WIAA Begins New “Hear It? See It? Report It!” Initiative

SUPERIOR, Wis. — The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association has begun rolling out a new initiative to help remove inappropriate behavior from sporting events.

The “Hear It? See It? Report It!” Sportsmanship Initiative is the WIAA’s newest method tackling inappropriate behavior along the sidelines of high school sports.

The reporting system, which will be quickly accessible through a QR code or an online form, is designed to streamline the process of reporting issues in order to make spectating a safe environment for everyone.

“The ‘Hear It? See It? Report It!’ Initiative is something that we just launched with our membership due to some concerns we were hearing of some increased, concerning behaviors at high school sporting events, whether that be related to harassing type comments or taunting or racially insensitive comments,” said the Executive Director of the WIAA, Stephanie Hauser.

Hauser also iterated that, despite differences in schools between schools near the WIAA headquarters in Southern Wisconsin and more local, smaller schools in the Northwest portion of the state, this initiative is designed to help diminish inappropriate behavior at all levels, with the help of each school’s individual supporters.

“What this campaign might look like in a school in southern Wisconsin, it may look different than it does up in Northwest Wisconsin, but the bottom line is, there are sportsmanship issues and inappropriate behaviors happening in every gym in every athletic event across the state,” said Hauser.

More information on the initiative can be found on the WIAA’s website.