Texas Girls Team was Game 100-0...and has to Apologize!

[200lbhockeyplayer]

I was born in September of 1981 so that makes still fairly young compared to a lot of others (I assume) on this board and you are correct, I have noticed that my generation is pretty me, me, me. I can not argue that fact AT ALL! And I also agree that this game should have never been played in the first place, but it did happen and I just don't agree with having to apologize for a game... I would never, NEVER ask any one of my 3 kids to apologize for winning a game, no matter what the score is. I would ask they apologize for hitting a kid or being completely rude when it is uncalled for, but to play the game, no.

I don't believe that the players from the winning team should have to apologize, or forfeit the win...I place this entire situation on the backs of the coaches and parents that egged this situation on.

I'm sorry, I've got not problem with winning...but I do have a problem with gang bully mentalities...and this game was no longer sport.

It's embarrassing that some parents were so proud of their children beating down a clearly defeated team who clearly was no competition. I don't know...I never once felt like a superstar by destroying a team that clearly was not in out same league.

 

[SeattlefantillIdie]

I was born in September of 1981 so that makes still fairly young compared to a lot of others (I assume) on this board and you are correct, I have noticed that my generation is pretty me, me, me. I can not argue that fact AT ALL! And I also agree that this game should have never been played in the first place, but it did happen and I just don't agree with having to apologize for a game... I would never, NEVER ask any one of my 3 kids to apologize for winning a game, no matter what the score is. I would ask they apologize for hitting a kid or being completely rude when it is uncalled for, but to play the game, no.

I don't believe that the players from the winning team should have to apologize, or forfeit the win...I place this entire situation on the backs of the coaches and parents that egged this situation on.

I'm sorry, I've got not problem with winning...but I do have a problem with gang bully mentalities...and this game was no longer sport.

It's embarrassing that some parents were so proud of their children beating down a clearly defeated team who clearly was no competition. I don't know...I never once felt like a superstar by destroying a team that clearly was not in out same league.

I did not think about either one of those points and yes, they are very good points. No, the game was no longer a sport, and using a full court press as others have mentioned was uncalled for. And we ALL have been to games and know how parents can be! My oldest is 6 and I root for my son and try to help him, but some of the other parents get WAY too into a game of T-Ball or Children's Soccer. It obviously is no different in HS! A beat-down of this magnitude is uncalled for, but I still feel it isn't right to apologize. THAT there-in lies my personal biggest issue with this whole matter.

 

[nyyankeesfan.13722]

All I want to say is to me it does not matter if this game should not be played next year or if the losing team should stop competing. I believe that when you are up 50-0 ish in the first half you should put in your reserves. When our football team is winning 30-0 in the first half we put in our backups and we don't try hail marys.

 

[MattinglyAlexander]

"Sportsmanship is kicking arse and then shaking your opponents hand. Sometimes even telling them, "Good game." even though it wasn't a good game for them. Maybe even offering some advice.

The true insult is laying down on them...essentially "quitting" because they suck so bad."

 

[HPC]

Side note: Justin's quote might have been the funniest thing ive read on FCB yet!

 

[predatorkj]

"Sportsmanship is kicking arse and then shaking your opponents hand. Sometimes even telling them, "Good game." even though it wasn't a good game for them. Maybe even offering some advice.

The true insult is laying down on them...essentially "quitting" because they suck so bad."

I agree with pretty much everything you have said.It pretty much sums up how I was taught.And not just by my parents but my coaches.In all sports I played.Since I was 5 until I got out of high school.For me...there is no honor in letting up for another team.In fact thats dishonorable.I am sure all of us have seen those Japanese samurai movies where leaving a wounded enemy alive was a sign of great disrespect.Once you do it you finish the job.Thats how I feel about all sports.It may sound barbaric to most but for me...its the only reason I have ever been good at sports.Not because I have ever had any significant advantage over any other players but because I had that do it till its done attitude.And for me and I think sports in general...they need to played that way.They need to played for the entire game.There is no quitting .There is no...hey lay off already.

Take something as simple as playing Mortal Kombat on your x-box.My friends all used to kick my rear pretty bad and so did my wife.So when everybody stopped playing...I got to play by myself.I practiced for a little while and got better.Then I practiced more and got a lot better.One day we had a BBQ and I challenged them to a game.We sat there and played for about 3 hours.I beat everybody.Every time.I probably played about 50 different matches against several people.It wasn't the biggest deal but it made me feel good to know that I got my rear handed to me, practiced, and then returned the favor.And trust me...although its juts a game...when you get beat by everybody and nobody will let up...its not fun.It gets old and it sucks.

