Let me say this:
1) I love sports because it's competitive. Somebody wins and somebody loses. It's great to watch. It was a lot of fun to play when I was young enough to go from first to third on a single.
2) As a former Little League coach, I understand that winning isn't everything either.
A couple of days ago, a local girls' basketball game became a national story:
"The story unfolded on Jan. 13, when The Covenant School's team overwhelmed Dallas Academy, 100-0, keeping the pressure on until it reached 100 points.
The game was played in an old North Dallas gym with few fans other than parents as witnesses.
No media were present.
But the score appeared in The Dallas Morning News the following day.
It wasn't until a story about the game appeared in The News that the world took notice.
It was on Thursday, the day the story appeared, that Covenant, a North Dallas Christian School, issued an apology on its Web site, saying its team had achieved "victory without honor" and said it would forfeit the game." (Dallas Academy Bulldogs, 100-0 losers, gain national attention )
I'm glad to see that Covenant issued an apology.
Frankly, they should fire the coach as well.
At what point in a 100-0 game do you realize that it's time to let up scoring?
Hasn't this coach heard about killing time and just passing the ball from one player to another?
This is shameful.
How do you allow your team to beat someone 100-0?
Furthermore, how do you do this to a team from a special school for girls:
"Dallas Academy restores the promise of full academic enrichment to students with learning differences.
Our staff establishes a meaningful connection with each student to overcome barriers to success.
Dallas Academy offers a structured multisensory program for students with diagnosed learning differences in grades 3-12.
We believe that structure and a caring, experienced staff are the main factors for success at the Academy.
The classes provide a quiet, nurturing environment to students who in the past have had trouble with concentration and short attention spans.
Many of these boys and girls are very frustrated and have not been successful in previous school settings.
The multisensory approach is especially beneficial to those students who have been diagnosed with dyslexia, dysgraphia, and other learning differences.
Total enrollment ranges between 140 and 145 students with the class size ranging from 8 to 13 students.
Dallas Academy is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and follows the current curriculum guidelines set by the Texas Education Agency.
By incorporating a strong curriculum, team sports, and a wide variety of extra curricular student activities, Dallas Academy strives to prepare our students for further study (80% to 90% of DA’s graduates attend 2- or 4-yr colleges) and, more importantly, a successful and satisfying life."
Again, fire the coach and punish Covenant in some meaningful way. Perhaps, they should not be allowed to play in the post season tournaments this year.
The story has a happy ending.
Dallas Mavericks' owner Mark Cuban has invited the girls to watch a game at the AAC. (Metro blog: Cuban invites Dallas Academy players to Mavs game)
Well done Mark Cuban!
1 comment:
my first coach when i was 9 had just got back from NAM he said a game? this aint no game its f---kin life!! we started out geting beat by the end of the year win or lose you didnt want to play us . an growing up in the barrio with drugs being poor dad would drink no food clothes for school i could go on and on ADD was at the bottom of the list. no money for treatment. sports was my treatment ask mike phelps. all of on that first team made it out and many go back had help the kid that are there now . but prvt school crying about getting beat come on
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