Watching the Greenville All-Star Dixie Majors baseball team battle its way to a district title, I wondered to myself where sportsmanship has gone.

And I'm not talking about sportsmanship on the field, but in the stands.

During the course of the game, the humidity in the air was so thick you could cut it with a butter knife.

Because of the humidity and probably fatigue Opp's pitchers were having a hard time with their control. So a curve ball that would normally break just over the plate, wasn't breaking. It would catch a Greenville player on the forearm or even on the back.

As the game drew longer, tempers were growing shorter.

Not so much on the field, but more so in the stands.

Greenville's Adam Moore had been brushed back by a couple Opp pitches, but he stood his ground while the bases were loaded with the game tied in the sixth inning.

Finally a pitch grazed Moore's forearm, which brought home Brandon Burnette so Greenville could retake the lead.

Sitting less than 15 feet away from the play, I could see the ball hit Moore. The umpire saw the ball hit Moore. An Opp mother sitting more than 30 feet away didn't see the play, but had to argue the call.

Sure we all have our opinions and we have that right to voice our opinions.

I thought she'll get it off her chest and then let it die.

Then David Moore was hit by a pitch one batter later and the mother cheered the fact that a Greenville player had been hit.

But this isn't an isolated incident.

Sportsmanship is something that is rarely talked about and coached in this day an age.

And when it is coached, it surely doesn't spill out among the fans.

In fact it's gotten worse in the stands than on the field of play itself.

I remember when I was playing little league baseball and you would have never seen a policeman at a game unless it was his son playing.

Now the need for police to be at recreation ballgames is a must.

What has happened?

Sure it's easy to say that people feed off of what they see in the media.

There are those instances when fans think they are just as much apart of game than the players themselves.

Only they only hinder the game instead of help.

Sportsmanship is something that coaches should teach their players, and in turn some parents should take sportsmanship lessons from their children.

Kevin Taylor is sports editor of The Greenville Advocate. You can contact him by e-mailing kevin.taylor@greenvilleadvocate.com or call (334) 383-9302

ext. 122.