My point is...this is how I think about sports which is why I have always been good at them.From the time I was about 9 years old I figured out the more I practiced the better I got and that if I kept trying I could win and nobody could take that away from me ever.And even if I beat somebody very badly in any sport...maybe it would motivate them to be better.To try harder and practice more.

I consider the game that is the topic of this discussion as one of those scenarios.Because basically what it says is...either practice and get better or get the hell out of our league.Now we could sit here for years and argue about whether or not this embodies a Christian attitude or not but I really think that is beside the point.I don't really feel it was against any Christian code or any belief.I am sure there are people who would argue this and thats fine.Lets not even really go there because who can prove they are right?Who can say one is wrong over the other?So thats a dead end for now.

But the point is if your going to play a game do it your hardest for all the time in the game and never let up or don't play at all.This is generally the idea for all sports.In my mind...this stuff of letting up out of it being unsportsman like is just the kind of thing sore losers would say.I understand many would say its not the same thing but it would have been like me asking my wife or my friends to stop kicking my butt at MK.To let up because they had played it more than I had and it wasn't fair to me.The only thing you can do is practice and get better.And people not letting up drives you harder.

I understand Adam and and a few others will never agree with this and thats cool.I wasn't trying to sound like some kind of badass or something.Because frankly I am not.But I was just taught to go hard all the time and that will be the same thing I teach my son when I have one.And frankly I will never feel badly for anyone if they were to get beat badly by my son or his team.Because the way I feel...if you cannot keep up you only have the same three options that Mattingly Alexander mentioned.And you need to choose one.To ask someone to lay off or hold up because your not capable or ready just means you do not belong on the same field or court as they do.Nothing less and nothing more.


I just feel that this is why the country we live in is the way it is.Its almost like you have to be worried about how everyone else feels about what you do.Gee...what will other people think?Will it hurt their feelings or will they be upset?I am not a politically correct individual and I will continue to work hard not to be for the rest of my life because I find it strangely odd that what is considered PC for everyone pretty much is BS for me.I think its crap and I am never going to walk on eggshells so other people can be at peace.I do not go out of my way to be a problem for others but I am not going to creep around for them either.I am here and a human being and you pretty much have to accept me for what I am.I do not ask that you agree with me or like me but you kinda have to accept me.And I have to do the same for everyone else.Maybe if more people had that attitude there would not be as many outcries of injustice as there are today.Not as many law suits and certainly not people having to apologize for their team playing 4 full quarters of basketball hard and all the way.

And for anyone mentioning their "condition"...I am not trying to be a insensitive arse about that either but I will say again...they need to be in another league if there are problems that adversely affect them while playing.

 

[BunchOBull]

I was fairly indifferent to this whole charade in the beginning because the original story didn't have all of the facts...knowing local level board members for Covenant, and having sat in on business meetings, I assumed the story was being sensationalized to a degree...because, honestly, poor sportsmanship goes against the core value of their many schools.

I received this summary though...I'll copy and paste...and my mind has completely shifted from indifferent, to highly disappointed.

-------quoted text------
The team that lost has an enrollment of 20 students. 6 play on the basketball team. They have not won a game in 4 years.

The story isn't as much the score as it was the actions of the winning teams coach, players and parents. Covenant, a private Christian school, put full court pressure on Dallas Academy and gave up lay-ups to attempt 3 pointers. The obvious intent was to reach the 100 point level. Once they reached the 100 point mark, with about 4 minutes left in the 4th quarter, they went into a four corner game and did not attempt another shot.

Parents for Covenant were cheering wildly and screaming for them to go for 100 point midway through the second quarter. Convenant reached 59 points at half-time and left most of their starters in the entire game, substituting only after reaching 100 points.

Dallas Academy is a school that specializes in students with learning disabilities. The students disabilities range from learning disabled to functional autism.

All-in-all, it wasn't an even playing field, and there is no doubt that Covenant was the better team, but the attempt to run up the score, regardless of the opponent, is poor sportsmanship and even more insulting when the school is founded on Christian morals.

Spin it however you want, but Convenant and their fans should be ashamed, and in hindsight, I bet most of them are!
------quoted text-------

 

[Pete14Rose]

I was fairly indifferent to this whole charade in the beginning because the original story didn't have all of the facts...knowing local level board members for Covenant, and having sat in on business meetings, I assumed the story was being sensationalized to a degree...because, honestly, poor sportsmanship goes against the core value of their many schools.

I received this summary though...I'll copy and paste...and my mind has completely shifted from indifferent, to highly disappointed.

