The Golden Rule seems simple enough to follow, and it applies to nearly every aspect of our lives. In sports, the Golden Rule is better known as sportsmanship. With college football season beginning this past weekend, we would assume that colleges want to start off the year on a sportsmanlike note.

On Saturday, the Kansas State marching band, better known as the Pride of Wildcat Land, created a stir due to a halftime performance during the home opener against the South Dakota Coyotes.

What began as an apparently innocent space-themed halftime show quickly raised eyebrows as the band formed the Starship Enterprise from the show Star Trek<em>Star Trek</em>, on the field. The Enterprise was supposed to be crashing into the University of Kansas’ mascot, a Jayhawk, on the 50-yard line., on the field. The Enterprise was supposed to be crashing into the University of Kansas’ mascot, a Jayhawk, on the 50-yard line.<br/> Star Trek, on the field. The Enterprise was supposed to be crashing into the University of Kansas’ mascot, a Jayhawk, on the 50-yard line.

Unfortunately for K-State, the marching band failed to accurately form the Enterprise. Instead of a spacecraft, the band transformed its shape into something that resembled a part of the male anatomy.

Regardless of whether or not the members of the Pride nailed their formation or not, there was no reason for the Wildcats to have the Jayhawk on their field in the first place.

Sportsmanship is not limited to how players, coaches and fans act after the game. It should encompass everything that goes into the preparation for a game, all the way through the post-game speeches and press conferences.

There was no place for the K-State band to ridicule the University of Kansas during the halftime show. This goes back to the Golden Rule. Would KSU fans have liked it if the Marching Jayhawks of KU had done the same to them?

As for the NSFW portion of the halftime show, what was the band director thinking? This was unfair to the students in the band. The slightest mistake in the formation resulted in an epic error that was seen around the country. The K-State band director, Frank Tracz, addressed this in the early morning hours of Sunday on Twitter.

“There was absolutely no intent to display anything other than the Enterprise and the Jayhawk in battle,” Tracz said. “If I am guilty of anything it would be the inability to teach the drill in a manner that these young people could have succeeded.”

What makes this incident even more interesting is that, according to the Wichita Eagle, Kansas State students, band members included, had to sign a sportsmanship pledge before they could pick up any tickets for a sporting event. This pledge follows an incident last year when K- State students stormed the court after defeating the Jayhawks in basketball and several Kansas’ players were shoved.

What is the point in having students take the pledge when your school’s band demonstrates malice toward a rival opponent in the first halftime show of the year?

K-State’s president Kirk Schulz also took to Twitter offering an apology.

“I am sorry if anyone was offended by the performance at halftime,” Schulz said.

It will take a lot more than a couple of tweets from Kansas State officials to make things right again. The best result that can come of this is more awareness, not just in the Big 12 but nationwide, of what crosses the line when it comes to sportsmanship.