OSAA imposes stricter penalties for ejections ahead of new high school sports season
By Joe Hathaway on Friday, August 9th, 2024 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
EASTERN OREGON — Penalties for ejections in Oregon high school sports will be tougher this year, as the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) has implemented stricter penalties for sportsmanship violations following a rise in ejections among high school athletes in recent years.
During its summer workshop, the OSAA executive board approved updates to its ejection policy, aiming to address growing concerns over unsportsmanlike conduct.
Key changes include:
- Mandatory Sportsmanship Training: Ejected players must now complete the online National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Sportsmanship Course.
- Clarified Coach Ejection Protocol: The policy now clearly defines what it means for a coach to be “out of sight” and “out of sound” after an ejection.
- Increased Financial Penalties: The fine for ejections during state championship playoff competitions has been raised.
- Harsher Suspension Terms: Suspensions will be doubled for ejections involving discriminatory language, entering the field during a fight, leaving the team box, or fighting.
- School-Wide Training Requirements: Schools with three or more ejections for a single team, or five or more ejections overall in a school year, must attend an OSAA Sportsmanship training class.
- Executive Board Appearances: Schools that meet these thresholds in consecutive years must appear in person before the OSAA executive board.
- Indefinite Suspensions for Physical Contact: Any coach or player who has inappropriate physical contact with an official will be indefinitely suspended pending an in-person appearance before the OSAA executive board.
The OSAA’s decision comes after a significant increase in ejections during the 2023-24 school year, particularly in football and boys’ soccer. According to the OSAA, ejections in boys’ soccer reached an all-time high, rising from 137 in the 2022-23 season to 198 in 2023-24. Of these, 182 were attributed to serious offenses such as bench misconduct, entering the field during a fight, language violations, serious foul play, taunting, violent conduct, or receiving a second caution.
Wrestling and baseball also saw increases in ejections, with wrestling ejections nearly doubling from 11 to 20 and baseball seeing a slight rise from 54 to 56. Conversely, ejections in boys’ basketball, girls’ basketball, girls’ soccer, and softball decreased during the same period.