-------quoted text------
The team that lost has an enrollment of 20 students. 6 play on the basketball team. They have not won a game in 4 years.

The story isn't as much the score as it was the actions of the winning teams coach, players and parents. Covenant, a private Christian school, put full court pressure on Dallas Academy and gave up lay-ups to attempt 3 pointers. The obvious intent was to reach the 100 point level. Once they reached the 100 point mark, with about 4 minutes left in the 4th quarter, they went into a four corner game and did not attempt another shot.

Parents for Covenant were cheering wildly and screaming for them to go for 100 point midway through the second quarter. Convenant reached 59 points at half-time and left most of their starters in the entire game, substituting only after reaching 100 points.

Dallas Academy is a school that specializes in students with learning disabilities. The students disabilities range from learning disabled to functional autism.

All-in-all, it wasn't an even playing field, and there is no doubt that Covenant was the better team, but the attempt to run up the score, regardless of the opponent, is poor sportsmanship and even more insulting when the school is founded on Christian morals.

Spin it however you want, but Convenant and their fans should be ashamed, and in hindsight, I bet most of them are!
------quoted text-------

My opinion still doesn't change. The Covenant players are athletes and played as such.

If the Dallas team was that undermanned and that much in the way of having special needs children, THEY SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN ON THE SAME COURT AS THE OTHER TEAM. Period.

To those reading....Don't misunderstand. I am not saying they shouldn't compete in sports or athletic activities....but....THEY SHOULD PLAY AT/WITHIN THEIR OWN LEVEL OF COMPETITION. Period.


If the Dallas players are that challenged, as taken from the article.."Dallas Academy is a school that specializes in students with learning disabilities. The students disabilities range from learning disabled to functional autism."...and this was a charity even, and the other team performed as they did...then yes, I would be angry as well and the apology would be deserved. But this was no charity event. This was a high school basketball game in which one school took on another. If Dallas Academy decided that their 6 players could take on a fully manned team, then that was their call. Not Covenants fault.

I'd like to know who is doing the crying. Someone alerted the media. Parents of Dallas players? The Dallas Academy themselves?

I really don't care actually. The whole thing is pathetic and just another knock against today's society and how people are. Nobody takes responsibility for themselves anymore. It's always someone elses fault for why win lose, why we got beat so bad, why we aren't happy, why we have no job, why we have criminal records....and so on and so on. Pathetic.

 

[BunchOBull]

I'm fairly confident they played full court press for all but the final 4 minutes of the game in order to dominate a disadvantaged team. Evenly matched teams typically avoid playing pressure ball against one another unless they are down by mounting odds or there is little time left on the clock of a close game. But to play pressure ball, and not need to, it's kind of trite.

It is what it is, but it was certainly tasteless of the Covenant coach to allow it to happen the way he did. I doubt they would have used the same game plan against a school of traditional students, even if the school was the odd-team out.

Truly dominant teams can control ball handling and the time clock in order to respectfully manage the score and allow both teams to learn from the experience. If I were the Covenant girls who were made to sit the bench the whole game, I'd be bothered.

In reality, they use Dallas Academy as a play toy to diddle their own personal fancies...making an exhibition game out of what should be respectable sportsmanship, evenly matched or not.

 

[Adamsince1981]

Pete,

If you don't understand the simple concept of sportsmanship, then you are pathetic.

 

[predatorkj]

I'm fairly confident they played full court press for all but the final 4 minutes of the game in order to dominate a disadvantaged team. Evenly matched teams typically avoid playing pressure ball against one another unless they are down by mounting odds or there is little time left on the clock of a close game. But to play pressure ball, and not need to, it's kind of trite.

It is what it is, but it was certainly tasteless of the Covenant coach to allow it to happen the way he did. I doubt they would have used the same game plan against a school of traditional students, even if the school was the odd-team out.

Truly dominant teams can control ball handling and the time clock in order to respectfully manage the score and allow both teams to learn from the experience. If I were the Covenant girls who were made to sit the bench the whole game, I'd be bothered.

In reality, they use Dallas Academy as a play toy to diddle their own personal fancies...making an exhibition game out of what should be respectable sportsmanship, evenly matched or not.

I guess I will just never get it.I suppose I am too darn stubborn.If I am out there I'd be playing all the way the entire time.If not...I am going home.In my mind its way too black and white on this topic.There are no gray areas for me.Its too simple.

I don't think it would have mattered one bit if they played against a "traditional school" or not.

