I pledge myself upon my honor to be loyal to my God, to my Church and to my country.
I pledge myself to live a clean and honest life and to fulfill all my duties as a Christian.
I bind myself to promote by word and example clean and wholesome recreation.
I shall work and pray to be in all things a generous winner and a gracious loser.
CYO Sports:
Sports offer a wonderful opportunity to instill positive values and build the characters of young people. Sports and healthy competition build self-confidence and self-worth as well as teaching sportsmanship, teamwork and fair play. Through sports, young people learn such life skills as cooperation, respect for others and community building. The youth services department of Catholic Charities, better known as the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO), provides a broad array of team and individual sports, plus cultural and spiritual activities for all young people.
CYO Code of Ethics:
CYO athletic competition is a means of developing youth and giving them the opportunity to enjoy healthful sports. The most important lesson is CYO sports should be, whether you win or lose, that you learn to respect opponents, officials, and spectators.
It is important that all concerned with the CYO athletic program follow this code:
To emphasize the proper ideals of sportsmanship, ethical conduct and fair play
To demonstrate courtesy to opponents and officials
To respect the integrity and judgment of officials
To recognize that the purpose of competition is to promote physical, mental, moral, social and emotional well-being of the players
To remember that a game is only an activity and not a matter of life or death for player, coach, school, parish, official or fan
Players should:
Know and demonstrate the fundamentals of sportsmanship
Curtail fellow teammates whose behavior is unbecoming
Respect the property of hosts and the decision-making responsibilities of officials
Show respect for injured opponents
Not applaud errors of opponents or penalties inflicted on them
Not heckle, jeer, or intentionally distract members of the opposing team
Never criticize fellow competitors or the coach for losing
Respect the judgment and strategy of the coach and not be a second guesser
Demonstrate appropriate behavior before and after contests
Coaches should:
Always set a good example for others to follow
Teach the values of honest effort in conforming to the spirit as well as the letter of the rules
Instruct the players of their sportsmanship responsibilities
Discipline those players who display poor sportsmanship behavior and remove players who flaunt disciplinary action
Be a gracious host to opponents and treat them as you would want to be treated
Provide opportunities for social interaction among coaches and players
Respect the officials' judgment and interpretation of the rules and lead by example to the players
Help players in recognizing the dangers of drugs, alcohol and tobacco use
Promote the entire CYO program of the parish or school and not just the program in which the coach is involved
Parents and Fans should:
Be courteous to players, coaches and fans of opponents
Cheer a good play by an opponent
Not applaud errors of opponents or penalties inflicted on them
Serve as a role model for the players
Respect the property of your own facility and that of your opponents
Consequences:
Any players, coaches or spectators who are not living up to the CYO Code of Ethics will be subject to immediate suspension or expulsion for CYO competitions. The head coach is ultimately responsible for the conduct of his or her players and assistant coaches. The head coach and any parish administrators in attendance at a game are asked to be responsible for the behavior of their fans.
