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In December of 2015, the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association, or the WIAA, banned numerous chants from student sections during the course of a basketball game. Such seemingly harmless chants such as “airball”, “you can’t do that”, “I believe that we will win”, and many more have been ousted, just like that.

And the reason behind all of this tomfoolery: sportsmanship.

People nowadays are just too soft and can’t take a joke. Our world has become a sad place where everyone gets offended so easily.

But what’s the point of a student section if you can’t cheer for your team and belittle your opponents when they make a mistake? The opposing team’s student section would do the same thing that you are.

There are actually benefits to allowing these chants in a game. It allows student sections to let off some steam at a friendly competition. As well as this, it gives an opportunity for the players on the court to rise above the noise and jeers and gain the confidence that they need. There is nothing better than drowning out the banter of the fans and casually sinking a jumper. You get to jog back down the court with some swagger, thinking “They can’t phase me.” But sadly, Wisconsin doesn’t see the benefits, only the downside.

Students of Wisconsin high schools have come together to develop a petition to outlaw the WIAA’s ruling. Will the petition prevail? More than likely not. So what does that mean for other sports in Wisconsin? What about sports in other states? Only time can tell.

As Rocky once said, “It ain’t about how hard you hit; it’s about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. It’s about how much you can take, and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done.”

We can conclude from this quote that the people of Wisconsin can’t take much. Even if it’s just a harmless chant. That’s why they don’t win. Cough cough….. the Packers.