A string of recent postgame confrontations between rival teams in Kentucky has jeopardized the long-standing tradition of handshakes among student-athletes after athletic events.
The Kentucky High School Athletic Association issued guidance Tuesday stating that following the conclusion of high school athletic contests, officials have “no role in what goes on in postgame, including handshakes.”
The original wording of the statement, however, caused mass confusion.
It instructed teams and individuals to “not participate in organized postgame handshake lines/ceremonies beyond that interaction that is required ... (i.e. the awarding of a bout winner in wrestling) and the individual unorchestrated actions by individual competitors,”
according to