About the only bad thing I can think of that was done is leaving the starters in as long as they did.I usually never see that happen in any games except Oklahoma football(I'm looking at you Sam Bradford).I would say that leaving them in so long was bad and kinda dumb too.If you don't need them then put your bench players in.That way the starters do not get hurt when there is no need for them to be playing.But I think by looking at the score...we can safely assume it would still have been a blowout one way or the other.And I would certainly expect the backups to go just as hard.

 

[Adamsince1981]

Predator,

No one is saying that the players can't give it 100%...the coaches can take off the full court press, take out starters, tell the players to make extra passes before they shoot, and so on.

The coach is the .01 that I've been referring to throughout this thread....most coaches simply wouldn't do what he did. PERIOD

 

[predatorkj]

Predator,

No one is saying that the players can't give it 100%...the coaches can take off the full court press, take out starters, tell the players to make extra passes before they shoot, and so on.

The coach is the .01 that I've been referring to throughout this thread....most coaches simply wouldn't do what he did. PERIOD

I hear ya.I am not going to argue his point of view because I have never been a coach and maybe if I had...I'd think differently about the whole situation.I am only talking from the standpoint of a player.So take my opinion for the small amount its worth.

 

[Adamsince1981]

Predator,

No one is saying that the players can't give it 100%...the coaches can take off the full court press, take out starters, tell the players to make extra passes before they shoot, and so on.

The coach is the .01 that I've been referring to throughout this thread....most coaches simply wouldn't do what he did. PERIOD

I hear ya.I am not going to argue his point of view because I have never been a coach and maybe if I had...I'd think differently about the whole situation.I am only talking from the standpoint of a player.So take my opinion for the small amount its worth.

Judging by the article, both teams gave 100% for the entire game...had the coach made the correct decisions on how to manage his team in a blowout, there wouldn't have been an issue.

Myself, HockeyPlayer, and the others who understand that sportsmanship was lost in this game, agree with you 100% that players should give 100%. That is not the issue at all.

 

[weegee]

I was talking to a friend about this and some many people being for and against things. and i came up with a comment i laughed so hard(sodid my friend).
Do you think the girls that are dyslexic thought they lost 001 to 0.

 

[predatorkj]

Predator,

No one is saying that the players can't give it 100%...the coaches can take off the full court press, take out starters, tell the players to make extra passes before they shoot, and so on.

The coach is the .01 that I've been referring to throughout this thread....most coaches simply wouldn't do what he did. PERIOD

I hear ya.I am not going to argue his point of view because I have never been a coach and maybe if I had...I'd think differently about the whole situation.I am only talking from the standpoint of a player.So take my opinion for the small amount its worth.

Judging by the article, both teams gave 100% for the entire game...had the coach made the correct decisions on how to manage his team in a blowout, there wouldn't have been an issue.

Myself, HockeyPlayer, and the others who understand that sportsmanship was lost in this game, agree with you 100% that players should give 100%. That is not the issue at all.

I guess I can agree to a point here because I am not a coach and I would most likely make a poor one because I'd be coaching as if I was a player instead of a coach.I'd probably have the wrong outlook for it.I guess you can't coach like you don't give a damn but I guess you sure can play like you don't.

 

[Therion]

I've been following this thread from the beginning but nobody has mentioned one fact: It was the administration of the school that won the game that insisted on the apology and requested a forfeit. As far as all of the local news has shown, almost nobody outside of a handful of parents complained about this.

If you look at yourself and realize you did something unsportsmanlike, then what's the problem? If this had happened without the score of 100-0 nobody would have noticed.

 

[MattinglyAlexander]

Still a problem telling the winning team they did something wrong and making them feel guilty about it.

I've been following this thread from the beginning but nobody has mentioned one fact: It was the administration of the school that won the game that insisted on the apology and requested a forfeit. As far as all of the local news has shown, almost nobody outside of a handful of parents complained about this.

If you look at yourself and realize you did something unsportsmanlike, then what's the problem? If this had happened without the score of 100-0 nobody would have noticed.

 

[Pete14Rose]

Pete,

If you don't understand the simple concept of sportsmanship, then you are pathetic.

Ah, the freedoms of saying things on the computer you wouldn't dare say in person. Must be nice.

 

[MattinglyAlexander]

Merrian-Webster says:

Main Entry: sports·man·ship
Pronunciation: \-?ship\
Function: noun
Date: 1745
: conduct becoming to one participating in a sport (as fairness, respect for one's opponent, and graciousness in winning or losing)

From reading the story I can't see how the winning team was unsportsmanlike.

Did they play fair? No indication to the contrary.
Does it show a lack of respect to continue to play the game as it should be played? No.
Were the players gracious in winning or did they go, "Tee-hee, you guys suck!" It doesn't say that anywhere.