The Worst Form Of Sportsmanship

[Johnp2 21]

I'm sure some of you have heard of this already, but if not . . .

There was a local game here between two girls basketball team. The final score was 100-0. The team that lost is a school for kids with "learning disabilities."

The team that won (a "Christian" school) kept their starters in for the game trying for both the shut out and to get to 100 points. Some said that the winning team was running a press defense even in the waning seconds of the game. The team that won is getting TORCHED by the media here.

This morning on the radio, they had a father of one of the girls who was on the winning team. What was his response? "You don't understand. This was a district game--it counted!"

Unbelievable. First, I think the coach should immediately be dismissed of his duties. I will be shocked if he is not as this is becoming PR nightmare for that school.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dw...ut.40d72ee.html

[Johnp2 21]

Below is a statement on the winning team's web site. I appreciate the fact they are in spin-control like this, and can't help but wonder if this was their feeling prior to the story making it to the press. I will give them the benefit of the doubt, as I completely understand one idiotic coach's actions does not speak for the school or its philosophy.

Regardless, this is a great lesson to all, in my opinion. One that finally shows there are repercussions to poor sportsmanship like this, and that is having to face the court of public opinion.

--------------------------------------

"The Covenant School, its board and administrators, regrets the incident of January 13 and the outcome of the game with the Dallas Academy Varsity Girls Basketball team. It is shameful and an embarrassment that this happened. This clearly does not reflect a Christ-like and honorable approach to competition. We humbly apologize for our actions and seek the forgiveness of Dallas Academy, TAPPS and our community. The school and its representatives in no way support or condone the running up of a score against any team in any sport for any reason. The school’s board members, Head of School Kyle Queal and Athletic Director Brice Helton have acted to ensure that such an unfortunate incident can never happen again.

Covenant school officials have met with and personally apologized to Dallas Academy Headmaster Jim Richardson and Athletic Director Jeremy Civello and wish to extend their highest praise to each member of the Dallas Academy Varsity Girls Basketball team for their strength, composure and fortitude in a game in which they clearly emerged the winner. Accordingly, The Covenant School has contacted TAPPS and is submitting a formal request to forfeit the game recognizing that a victory without honor is a great loss."

Kyle Queal

Head of School

Todd Doshier

Board Chair

[CoachCurt 0]

I'm sure some of you have heard of this already, but if not . . .

There was a local game here between two girls basketball team. The final score was 100-0. The team that lost is a school for kids with "learning disabilities."

The team that won (a "Christian" school) kept their starters in for the game trying for both the shut out and to get to 100 points. Some said that the winning team was running a press defense even in the waning seconds of the game. The team that won is getting TORCHED by the media here.

It's really sad that some people just do not get it.

What's even worse is that the kids that played on the "Christian School" have now been conditioned to think nothing was wrong with what they were instructed to do. We now have another generation of bad sports fans and bad sports parents in the making.

I work really hard as league administrator to fight this mind set in parents, players and coaches and over the last year or so I think we have improved our little corner of the world. A lot of work to be done out there especially when coaches and parents have not the slightest idea of what it takes to be honorable.

It's about the kids !

Karma is a tough equalizer.

[Johnp2 21]

Well, all I know is I am still shocked by that father of the girl on the winning team I heard this morning. His attitude was pretty much like, "What's the big deal about this? That other team should not have even been out there." He kept saying, "You don't understand. This game counts because it is a district game." I'm trying to find the audio so I can post it here.

I'm glad to see the brass at the school does not (publicly) display this attitude.

[Coach Rob 26]

Pretty whacky deal 100-0, from reading through the article, it appears the winning team's admin dept was not happy about the whole ordeal. I can't understand why you would allow your starting point guard to continue playing in the 3rd/4th qtr when it's obvious you're blowing them out. Sounds like she scored half their points.

It brings up an interesting point though and made me think about our game last week. We played (basketball) against a team that probably had never played together. At the half, we were up 20-2 or something like that, so at the start of the 2nd half I told my kids 4 passes before you shoot a basket. They obliged, but still ended up scoring several more baskets and holding the other team to only a few more baskets. I thought about just letting my weaker players getting more play time, but in our league we don't have tryouts (yet) and they stress equal playing time for everyone. Thinking back I could've told them no more steals, that's tough though, especially with 3rd/4th graders. Honestly, it's no fun winning games like that; I'd rather have them relatively close.

