The ugly racist chants hurled at players for Saint Xavier by the cheering section at Elder High School have prompted other schools across Greater Cincinnati to remind their students how they are expected to behave at sporting events. Memos have gone out and school assemblies have been held where students have been instructed to choose their words wisely. One note to students warns "What we might dismiss as joking could be offensive to others."
Elder High School has issued apologies and vows to do better controlling their crowds in the future. Newsradio 700WLW has learned that the taunting of X players started even before the game began. Players on the floor complained to the officials early in the game about what was being said and an official advised the Athletic Director at Elder that there was a problem. Even though the school was advised of the student sections bad behavior during the first half it did not stop. No corrective actions were taken at half time and it was only after the racist taunts continued in the third quarter that someone from Elder finally confronted the cheering section. The officials who work these games are told by the Ohio High School Athletic Association to handle incidents that occur on the floor and to advise school administrators to deal with issues involving the crowd.
OHSAA tells us that they are aware of the incident at Elder and will wait for internal reviews by the schools involved before making any comment or taking any possible action. The association has very clear standards about what is expected from member organizations who host high school sporting events. The organization has launched a Respect the Game campaign to combat this type of unsportsmanlike behavior.