Taunted anyone lately? Is that celebrating or rubbing it in?

Taunting in high school sports is the product of emotion.

Everybody is hyped up during competition. There are a lot of personal battles going on out there.

There's an adrenaline rush with every spectacular play. The athlete suddenly feels it and wants to do something to let it out.

Coaches cringe because they don't want to take away a kid's opportunity to rejoice in the moment, but they also know too much celebrating may have some unfortunate consequences.

What could happen next concerns everyone. One little spark, one negative word or one look-at-me gesture might ignite a firestorm of emotion.

You can blame the pros and ESPN and video games for rewarding style as much as substance, but taunting is not new. It just gets more media attention and more SportsCenter highlights despite leagues trying to crack down with tougher rules.

Muhammad Ali may have been the greatest sports taunter of all time.

I first saw taunting at the high school level in the 1950s. We weren't as perfect in our Norman Rockwell world back then as we try to tell you.

My high school had one football opponent, in particular, that seemed to make taunting part of its game plan for a few years.

In fact, I remember sitting in the Arlington High School cafeteria wondering what this opponent would do to disrupt things on game night.

I wasn't even crazy about going to that school for road games in case the taunting escalated into the stands or outside the stadium.

Eventually, our athletic department used some common sense and didn't schedule this school, but the bad taste lingered for years.

In fact, whenever I hear that school's name mentioned even today -- it's still alive and well in the Chicago suburban area -- I think about those old days.

Fortunately, they did clean up their act, and I haven't heard of any problems there over the past 50 years.

Taunting obviously is nothing new.

What bothers me is that it exists at all at the high school level. I already have seen a couple of incidents in this young season.

Fortunately, I don't hear many taunting stories as sportsmanship receives constant attention at our schools and with the Illinois High School Association, but one incident is too many.

I get the feeling some people think that because they score more points than you, that makes you inferior and your band inferior and your fans and anybody who has anything to do with you.

Our high school athletes should understand that just because an opponent taunts you in a game doesn't mean you have to taunt in return.

If you can restrain your natural impulses to retaliate, you emerge with the class, not the other person.

I have heard the argument that taunting actually can "help" your team. You may get a player particularly bothered, and then he or she might overreact into penalties or a poor performance.

When you think about how much energy and concentration are required by a high school athlete to create a positive impact, why would you even think of wasting time taunting an opponent?

How can you possibly focus on what you're assigned to do for your team if you're taunting somebody on their team?

The object is to beat your opponent with preparation and execution, not with words and gestures.

Do champions taunt? Does taunting bother champions?

The answers are obvious.

While the other guy is taunting, the champion is taking advantage of the opponent's misplaced attention.

Taunting also can backfire.

Some young athletes, even the very mediocre ones, will respond positively to taunting and use it as an extra rallying point for an improved performance.

Any child in athletics knows that making a bad play or losing are tough enough without some jerk rubbing your face in it.

If you truly feel power from exulting over the failure of an opposing athlete or team, I feel sorry for you and would hope your parents, coaches or even teammates take corrective measures.

The definition of the ideal high school athlete does not include taunting an opponent or falling into the trap of responding to taunts.

If you roll around in the muck with a pig, two things happen: 1, you both get dirty, and 2, the pig enjoys it.

Keep that image in mind the next time taunting becomes an issue.