Over the last two years, incidents of bad sportsmanship and destructive fan behavior have garnered almost as much media attention -- maybe more -- as the many attributes of intercollegiate athletics. This topic has been addressed on a number of levels, and progress has been made in abating the negative behavior associated with our sporting events. Despite these advancements, a solution has not yet been attained.

One piece of the puzzle that is easily overlooked is the effect of "team leaders" on sportsmanship. At the November meeting of the NCAA Committee on Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct, the group challenged itself to explore ways that team leaders can use their influence to improve sportsmanship. More recently, in a joint meeting of all three national Student-Athlete Advisory Committees, NCAA President Myles Brand challenged the student-athletes to recommend solutions to poor sportsmanship and inappropriate fan behavior. Indeed, there are three distinct groups that student-athlete leaders can affect positively: teammates, coaches and spectators.

Team leaders have a sizeable impact on the behavior and mindset of team members. A poignantly portrayed guide of action steps to improve sportsmanship is outlined in Jeff Janssen's book, "The Team Captain's Leadership Manual." Janssen makes five points that seem elementary; however, if every student-athlete abided by these guidelines, the ugly incidents that are constantly in the press would significantly decrease. The five principles are:

Play aggressively but not dirty;

Respect officials;

Obey the rules of the game, conference and association;

Watch your language; and

Be a gracious winner and loser.

If a team leader does not follow those simple standards, then we cannot expect the remainder of the team to maintain a superior level of sportsmanship.

Another important role of a leader is to interject in a situation where a teammate is acting inappropriately and remind that person of his or her responsibilities to a code of higher conduct. Without a doubt, a team captain can help improve the conduct of other student-athletes, but it will happen only if team leaders make sportsmanship a priority.

A more precarious issue is the role a team leader should play in improving a coach's sideline conduct. As Janssen points out in his text, one of the primary roles of a team leader is to act as a spokesperson for the team in conversations with the coaching staff. Many coaches welcome questions, comments and concerns from student-athletes, but others may not be as open to discussion. It is likely that many coaches would willingly strive to improve their conduct if they knew it embarrassed or offended their student-athletes, but student-athletes might best affect coaches' behavior by modeling good sportsmanship when competing and practicing. If student-athletes participate in an exemplary fashion, coaches may realize that they are obligated to behave similarly.

During competitions, many of the problems that arise stem from inappropriate fan behavior. Many student-athletes underestimate their influence on spectators' attitudes and behavior. The use of gamesmanship often incites inappropriate fan behavior, which in turn can escalate to an even more volatile situation. Questioning officials in front of a home crowd leads spectators to harass the officials in an improper manner. Similarly, a visiting student-athlete taunting the audience may lead to major conflicts. If we compete in an unsportsmanlike manner, we only encourage spectators to engage in inappropriate activities.

As the Association continues to address the issues of sportsmanship and fan behavior, we cannot neglect the role of team leaders in the sporting culture. Student-athletes set the tone at collegiate competitions and this must not be overlooked. President Brand has acknowledged this fact and now we as student-athletes need to answer his call and search for the fitting means to eliminate the egregious incidents that give college sports a black eye.