SCHOOLS adopt sports for the overall development of the student. That's why sports are a part of the curriculum that imbibes in student the spirit of competition and fair play. But sports instead of being an uniting factor is becoming more divisive with fans of particular teams banding themselves against others to the extent their action borders on fanaticism. Such fanaticism in schools turns the student insular and intolerant to other people's views, providing a future recipe for divisions among family and friends. Citizens and educationists have called on tempered views about sports — personality or team. “There is a need for a fan base to support sports, but it should be fantastic and not fanatic,” an educationist said. This culture of sports fanaticism, with individual and groups holding steadfast to their views and teams while trashing others, is a new phenomenon and is taking roots in schools. It has spread from stadiums and cafés to classrooms, say citizens and educationists, with students and teachers all getting involved in vitriolic arguments that smack of sports demagoguery. The seeds of this fanaticism are sown especially in the intermediate and secondary stages of the school. They said this negative phenomenon is a reflection of the provocative messages being transmitted by some media and social networking websites. These messages boost the notion of fanaticism and support certain teams against other teams. In addition, the fire of fanaticism stoked by teachers influences students and creates fissures if their views differ. Students also learn from home, sharing the views of their parents, uncles, brothers and cousins before supporting one club or other. When a student is influenced, he, in turn, influences his schoolmates. Because normal points turn into arguments and later into unruly behavior, sometimes in massive fights, intolerance to others' views is something that should not be bred in schools — the temples of learning. Educationists called upon the media to stop hyping up news and urged students to resist falling victim to fanaticism. They said teachers should set a good example by rejecting sports fanaticism. They also called on the teachers not to reveal their favorite clubs, while asking them to show by example in being receptive about other clubs news. Teachers should also create awareness among students on the dangers of fanaticism and ask them to talk out the issues in order to make them realize the dangers of sports fanaticism, to know its causes and urge them to abide by the spirit of sportsmanship, Al-Riyadh daily said. Rashed Awadh, a student, said sports fanaticism is prevalent among student circles in schools. What leads to this is that the main topic students talk about in the classroom and outside it is sports teams and players. He added that each student tries to support his team and belittle others. Awadh said small talks trigger daily arguments, with fans sticking to their guns. The arguments get intense or unruly if leading teams are contesting in a tournament. He said the heated debates sometimes lead to exchanging insults or cracking of jokes that belittle others. They sometimes exchange messages and video clips through their mobiles via WhatsApp or social networking websites. This has divided students into different groups. There is a group supporting Al-Hilal, a second supporting Al-Nasr, a third supporting Al-Ahli and a fourth Al-Ittihad. This creates enmity between the students. Awadh attributed this to some media, especially satellite channels that encourage fanaticism for certain teams, aside from the big role played by some families in this regard. Faisal Al-Hajri, a parent, said sports fanaticism has reached a serious stage in society. He added that it has reached the level of turning into a catastrophe. Al-Hajri said regrettably this phenomenon is still growing due to what is being transmitted by some media. There are a few teachers who are a bad example for students and are encouraging them to be sports fanatics. He said a section of the media recently reported that a teacher decorated his classroom with the colors of the team he supports. This action sends a wrong signal by a person who should be setting a good example for students. But unfortunately, he is setting a bad example. Al-Hajri called on the media to stop fanning sports fanaticism among students. He stressed that teachers should create awareness among students on the dangers of sports fanaticism and talk to them to enlighten them on the serious consequences of fanaticism. Students should be urged to abide by the spirit of sportsmanship in encouraging teams, considering sports as an art and good conduct. Fahd Al-Riyai, a journalist, called for an agreement among different media organs, including print, audio and visual and websites to draw up a media program that rejects fanaticism, by not fanning sports fanaticism through these media. Also, they should not allow personalities, who are known as fanatics for certain teams, to appear on the TV and radio programs or pages of newspapers. Al-Riyai said there is no abidance of objetivity by many sports channels. This has incited sports fanaticism, especially among the young. Al-Riyai added that there are people who encourage the spirit of sportsmanship, while there are many who do not comply with it. He called upon those who prepare sports programs as well as sports writers to focus on spreading the spirit of sportsmanship among players and sports fans, including students thereby igniting healthy competition — even in debates.