Playing in the I-9 flag football league the past few years has also been challenging. On the one hand they preach fun and ball touches, on the other hand, they keep standings and rank teams by PF. That can tweak a coach who doesn't have a solid youth coaching philosophy.

I believe there's a way to remain competitive without being a jerk about things. The 100-0 game was an obvious example of blatant disregard for sportsmanship; however, there are many gray areas along that same spectrum like the examples above. The 100-0 story is a good reminder for me to take an inventory of my coaching philosophy once in a while and make sure my motives are in the right place.

CRob

[Johnp2 21]

Agreed, Coach Rob. There are some camps out there that are throwing out the "whoosification of America" idealogy, but this simply crosses the line, in my opinion. I do not believe in any sort of a mercy rule at any level, but with that comes common sense. What sort of satisfaction does that coach get in stomping a team that is incredibly inferior?

What's fueling the fire in all of this is the fact how they did not let up at all, and that the coaches, parents, and players were all cheering loudly as they approached 100. They were running a full-court press even being up 70-0 and would steal at mid-court and shoot three pointers.

I have a feeling that the coach of the winning team was hoping the 100-0 victory would make "Sportcenter", and he was right--it did. I've seen this on ESPN, CNN, MSNBC, etc. As mentioned, locally they are get just absolutely torched by the media.

The coach has yet to make a comment (I'm sure he is under a gag order by the school). Addionally, I heard a little more insight as to why they took the stats for that team off their website. It turns out the coach has a bit of a habit running it up on teams and there was another game they won 78-7.

I am one who firmly believes, "you play to win the game", but I also believe that you "win with class." In a game this season, we were winning 12-6. We scored a TD with about 20 seconds left (putting us up 18-6). Instead of going for the extra point, we lined up, took a knee and simply ran out the clock. When I did that the ref leaned over to me and said, "That's class, coach." What's the point in scoring the extra point? The kids were a little confused. I told them, "We've already won the game---no point rubbing it in, right?" They all agreed.

On a positive note, Mark Cuban (owner of the Mavericks) has invited the girls from Dallas Academy to attend a game as his guest in his suite.

[hollad6636 0]

It's kind of funny if you think about it but with the way College Football is set up no one complains or is outraged when an Oklahoma puts on a 57-2 thumping of a Chattanooga or a Florida State 69-0 whipping of Western Carolina (both real scores from this past season). I know it's a different level and with the BCS system I can understand why teams do what they do, but is that really showing any sportsmanship or class?

[Johnp2 21]

It's kind of funny if you think about it but with the way College Football is set up no one complains or is outraged when an Oklahoma puts on a 57-2 thumping of a Chattanooga or a Florida State 69-0 whipping of Western Carolina (both real scores from this past season). I know it's a different level and with the BCS system I can understand why teams do what they do, but is that really showing any sportsmanship or class?

Not to open up a can of worms here, but the easy-fix to that is to have a college 1-A playoff system. You're right, Schann, it does show a poor view of sportsmanship (especially that close to the "pro" level)

[Texas_D_Coach 14]

I just read that the winning coach was fired yesterday after disagreeing with the school administration's apology:

The coach was quoted as saying:

"I respectfully disagree with the apology, especially the notion that the Covenant School girls basketball team should feel 'embarrassed' or 'ashamed,' " part of the post says. "We played the game as it was meant to be played and would not intentionally run up the score on any opponent. Although a wide-margin victory is never evidence of compassion, my girls played with honor and integrity and showed respect to Dallas Academy."

You can read the rest of the article here:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dw...nu.2781526.html

[pointyfootball 0]

The coach was quoted as saying:

"I respectfully disagree with the apology, especially the notion that the Covenant School girls basketball team should feel 'embarrassed' or 'ashamed,' " part of the post says. "We played the game as it was meant to be played and would not intentionally run up the score on any opponent. Although a wide-margin victory is never evidence of compassion, my girls played with honor and integrity and showed respect to Dallas Academy."

Good to hear you all's take on this. It is hard to imagine a scenario where a team only allows SEVEN shots all game. That's hard to do in soccer, much less basketball. Obviously this coach was a good basketball coach, but his players are most likely hurt because of his lack of life lessons coaching ability.

I do think at times youth leagues worry way too much about hurting players' feelings, at the expense of discouraging strong players' growth. But, I would hope even the most ardent "win at all costs" coach needs to recognize that they're doing their own players no good by continuing to pile on in a game that is over in all ways except the clock.

