear whether these laws are sufficient to protect sports officials, as there is little indication either that: incidents of assaults and threats against sports officials in Hawaii have been criminally prosecuted; or existing laws and potential sentences have been shown to be insufficient; and

WHEREAS, there are emerging a number of programs in both the private and public sectors designed to instill in athletes, coaches, and parents who participate in youth sports programs the principle that winning is only one goal of sports programs and that winning at the expense of sportsmanship and citizenship drives children away from sports programs, creates an environment in which negative behavior becomes commonplace and accepted, and risks encouraging similar behavior in the community at large; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-Third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2005, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Legislature requests the Governor to establish a task force to evaluate the nature and extent of the problem of violence and threats against sports officials in Hawaii, the factors that contribute to this behavior, steps that can be taken and programs that can be established to address the problem and, if necessary, what additional legislation may be necessary to resolve it; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Governor's task force is requested to review and consider, in particular:

(1) Specific instances of verbal and physical abuse of sports officials, how those incidents were addressed, including administrative or legal action against the offenders, and what resulted from the actions to address it;

(2) What programs exist that can be implemented by schools and recreational leagues using public facilities that will: instill the importance of sportsmanship in the athletes, coaches, parents, and other spectators; encourage communication between these groups and sports officials; establish standards of conduct for all participants; and spell out consequences for behavior in violation of these standards; and

(3) What legislative measures have been enacted elsewhere with regard to threats and assaults against sports officials, how many jurisdictions have adopted them, and what the demonstrated effect has been in terms of reducing threats and assaults and increasing the recruitment and retention of sports officials; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Governor is requested to appoint members to the task force as follows:

(1) The Superintendent of Education, or the Superintendent's designee, who shall serve as chair;

(2) Representatives of: the Hawaii High School Athletic Association, the Big Island Interscholastic Federation, the Kauai Interscholastic Federation, the Interscholastic League of Honolulu, the Maui Interscholastic League, and the Oahu Interscholastic Association;

(3) Representatives of the athletic programs of the University of Hawaii, Hawaii Pacific University, and Chaminade University;

(4) A representative of youth recreational leagues in each of the following sports: baseball, basketball, football, soccer, softball, and volleyball;

(5) A representative of each of the following organizations: the National Association of Sports Officials, the National Federation of Sports Officials, and the Hawaii State Basketball Officials Association;

(6) Representatives of the Chiefs of Police and Prosecuting Attorney of the City and County of Honolulu and the counties of Kauai, Hawaii, and Maui;

(7) A representative each of the Department of the Attorney General and the Office of the Public Defender; and

(8) A representative of the Positive Coaching Alliance; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives are each requested to appoint one additional member of the task force; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2006; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to Governor, the Chief of Police and Prosecuting Attorney of each county, the Chairperson of the Board of Education, the Superintendent of Education, the Attorney General, the Public Defender, the Athletic Directors of the University of Hawaii, Hawaii Pacific University, and Chaminade University, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Threats and Violence Against Sports Officials