Sports game etiquette is a necessity

Leighann Sallick, Contributing writer

Picture this. You are at one of the best football games you have ever attended in your life. It is the fourth quarter, a few seconds are left and the game is too close to call.

Either your team will keep staying in the lead, or lose by a few points.

You are at the edge of your seat; you cannot keep your eyes off the ball. The last play is about to begin when, all of a sudden,  the person in the seat right in front of you stands up.

You no longer see what is happening, the person in front of you cannot seem to move any slower and the play is over.

The other team has made a touchdown and your team has lost.

Today, we are slowly losing our respect toward sports. People getting up in the middle of a game, talking loudly, not paying attention and other factors are signs of disrespect.

We must all be aware that there are sports fans who take time out of their day to watch the sport they love, and do not want to be interrupted by small things like this. Although they are small things, it is a distraction.

We must all learn what the proper etiquette is when attending a game.

When one is at a game, it is best to put your cell phone away. Even though we cannot “live without our phones” in today’s society, it is a nice and respectful gesture and it helps you pay attention to what is happening in the sport.

If you do need your cell phone because of emergencies or anything, it is best to put your cell phone on silent. Just by doing this can save a lot of distraction problems.

Another thing is staying in your seat. In the game, most people use halftime or any other breaks to go to the bathroom, buy something to eat and do other activities. Getting up from your seat in the middle of play not only distracts the person behind you, but the people all around.

What is seen as respectful is sitting and only getting up when there’s a break, or if it’s an emergency.

Another big factor is talking. It’s nice to have a conversation with your seat buddy over the game, but once it starts going off topic, it’s lack of respect toward the people around you, and the sport.

You pay money to go see these games. Make it worthwhile and talk about the game, and not what your plans are for the weekend. One last thing is leaving the game early. It might be because you forgot you had to do something, or you just want to beat traffic, but it’s still unnecessary.

The team, the players, coaches, managers, everyone has dedicated their time toward the fans and watchers of the game. We should return the favor and watch the whole game.

The purpose of sports etiquette is not to nag people, but to teach them what the proper behavior standards are when watching a sport.