This would have gone over really well way back when.

Someone walks out to the middle of the town square and announces to anyone who's willing to listen, "Hey everybody! The star player from our girls basketball team is getting improper benefits from the coach to stay at our school."

It's a person with an ax to grind, and there's no basis to the story. But people hear it and feel the need to spread the rumor anyway, embarrassing the unsuspecting, innocent parties involved.

If this scenario played out a generation ago, every effort would have been made to track the culprit down because accountability meant something.

It doesn't mean as much today.

Especially with the advent of high school sports forums on the Internet.

As our society has become more technologically advanced, these forums have become a prevalent part of the high school sports landscape. With a few clicks, thousands of people can share and view thoughts on the hot topic of the day or the big upcoming area game.

Most of the banter is harmless, with discussion coming from people who mean well. But the percentage that isn't harmless, and how it's policed, is disturbing.

It's rather simple to get started on the forums. Log on to a Web site and throw some letters and numbers together to create a screen name to post your work under. When you decide to post something, you're trusted by the site with one of the most important rights we have in this country - free speech.

The problem is some people take this right and use it in a way in which it's not intended.

Coaches are accused of recruiting and improper relationships with athletes. Athletes' reputations are questioned without justification.

It's wrong, but, sadly, it's effective.

The rumors, no matter how baseless, spread. After all, people like to talk, especially when there's a juicy story involved.

Sometimes these rumors are policed well and deleted quickly. But as should be the case, these items are not deleted all the time. You would be amazed at what stays on a forum for days and weeks, and which topics, such as specific schools or coaches, are immediately killed out.

People who disagree with this viewpoint would argue they have a right to their opinion, also known as the "you can't look at the world through rose-colored glasses" counterpoint.

Not quite.

When a coach is accused of improprieties without basis, it's wrong.

When a teenage athlete is lambasted for a poor performance, it's wrong.

When a female athlete is judged by her looks instead of by her talent, it's wrong.

And when you do so hiding behind a screen name on a computer, it's worse.

Too many people have forgotten the important concept of the difference between right and wrong. Many of life's important lessons are learned from being wrong and subsequently holding yourself accountable for your actions. Learning accountability at an early age goes a long way toward maturity.

These high school sports forums that allow people to anonymously chastise others, and not do a whole lot about it, aren't setting a good example, free speech or not.

Today, this column might become a topic on these forums, with people arguing how wrong it is.

When you consider their opinion, consider this:

This work, with my name on it, is being read by thousands of readers today. It will be scrutinized and judged, positively or negatively, by those people. And there's nothing to hide behind.

When these forum regulars are critical of that work, just like when they form opinions about high school sports, they do so behind an IP address, a screen name and a keyboard.

What some of these people do to our high school athletes and coaches on a daily basis is shameful.

And there's no honor at all in that total lack of accountability.

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