You can’t teach class in sports

One of the things that was highlighted in the just-concluded football tournaments is that some parents really need to learn some class. The Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. and the Cebu City Olympics saw some heated exchanges in the stands, something that I think should have not been necessary.

There’s also this one guy who barked up the wrong tree, accusing the Cebu Football Association of killing the sport when I wrote about how the University of San Jose-Recoletos misjudged its goal difference going to its crucial game against the University of San Carlos.

I’m told the CFA is mulling a cyber libel case against him and I hope they pursue it. Social media has allowed some to be really loose with their accusations without considering the consequences and I think people like them deserved to be taught a lesson.

There have been enough posts about cheating, corruption and game-fixing in Cebu football by disgruntled parents who know nothing and I think it’s time for the association to fight back.

It’s funny though that everyone I’ve met—even those who are not from Cebu—all think that football in Cebu has never been more vibrant than at the present. We’ve had coaching and refereeing seminars. We’ve had a full calendar for the past several years and we’ve hosted international matches.

I was also shown a screenshot of someone who was gloating after a recent victory and it’s sad.

“You really can’t teach class,” I told the coach.

Be magnanimous in victory. Isn’t that one of the very first things an athlete is taught by his or her first coach? It’s a lesson that almost all athletes retain as they progress.

I just hope that in the next tournament these type of parents can learn to behave well, on the field and on social media. Their bad behavior reflects on the team they support and believe me, nobody likes these types of parents.

They’re the ones that can destroy a team’s reputation or relationship with other teams.

Besides, I see no need to destroy friendships or relationships over a football tournament.

That’s plain crazy. Believe me, I meet a lot of former players and every time they reminisce about the past, they easily forget the titles they’ve won but not the friends they’ve made along the way.