Adults must be role models in promoting sportsmanship

Editor:
Now that the Greenville High School Comets' football season has ended, I would like to take this opportunity to voice some concerns.
When does friendly rivalry cross the boundary lines?
I, like many other people, live in Vandalia and work in Greenville. I have heard numerous rumors about the Vandalia-Greenville football game. Our quarterback did receive two cracked vertebrae in his neck, and thank goodness is out of his neck brace now and doing well.
Yes, injuries can happen during a good, clean football game. But, in this instance, it had been threatened ahead of time.
When threats are being made against particular players ahead of the game on Facebook, etc., these cannot be taken lightly. When we as a general public could pull up threats and comments on certain players Facebook pages (Greenville and Vandalia both had a handful that were displaying unsportsmanlike conduct before the game) then why aren't coaches monitoring this and letting the players spend some time on the bench?
The coaches should be monitoring the kids' emotions and managing their actions before, during and after the game. Hats off to the Greenville staff for managing and disciplining the appropriate player. Hopefully, many towns have learned from this situation, and all attempts are being made to enforce good sportsmanship.
As a community, we need to demand that our coaches, athletic directors, school administrators and ultimately the Illinois High School Association be held accountable for letting things get so out of control at a high school football game.
If fans at any game are yelling profanities and obviously unacceptable remarks, someone needs to man up and kick them out! This is high school football, and such behavior is not tolerated at college or professional games. If we don't put a stop to it now, we are teaching the younger kids that this behavior is acceptable and it will continue indefinitely.
We, as adults, need to be role models. When we show respect for each other's communities, that would be a real start. I know that we have a lot of good people at Vandalia and likewise at Greenville.
Patti Hoffman
Vandalia