Not sure about the rest of you, but part of my pre-season planning is figuring out what to do in blowout games. It can't be something figured out on the fly, during a game, because it seems like that leads to restrictions which hinder learning rather then serve as a teaching aid. In blowout games, I look at it as an opportunity to practice things that we might not be ready to perform at normal game speed.

PF

[Orange 26]

It's kind of funny if you think about it but with the way College Football is set up no one complains or is outraged when an Oklahoma puts on a 57-2 thumping of a Chattanooga or a Florida State 69-0 whipping of Western Carolina (both real scores from this past season). I know it's a different level and with the BCS system I can understand why teams do what they do, but is that really showing any sportsmanship or class?

Being a Florida football fan I see our team beat one of those cupcakes at least once a year. I tend to disagree with you. From my perspective, the Florida coaches will pull the starters usually after the half. Then the second, third and fourth stringers continue to pulverize the opponent. These are kids who practice as much as the starters but never see the field. When they get in they are playing as hard as they can and yes they are trying to score and stop the other team. If coach Meyer had Tebow in there late in the 4th I'd become very concerned with his decision but that is not the case. Not for Florida at least.

Against Citadel this year Florida went up 49-6 at the half. Out came Tebow and all the other starters. The backups scored another 21 points. I don't see anything wrong with that. They even ran a handoff to a 5th year senior defensive tackle who has been injury plagued (Estopian). Meyer rewarded him with a 1 yard td plunge because he's been such a model player but injuries have kept him from being a contributor.

As for flag football, when I know a game is well within hand I'll do things that I normally do not such as playing kids at qb (who never even practice there) and using defensive formations with a lot of cushion allowing easy short yards. I would never tell my kids to let the other team score or to play easier. But I'll make things more challenging for my team in turn helping the other team to move the ball and/ or stop us.

[rushbuster70 16]

no comment on this topic lol

[Coach Rob 26]

As for flag football, when I know a game is well within hand I'll do things that I normally do not such as playing kids at qb (who never even practice there) and using defensive formations with a lot of cushion allowing easy short yards. I would never tell my kids to let the other team score or to play easier. But I'll make things more challenging for my team in turn helping the other team to move the ball and/ or stop us.

I agree, there are common sense ways to not be a jerk if you're blowing out another team. In case you missed the link posted in the basketball thread, it appears this league has a history of problems.

http://www.tapps.net/ProbationSanctions.html

[Texas_D_Coach 14]

As for flag football, when I know a game is well within hand I'll do things that I normally do not such as playing kids at qb (who never even practice there) and using defensive formations with a lot of cushion allowing easy short yards. I would never tell my kids to let the other team score or to play easier. But I'll make things more challenging for my team in turn helping the other team to move the ball and/ or stop us.

I have a unique experience to share from a flag football game last fall when I was defensive coordinator.

Our team was playing really well and we went up 19-0 at halftime. At halftime the head coach (trying to be honorable) told our kids to let up. He woudn't let us send a blitzer on defense, and he did not let us pass on offense. Well, the other team came back and beat us on a last minute touchdown to win 20-19. It can be a fine line between classy and foolish...

That was the worst feeling to lose a game we should have easily won.

I decided after that to adopt more of an "Orange" philosophy.

[Orange 26]

I have a unique experience to share from a flag football game last fall when I was defensive coordinator.

Our team was playing really well and we went up 19-0 at halftime. At halftime the head coach (trying to be honorable) told our kids to let up. He woudn't let us send a blitzer on defense, and he did not let us pass on offense. Well, the other team came back and beat us on a last minute touchdown to win 20-19. It can be a fine line between classy and foolish...

That was the worst feeling to lose a game we should have easily won.

I decided after that to adopt more of an "Orange" philosophy.

That makes me wince just thinking about it. As a coach you have to have a feel for the game and how it's going so you don't get into that situation. I like that "Orange" philosophy. I'm preaching at my kids all the time during practice and games to go 100%, fast, hard all the time. I could never find myself telling them to "let up." It would go against what I'm trying to get out of them each and every play. I always say, you give me 100% and I'll be happy, win or lose, good play or bad. But give me 75%, even if we score and I'll get all over you. I've done that before. I find kids do that a lot in baseball too, jog to a base or something like that. I'll let them have an ear full if I'm coaching that base.

[Johnp2 21]

This whole story is getting "juicy" as they say. The coach (as was mentioned) was dismissed Sunday due to his public rebuttle of the school's statement.

