The following, published in the June 24, 1992, issue of The NCAA News, was one of the first guest editorials published after the Comment page was redesigned into its current format. It deals with a topic that remains pertinent in today’s Association.

The Division I Men’s Basketball Championship is the NCAA’s most visible and important event. In general, it is a credit to higher education and to the NCAA, and every effort must be made to protect its integrity and its reputation.

There is a growing public concern, which I share, about the language being used by coaches and players. Sports requires sportsmanship. Sportsmanship involves not just what coaches and players do, but what they say.

Obscenities that are heard by the crowd and lip-read by millions of viewers discredit the game, the coaches and their profession, the players and the schools they represent. Offensive language has no place in public, especially when such language is used by those who represent institutions of higher education.

This is all the more important since intercollegiate contests are watched by young people, and coaches and players are often role models.

Though I know less about this, I am told that verbal harassment also has become common practice among players — a competitive “trash talking” strategy of sorts. If so, those who respect the game should take steps to ensure that these contests reflect standards of competitive behavior consistent with good sportsmanship.

I suspect that the verbal behavior of coaches is likely to be reflected by their players. Rules that govern this behavior should be enforced and, if necessary, strengthened. A few technical fouls called on coaches and players would see this language end. We should see that competition is honorable in word and deed.

This problem is not limited to basketball. Other sports committees perhaps need to consider their own circumstances. In basketball, however, the proximity of the fans and television microphones make this issue urgent.

Basketball coaches have expressed concern over their role in the reform movement. I have asked the Presidents Commission to bring this issue to their attention for action. Other appropriate sports committees may also be asked to report to the Presidents Commission on the status of this problem and proposed remedies.

Universities are, among other things, guardians of the language, the instrument of thought and meaning. The integrity of our language matters. Foul language degrades the speaker and the hearer. Coaches may reveal their lack of respect for themselves and others by the language they use in private. Their public verbal conduct is our concern.

Thomas K. Hearn Jr. was president of Wake Forest University and a member of the NCAA Presidents Commission when this guest editorial was published. A member of the Knight Foundation Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics since its formation in 1989, be succeeded William Friday as chair of that panel in 2005 after retiring at Wake Forest, and currently serves as chair emeritus.