compilation of "best practices" regarding sportsmanship and fan behavior at college sports contests has been distributed to college and university presidents and chancellors.

The document and video represent the final report from a February summit in Dallas at which more than 150 leaders in intercollegiate athletics, higher education and government gathered to discuss ways to prevent or at least reduce incidents of unsportsmanlike behavior before, during and after athletics contests.

The February summit was staged by a coalition of university academic and intercollegiate athletics leaders, including Bowl Championship Series conference commissioners and NCAA Football, which consists of the American Football Coaches Association, the Collegiate Commissioners Association, the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and the NCAA. The coalition called for the meeting after a 2002 college football season marred by several on-field, on-campus and community incidents after games.

Incidents in other sports also prompted the review. Postgame "celebration riots" have become almost common after Final Four games on the campuses and in the communities of not only the winning, but losing teams. And in ice hockey, postgame rioters have caused extensive property damage after each of the last two Frozen Fours.

The report, the result of a collaborative effort among the summit coordinators and participants, provides a comprehensive collection of suggested policies and procedures for athletics staffs, community leaders and other key constituents to effectively discourage hostile or inappropriate behavior. The report addresses five areas: institutional game management; campus environment and community relations; student/fan behavior and alcohol abuse; coach and player behavior; and the role and responsibility of the media. Summaries in each area provide institutional personnel with a suggested game plan aimed at preventing uncivil behavior.

For example, the institutional and game management section outlines best practices to employ before, during and after the game. Such practices include preseason meetings among game management staff to identify "goal-post games" or events at which uncivil behavior may be likely; collaborative pregame efforts from staffs at both competing institutions; suggestions for placement of student seating; restrictions on the number and types of big-screen video replays during the game; and planting undercover police officers dressed as visiting fans in the stands.

As for student/fan behavior, the report provides several best practices that have been effective at various campuses. For example:

The report urges athletics administrators to "understand the outbursts of violence that appear to have become increasingly associated with athletics events." In most cases, national policy is not an effective deterrent; rather, individual campuses need to employ the kinds of best practices that apply most effectively to each school's special circumstances.

The report also encourages conferences to conduct further discussion. And at the local level, key administrators (for example, university CEOs, coaches, game management, student leaders, local police and government officials) should convene to review issues and policies related to sportsmanship and fan behavior at athletics events.

"Institutions must make careful decisions about whether to try to limit all access to the field or court after games, or to permit fans on the field/court after games but try to limit inappropriate and destructive behavior once fans get there," the report says. "For some institutions, storming the field or court after a big game is strictly prohibited, while at other institutions it is a positive celebratory tradition that should be preserved."

The NCAA has indicated it will help individual institutions make those decisions by acting as a type of clearinghouse for information on sportsmanship and fan behavior.