Over the past year, we have seen an increase in tournaments attempting to legislate good sportsmanship, either through rewarding a good sport on the other team with a patch, medal or trophy or by penalizing the team by taking away points on red and yellow cards. Has this increased sportsmanship?
No.
What it has done is increase the amount of administration that the tournaments needs to manage the event. Players are either good sports — or they are not. Sportsmanship at the cost of winning is either a character trait or it is not. Ultimately, winning is rewarded. How you got there almost never plays a role. It may not be fair; it may not be ethical but it is ultimately what we measure.
Our advice: Stop trying to legislate sportsmanship with the teams that you have accepted into your tournament. And don’t over-complicate your standings and tie breakers with points off for bad behavior. The red card has its own penalties and players and coaches understand them.
What you can do, however, is RESEARCH the teams that apply a little bit more in-depth. On teams that show some aggression (you know, the ones with the pushy team manager or the cocky coach,) call around to tournaments they have played in recently. Did the team behave? Were they responsible for a large percentage of red cards? Their state association would also have that information. If they gave other events trouble, chances are they will do the same for you.
Also, on every TourneyCentral web site, you have the ability to record notes on the teams to reference for next year. Use this frequently! A whole year erodes memory, whereas a short note in a database lives forever.