Before the 2022 lacrosse season started, officials in eastern Massachusetts were told about sportsmanship initiatives regional youth leagues had put in place.
If it were up to me as a veteran referee to decide the fate of youth lacrosse coaches, about one-third of the coaching pool would be thrown out of the game.
Not for the rest of a contest in which they act up, or even for the remainder of a season. They’d be kicked out forever, banished to the stands to watch their kids play, possibly while wearing a muzzle.
Mind you, I was a youth coach for a long time, an instructor at the U.S. Lacrosse National Convention five different times, and have decades of involvement in the sport, and I believe that coaching behavior overall has improved since my early days in lacrosse.