is it bad sportsman ship .....
- Thread starter GURPS
- Start date
Pete
Repete
It's bad sportsmanship even in the old days when just the winners got a trophy
Larry Gude
Strung Out
This is not new. It's been happening since the beginning of sport and it happens in the pros as well as amateur.
One of the first things you are taught is to play hard, get better. You are also taught that going half ass, screwing around, will get you hurt and is disrespectful of the game and the opponent. There is nothing, repeat, nothing wrong with 107-2 IF the winning team played by the rules and got all their people in as it grew out of reach. Looked at properly, this is not about winning or losing; it is about how you play the game and, sometimes, it's a simple mismatch of overwhelming proportions and that is not the fault of the coaches or players. If the league, the administrators, have some thinking to do about who is in the league, that's up to them.
Not the coaches nor the players.
thurley42
HY;FR
It happened here on Friday, I think it was Calvert girls up 70 something to 6 at halftime...they only have I think 8 girls on varsity, so it's not like you can sub all of the starters out. They weren't shooting 3's or anything, are they supposed to lay down and let the other team make unchallenged baskets until the score is "acceptable"? That's worse than everyone getting a trophy to me.
Larry Gude
Strung Out
Far worse. It is disrespectful to the game and the other team. I mean, they, the winning team, were probably a press, high intensity defensive team and the other team probably has shaky ball handlers, so, it's a total mismatch of skill and styles and, as you say, what are you supposed to do, let 'em score? Work on your four corners offense? Not go for the ball when they dribble it right in front of your face where you've been coached to take it? Go half speed? That's when kids get hurt.
:shrug:
Sweet 16
^^8^^
In youth hockey, there's a 10-goal "mercy" rule. The game ends once there's a 10-goal differential. In high school, they let the clock run after the 10-goal lead but finish the game. Even before then, the winning team (if they're good sports) will dial it back a bit and turn it into more of a scrimmage.
RareBreed
Throwing the deuces
CCPR soccer has a 6 goal differential rule or else the team will get penalized. A win will normally count for 3 points in the standings but if a team runs up the score, it gets knocked down to 1 point. My youngest had an issue with his team out-scoring their opponent so the coach told his players to just pass it between themselves and head towards the flags on the corner of the fields and not shoot at the goal. The kids seemed fine with that and actually had fun playing "keep away" from the other team.
thurley42
HY;FR
That's ridiculous....why should kids feel bad about being good at something..
Larry Gude
Strung Out
What age group(s)?
Pete
Repete
Why should kids feel embarassed over a disgusting blow out?
thurley42
HY;FR
Get better
Larry Gude
Strung Out
Or drop down a class.
Or better coaches
There is a hilarious chant MIT students used to do that I can't find. They suck at most sports and are used to be tromped by other schools. In any event, it ended with something like "It's OK you clobber us now because one day, you'll be working for us."
Lotta different ways to looking at this including high school kids at a not very good school at least getting the experience and being able to have played a year or so before moving on with their lives. We already give sport WAY too much importance. A blowout should yield a bit, fat
RareBreed
Throwing the deuces
Not sure how far up it goes but the oldest plays with 11/12 yr olds and that rule has been in effect pretty much since he started playing at 6 yrs old. I can understand that for the younger kids because you don't want a whole team of 5, 6, 7 etc year olds to come off the field feeling like they suck big time. The older the kids get and the more competitive the playing so if a blow out happens, let it happen. The kids play better when they are fired up usually.
thurley42
HY;FR
Or drop down a class.
Or better coaches
There is a hilarious chant MIT students used to do that I can't find. They suck at most sports and are used to be tromped by other schools. In any event, it ended with something like "It's OK you clobber us now because one day, you'll be working for us."
Lotta different ways to looking at this including high school kids at a not very good school at least getting the experience and being able to have played a year or so before moving on with their lives. We already give sport WAY too much importance. A blowout should yield a bit, fat
God forbid little Billy get his tail kicked....
If you don't know what it feels like, you won't know how much it sucks...you can't enjoy winning until you know how much losing sucks....
I don't think it's restricted to just sports, I think it's life...and everyone expects a trophy in that these days too...
Larry Gude
Strung Out
If you don't know what it feels like, you won't know how much it sucks...you can't enjoy winning until you know how much losing sucks....
I don't think it's restricted to just sports, I think it's life...and everyone expects a trophy in that these days too...
Then there is that.
If you don't know what total defeat feels likes then you have no older siblings or cousins.
By big sister used to stomp me, but good, I mean humiliation, in everything. I have a girl cousin, 2 years older, she went on to be a college gymnast at a DI school. When my sister wasn't trouncing me, she did. Only, she didn't take it so easy on me.
To this day, we laugh about it and she says she saw it as her duty to toughen us youngsters up so that we might survive.
As for the sweet taste of revenge, I'm a better golfer than her now and I am teaching her to ride dirt bikes. "No, no. You're supposed to hit the ground really hard like that. Ready? Again! Faster!!!"
Larry Gude
Strung Out
So, this is not travel, correct?
I have no problem with rec leagues focusing on fun and even not keeping score. However, this poor, delicate creatures in the article are high schoolers. In Indiana, perhaps THE basketball state.
:shrug:
RareBreed
Throwing the deuces
No, rec league. And I agree, high schoolers should not be babied and the other team taking a dive would just be wrong.
donbarzini
Well-Known Member
There are things the winning team could have worked on. As President Larry(I voted for him and will next time)said it was probably a hard pressing defense versus a shaky ball handling team. Suppose they were to run into a defense that did the same. They could have worked on their half court game and run the shot clock down to single digits before making their move. 107 points tells me they didn't even try to do that. So they have no idea what adversity feels like and when confronted with a team that won't let them run to their heart's content......bet they fall apart.
Toxick
Splat
I've noticed that nobody has suggested the losing team's coach should have maybe considered forfeiting the game after it became apparent their kids were getting humiliated.
It may have been a disgusting blowout, but I see no reason the winning team should have to limit themselves. In fact, I believe that doing so is not only unfair to themselves, it's also extremely patronizing and serves to do nothing but remove what little dignity the losing team had left. The losing coach should have grown a pair and walked the kids out before it ever even got close to this.
Rommey
Well-Known Member
Apparently they aren't much better at school either:
Arlington High School is one of the lowest-performing schools in the nation. 30% of graduates do so with waivers. Average SAT scores are 395 math; 397 verbal; 391 writing.
Looking back to the 2011-12 year in girls basketball:
Record 1-19
Losses included scores of:
81-10
75-24
84-13
84-21
69-14
80-7
73-20
69-22
81-30
2-0 (forfeit)
I'm not piling on, just pointing out that losses by huge margins is not something new or abnormal.
Arlington High School is one of the lowest-performing schools in the nation. 30% of graduates do so with waivers. Average SAT scores are 395 math; 397 verbal; 391 writing.
Looking back to the 2011-12 year in girls basketball:
Record 1-19
Losses included scores of:
81-10
75-24
84-13
84-21
69-14
80-7
73-20
69-22
81-30
2-0 (forfeit)
I'm not piling on, just pointing out that losses by huge margins is not something new or abnormal.