Basketball is not golf, nor should it ever be.

Student sections should never be restricted to golf claps on made baskets.

By now, you probably have heard about the WIAA’s rules on restricting chants such as but not limited to: “air ball,” “fundamentals,” “USA,” and “we can’t hear you.”

The WIAA is quick to point out that this is not a new rule, and rather they just recently sent out an email reminding schools of these rules. But, does it really matter when they were first put into action? Does it make it any less dumb if they were made in 2011 rather than 2016?

This became an uproar when the rules resurfaced from the email and a Wisconsin high school athlete received a five-game suspension when she tweeted her opinion on the matter, although it was not in good taste. The sensitive WIAA told her high school to “take care of it.” While the WIAA may be sensitive, high school athletes aren’t. They don’t need to be protected from these chants. Opposing crowds propose a form of adversity that are important in sports.

The best part about sports for a lot of athletes is the atmosphere in the gyms while they compete. It is the loud “O” from the opposing student sections while you’re on offense that makes it fun. It’s getting “air ball” yelled at you that can make you feed off the opposing crowd. Student sections are meant to have an impact on the game.

I understand that the WIAA doesn’t want there to be any less passion, they just want students to only cheer for their team, and never cheer against the other. But when you tell students that they can’t say basic chants, and put suspensions or punishments on the table, students are going to naturally be more quiet. Taking student sections out of high school sports is eliminating an important element of the spirit of high school sports. Also, how many chants are chanted towards your own team? The majority of chants are directed at the opposing team.

Travis Wilson, a wissportsnet writer, tweeted: “If students don’t come because they can’t be the center of attention in the stands with questionable cheers, were they really fans?”

……….What? Is “Air Ball” really a questionable cheer? How many of the chants listed by the WIAA are actually questionable? Furthermore, if you take the fun out of anything somebody loves, odds are they aren’t going to love that anymore, and following that, they won’t do that activity anymore.

The U-S-A chant has always been controversial because many adults think it stands for “You suck a–.” I am sure that there are some teenagers that think that’s funny and clever and have chanted that, and that’s wrong. However, a lot of kids, including my friends and I, have seen the movie “The Mighty Ducks” probably one too many times. The “U-S-A” chant has always been from that movie. I guess if I was still in high school we’d have to start chanting, “Quack! Quack! Quack!” and hope the WIAA doesn’t find a bone to pick with that.

Athletes cannot not point to the crowd or beat your chest, either. That’s right. Next time you might hit a clutch three to tie things up at the buzzer and force overtime, you better be a damn robot. I mean, high school athletes are kids, why would kids ever show any emotion? You know, sports aren’t about emotion! All that hard work you put in during practice that results in a successful season, why would you want to celebrate that?

If the WIAA is looking for things to fix, it should start with private schools vs. public schools. Looking back to last year’s state tournament, Milwaukee private schools won the D5 and D4 State championships against actual small town teams. Young Coggs Prep and Dominican, private schools located in the Milwaukee area, beat Hillsboro (population: 1,400) and Mineral Point (2,400). Okay, I may be fairly biased because I played for that Mineral Point team that got beat by Diamond Stone and Dominican, but it’s an issue nonetheless. It’s been an issue presented to the WIAA for years and they’ve ran away from it every time. Dominican won the last four D4 state championships against Auburndale (population: 700), Cuba City (population: 2000), Blair-Taylor (population combined: 1,800), and Mineral Point, while having the population of Whitefish-Bay (14,000) and Milwaukee (599,000) to draw from.

Something of a war may have been started, unintentionally of course, by the WIAA and Wisconsin High School students. Students started a petition against the WIAA and the “restrictions” of the chants. A high school in Wisconsin cleverly taped their mouths shut in the student section and tweeted it at the WIAA, saying, “is this approved?”

This became a national issue over the past few days, being covered by ESPN and Sports Illustrated. Jay Bilas, one of the top basketball analysts at ESPN went on a rant about the WIAA, making fun of things that students  can still say in the stands. He also tweeted a picture of nuns and presented that as student sections in Wisconsin High Schools. Scott Van Pelt is going to talk about it on SportsCenter on Thursday. It was also on ESPN show “Around the Horn.” Scott Van Pelt said kids aren’t weak-minded when talking about the issue, and he’s right.

The best example I can give is a personal one. In the Regional Finals against Wisconsin Heights when I was a junior, someone in their student section yelled out, “Nice neck hair!” when I was in the corner next to where there students were sitting. And you know what? That’s funny. But also, for about two possessions, I thought about that. I was like, “Is it really that bad? Do I look dumb?” For two possessions, he took my head out of the game! That’s what student sections do, as long as it doesn’t cross the line, which 90% of the chants the WIAA mentions don’t even come close. I would’ve been ashamed if that student would’ve been suspended for saying that to me. It didn’t offend me, as an athlete you expect things like that.

I remember after that game I went home just fine, and I didn’t need the WIAA to protect me. All I needed was my mom to shave the back of my neck.