It is probable he knew his fate and decided to give the school "better" reason for dismissing him.

Below is a link from his website where he tries to explain what happened:

http://www.flightbasketball.com/100-0-Texa...From-Coach.html

I've read several statements from officials at the game who claim his facts are sorely innacurate. This, in my opinion, is a simple matter of a coach who went overboard (most of us have experienced coaches like this), got smoked world-wide by the media, and is doing anything he can to justify what he did. It's amazing how some people cannot simply man-up, and say, "I'm sorry---what I did was wrong."

[Johnp2 21]

I'm preaching at my kids all the time during practice and games to go 100%, fast, hard all the time. I could never find myself telling them to "let up."

I believe football over the age of 15 is about one thing: punching your opponent dead-square in the mouth. I really mean that. As a former Center and Noseguard, you are taught (or quickly learn) that it is about one thing and one thing only, "Punching your opponent in the mouth!" I took this to all levels and while I was not a dirty player, I had no problem slamming a QBs head into the turf if I sacked him (especially if he eluded me earlier in the game). :-) This is what I was taught, and still believe in today.

I also believe that coaching kids at this formative level should be about two things: team first, and sportsmanship. With both of these comes learning how to respect your coach's judgement, and trusting that your coach will do the right thing. My #1 goal is to ensure whatever decisions I make on the field, are only that to enhance both the team and sportsmanship motiff that I tout.

You have to go out of your way to instill this. The easiest thing for a coach to do at this age is to tell your team to "punch them in the mouth". I will be stand-up and tell you I have (unfortunately) told my kids this. But then I have a reality-check, and remind myself why I am doing this----and this is so we have the strong, student-athlete base that will make this country proud.

Everyone can play a role, and we are SO fortunate that we are able to be in a position that will affect the youths of our communities. Orange, I believe you once told me how much you loved seeing the kids you have coached around town, and as you (and no doubt all of us) feel---that is why we do this. How often does one get to make such an impact in a youth's life.

Whether you win or lose, let's everyone do it with class. Whether that is letting up or not, only you will know.

Thanks

[Orange 26]

I think "punching someone in the mouth" and playing your best every play are two different things. Maybe it's the difference between a contact sport and a non-contact sport. But I will never tell my players to back off or let up. Perhaps it's just flag football where I know as a coach I can put in plays or formations that will allow the other team an advantage. Maybe I'll run it up the middle four times in a row with some of my slow players. Or play all my defenders 10 yards off the line of scrimmage so the other team can gain some yards. I had a coach thank me for doing that once, he knew the deal, we were up by 30 and they couldn't move the ball at all, I mean not even a yard. I pulled the defense back and they moved the ball and eventually scored which made them very happy. But they earned it too, because my players were going 100%. I think they felt better about the score too knowing they had to earn it. And if my slow player takes a handoff up the middle in a blowout and can score, well, he deserves it too.

Playing hard, or giving 100% each and every play can make an average player good or a good player elite. Scrappy, never say die, never quit, I cherish those qualities as a coach and try to get my players to play like that. Either through luck or coaching my son is the scrappiest player I've seen. He leaves everything out on the field when he's done. He goes constantly without letting up. It certainly raises his level of play. Some people call it a motor in sports vernacular but whatever it is, I wish I could get all my players to play like that.

I think it's good to teach sportsmanship too, I demand it from my players. Last season one of my players pulled a flag and threw it down in a little celebration. I immediately pulled him from the game and had a chat. I don't let that go on. I encourage sportsmanship whenever I see it. I go out of my way to congratulate the other player's team so my team will see my example. It's funny how the kids often look surprised when the other coach congratulates them.

[Johnp2 21]

Yep, I don't think I've ever asked my players to "let up", and doubt they could if I did. ;-) Of course, we have not been in a position that we have dominated so early in the game that we let up.

The only thing I have ever done that might be along these lines is I asked a player once to step out of bounds so another player could score. My RB was (is) incredible. He could score or get at least 20-30 yards on each carry. In one game there was a six-year old I've coached for a few seasons whom I really wanted to score as he never has.

We were at about mid-field, and I asked my RB, "If you break away for a TD on this play, step out of bounds at the 1 yard line so Joey can score". The RB (9 years old) put a big smile on his face and said, "Sure". Of course he broke away and stepped out at the 2 yard line. It took old Ted three plays to make it in, but he did. Ha!