Thursday morning, Mid-American Conference Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher sent a letter with the subject “Sportsmanship (or absence thereof)” to NCAA President Charlie Baker calling for standards to be set surrounding sportsmanship in college athletics.
“The past few weeks have displayed what can only be described as abysmal behavior on the basketball court and football field,” Steinbrecher wrote. "The term poor sportsmanship does not capture the lack of decorum exhibited by coaches, student-athletes, and fans.”
One example Steinbrecher references to display this lack of decorum is the altercation following Ohio State and Michigan’s rivalry week matchup Saturday.
Following the game, a Michigan athlete attempted to plant the team’s flag in the center of Ohio State’s field, causing a fight to break out. The fight didn’t stop until police officers used pepper spray on several student-athletes to break up the altercation.
In the letter, Steinbrecher said sportsmanship and ethical conduct are the most urgent issues that need addressing. He said it is time to redefine and clarify expectations, stop tolerating less and start holding NCAA executives and commissioners accountable.
“I call on our national association, Board of Trustees, Presidents & Chancellors, Directors of Athletics, Faculty Athletics Representatives, Coaches and Scholar Athletes to come together to forge a reexamination of expectations,” Steinbrecher wrote. “Sportsmanship requires winning with humility and losing with dignity.”
