A recent survey shows that the percentage of college basketball student-athletes who believe that opponents' crowds demonstrate bad sportsmanship exceeds the percentage who believe opponents' crowds exhibit good sportsmanship.

An annual sportsmanship survey conducted by the Institute for International Sport, the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association showed that 38 percent of male college basketball players (including NAIA institutions) agreed to some extent that opponents' fans had demonstrated bad sportsmanship during away games. Twenty percent thought opponents' crowds demonstrated good sportsmanship while 41 percent were neutral. The range was narrower for women, with 34 percent saying that opponents' crowds showed poor sportsmanship and 25 percent saying they showed good sportsmanship (40 percent were neutral).

The players' responses to on-the-court issues were more encouraging. Their answers indicated that:

* Trash talking is on the decline for both men and women.

* Cheating to win is perceived to be declining, compared to four years ago.

* Performance-enhancing drugs are not perceived to be a major problem in college basketball.

For the men, only 37 percent believe that trash talking is an acceptable part of the game, the lowest since the survey was first taken in 1993-94. At that time, 58 percent said they believed trash talking was acceptable. Trash talking among men is most accepted at the Division I level (44 percent) and least accepted in Division III (32 percent).

Among women, the percentage of those who believe trash talking is acceptable has fallen from 27 percent in 1996-97 to 16 percent. As with the men, the practice is most accepted in Division I and least accepted in Division III.

The survey also showed a continued decrease over the last four years among men's players who agree that their teammates would expect them to cheat if it meant the difference in winning a game. Overall, the figure has dropped from 38 percent four years ago to 24 percent today, with the biggest change coming in Division I (47 percent to 26 percent). Division III men show the least tolerance for cheating at 21 percent, but that figure is an increase of three percent from the 1999 survey.

Women continued to be much less tolerant of cheating. Overall, only 6 percent said their teammates would expect them to cheat if it meant the difference in winning a game.

Only 6 percent of all male respondents believed that their teammates use performance-enhancing drugs, and 83 percent said they would expect their coach to take disciplinary action if the coach knew of team members were taking such drugs. For women, the numbers were 3 percent and 92 percent.

The survey revealed interesting information about gambling among male basketball players. It showed little change from last year in the overall percentage of male basketball players who had bet with a bookie (8.5 percent vs. 7.8 percent last year). However, it showed that gambling through bookies is least common in Division I (5.2 percent). Division II follows at 7.0 percent, with Division III at 10.2 percent. Of the NAIA respondents, 11.4 percent had bet with bookies.

This is the seventh consecutive year that the NABC and the Institute for International Sport have conducted the survey, which polls more than 1,500 players. The women's survey, which involves more than 2,200 players, has been conducted for the last four years.

For a copy of the complete report, telephone David Brennan of the Institute for International Sport at 800/447-9889.