Red cards can be issued for several reasons, including violent conduct and serious foul play. 

Hot on the heels of the now-infamous melee between Zachary and Liberty Magnet that saw both teams tossed from the playoffs by LHSAA, the unofficial soccer red cards numbers paint a disturbing picture of the tense landscape that prep sports has found itself in.

191 red cards were issued in the 2022/23 season, nearly 40 more than in the previous year and the highest number issued since 2015, when data first became available.

Only 104 red cards were issued in the 2015/16 season. 153 red cards were shown in the 2021/22 season.

Of those 191 red cards, over 85% were issued in boys varsity contests, with only 22 sending offs being handed out in girls competitions.

Coaches received 12 red cards, proving that it isn’t just the players on the field that can lose their heads. 11 players received multiple red cards in one season.

Red card offenses vary, with players receiving a sending off for violent conduct, two yellow cards in a single game, denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity or serious foul play.

The most common offense was receiving a second caution (64 times), followed by abusive language or gestures (40 times) and fighting (38 times, an increase of 21 from last season).

Taunting offenses also saw an increase. Five red cards were issued this season, while only 1 was issued in the previous season.

Theories abound as to why players are becoming more aggressive. Whether it’s increased pressure to win, a collapse of social responsibility by coaches and parents, or some other reason, the fact remains that prep sports are seeing fights and violence break out far more often than in the past.

At the beginning of the school year, the Louisiana High School Athletic Association announced a zero-tolerance policy for unsporting behavior, hoping to stem the tide of growing incidents of on-field and on-court violence.

Following the incident at Zachary High School, the LHSAA released a memo that noted 13 separate incidents that they described as “unacceptable and even ludicrous” had occurred.

The memo concluded with the LHSAA reiterating that they are committed to “upholding the absolute highest standards of sportsmanship and fair play” and will continue to closely monitor the conduct of all associated with prep sports.