Despite the date on the top of the page you are reading, this is no April Fool's joke: If certain bureaucrats have their way, booing at high school sporting events in the state of Washington will be forbidden.
That's right. A booing ban is being considered -- seriously -- by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Assn.
"I don't know why people think it's acceptable to boo in the first place," Mike Colbrese, the organization's executive director, told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. "It's a pretty novel concept to me."
Apparently, Colbrese doesn't get out to many Seattle Mariners games.
Endangered species: boo birds
The boo ban is part of a WIAA review of fan behavior. Already, the organization prohibits handmade signs and artificial noisemakers at games and forbids fans from criticizing officials before, during or after sporting events.
Instead -- seriously, again -- the WIAA requests that spectators submit any complaints about officiating in writing.
"It's a much broader topic than just booing," Colbrese said. "What we're trying to teach our fans is that you have to be civil. Just because you bought a ticket, you can't be irresponsible or disrespectful."
That's Washington for you.
Down here, it's very different. At certain Los Angeles sporting events, the purchase of a ticket not only grants you the right to boo, but also the privilege of spending another $15 to park.
Trivia time
No eventual men's NCAA basketball champion has faced the highest possible seeded opponent in each round. True or false?
Week 13 Power Rankings
This was the week ESPN told Ron Jaworski to "Go in there and break a leg!" ...
1. Final Four: The host city is psyched. Monday night, a team in Atlanta will actually win a championship.
2. Joakim Noah: Ancestry traced all the way back to the original Noah, who was hated for limiting admission to two at a time.
3. Dodgers, Angels: Sports Illustrated picks them to meet in the World Series. And the season had looked so promising.
4. Twins: Mia Hamm and Nomar Garciaparra turn two.
5. Jaworski: One year too late, ESPN adds him to its "Monday Night Football" booth. Jaworski is knowledgeable, doesn't shout and has no catchphrases. No wonder it took him so long.
6. Tiger versus Federer: At last we have a winner in the debate over who's the most dominant athlete in the world. Michael Phelps.
