Sportsmanship is dead!!!

[BlindWhiteHat]

I witnessed two things today during a youth basketball game that were very poor examples of sportsmanship. As someone who has been involved with all youth sports for a long time, it's sad to see how poorly some adults can behave. Although it is nice to see that the kids can walk off the court with smiles on their faces regardless of how idiotic the adults act while watching them.

First of all, a coach got a technical foul in a FIRST GRADE GAME. He could have easily been ejected as he continued to yell and argue even after the technical was issued. The coach was so proud of what he had done, he was boasting to his players' parents afterwards about how his technical turned the game around.

To top that, while the technical free throws were being shot, an adult male yelled AT A SEVEN YEAR OLD KID trying to disconcert him and make him miss. The two teams were both from the same community so this guy was yelling AT A SEVEN YEAR OLD KID from the same town where he lives.

[1987chieftains]

sad! but in the years i have been coaching biddy ball i have see it also.

[Orange and Brown]

Stuff like that really ticks me off!!!

Some one really needs to take that coach and the person who was yelling at the little kid out to the wood shed!

[tomcat]

Get used to it. It happens all the time, doesn't matter where you're from. I've witnessed it over the years at many tournaments - and the sport doesn't matter.

[BlindWhiteHat]

My shock came from the fact that it all happened in a first grade game between 7 year old kids all from the same community.

[tomcat]

Yeah, I got that. Wait until you're sitting in the stands, you're on the same team and another parent yells about how your kid sucks and how they shouldn't be playing. It will happen.

[Simmy]

I witnessed a Grandmother, from this same team, instructing her grandson to foul. She was serious too. She told him she expected 2 fouls and there would be $10 per foul if the other kid got hurt! I was so shocked and disgusted! I can't believe anyone thinks it is ok to condone this kind of behavior let alone teach it!

[Pointing Falcon]

I'm playing devil's advocate here... what age do you think it's ok for the crowd to start yelling at the athletes? (I know no one should yell @ a 7 year old) The Grandma thing is pretty awful for wishing harm to the other kid.

[Peanut]

When they are getting paid for it!!!

[BlindWhiteHat]

I witnessed a Grandmother, from this same team, instructing her grandson to foul. She was serious too. She told him she expected 2 fouls and there would be $10 per foul if the other kid got hurt! I was so shocked and disgusted! I can't believe anyone thinks it is ok to condone this kind of behavior let alone teach it!

In the same game? I didn't hear about that one.

[Regulator]

You know, what gets me is nobody condones this behavior but nobody says anything (With the exception of being behind a computer) to the person when it happens. For example, an East fan was thrown out of the game Fri. night. He was grabbing his crotch and flipping the refs off as he was leaving. Majority of the people were egging him on and cheering for him. To me that is nonsense. Until the non idiots start standing up for integrity and good sportsmanship then incidents like this will continue!!

[Tri-StateYouthSports]

You know, what gets me is nobody condones this behavior but nobody says anything (With the exception of being behind a computer) to the person when it happens. For example, an East fan was thrown out of the game Fri. night. He was grabbing his crotch and flipping the refs off as he was leaving. Majority of the people were egging him on and cheering for him. To me that is nonsense. Until the non idiots start standing up for integrity and good sportsmanship then incidents like this will continue!!

I couldn't agree more.

I have a novel idea, how about these people help their youth's work on their game and cheer them on instead of constantly complaining about the officiating.

[concerned parent]

First of all, I am a parent of one of the kids on this coaches team. I witnessed everything that happened during this game. Shame on you for discrediting this coach for the time he has put in with these boys. The boys on his team love him and have a lot of fun with him. He is a great coach. What he did was not as bad as what your making it seem. He got the technical for being loud with the refs and that was it. Nothing that he said was bad at all and no different from most of the other coaches that I have heard. Do you not think he wishes he could take it back? Nobody is perfect. I have seen a couple of parents on the team that we played harass the refs more than once. You know who you are. So please tell me how you think it is alright to speak so poorly of this coach? As far as the parent hollering during the foul shot, that wasn't alright, but no one has control of what people do. So I will ask you once to like you said " take the high road" and be an adult and not discuss this online behind someones back!

[loneranger]

Just to make a correction. It was a game between 6,7 and 8 year olds. Not all the players go to the same school or live in the same town. However, both teams did represent the same town but they don't live in the same community.

As for the "concerned parent", I didn't read where anyone discredited the coach. It seems he did that all by himself.
After the "concerned parent" points fingers at the other teams' parents for harassing the refs, he/she writes for people to "take the high road." A perfect case of do as I say, not as I do.

As far as the grandma story, I believe it. Apples don't fall far!

Most people won't say anything when stuff like this happens because their afraid their little superstar won't get playing time. Another reason parents won't say anything is because they don't have time or interest to coach a team themselves. Working a full time job or one with swing shifts keeps many good parents from coaching. There are a few exceptions.

[BlindWhiteHat]

I, in no way, discredited with coach for the time he puts in with his kids. That is to be commended. What is not to be commended is the way he handled himself at times.

You say he got a technical foul for being loud and that was it. Didn't he continue to yell loudly following the technical? You may say it wasn't different than most of the other coaches you've heard but I don't recall any of the other coaches in the 1st grade tourney acting that way.

Oddly, you say you've seen parents on the other team harass refs more than once but you excuse the parent hollering during the free throw because "you can't control what people do." Two of the women that harass officials are my wife and my mother. Both love their child dearly and get a bit excited during the games. If that comes out in the form of yelling at an official, I don't see that as a big deal. I don't necessarily agree with it, but it in no way compares to harassing a 7 year old kid who is trying to play a game for fun.

I don't see myself "talking behind someone's back". This is a public forum and I have posted my name to my posts many times. I'd have no problem discussing my feelings on this issue with anyone involved.

I didn't realize all the kids on both teams weren't from the same community. I know they don't all attend the same school but I did think they all lived in the Wheelersburg area. I had no idea about a grandmother offer a player money for fouls including a bonus for hurting someone. I'd like to hear more about this.

Jim Mahlmeister

[Simmy]

I witnessed a Grandmother, from this same team, instructing her grandson to foul. She was serious too. She told him she expected 2 fouls and there would be $10 per foul if the other kid got hurt! I was so shocked and disgusted! I can't believe anyone thinks it is ok to condone this kind of behavior let alone teach it!

In the same game? I didn't hear about that one.

This happened on Saturday, not Sunday.

[1987chieftains]

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
PARENTS AND COACHES ALSO NEED TO REMEMBER A FEW BAD OR UNTIMELY CALLS ISN'T GOING TO COST YOU THE GAME. IF THE PARENTS OR COACHS THINK THEY'RE TEAM IS BETTER THEM THE OTHER TEAMS AND ARE GETTING BAD OR UNTIMELY CALLS. ITS PROBABLY THAT THE OTHER TEAM IS AS GOOD OR ARE PLAYING A GOOD GAME ON THAT DAY. OR THAT THE PARENTS AND COACHS TEAM REALLY ISN'T AS GOOD AS THEY THOUGHT OR AREN'T PLAYING GOOD ON THAT DAY.

[JustBlind]

Well I guess it's time for me to make a post. So, heres the scoop str8 from the horse's mouth...

The Grandma issue:

This involves my 8yr old son which plays on the second grade team and my mother. I made the mistake of telling him in tournaments if, you get 5 fouls you have to sit out. Well, this freaked him out and after 2 tournaments he had zero fouls called on him (he plays down low). The last thing I told him before we all got out of the car was, if your not fouling your not playing good defense. Before the game he was sitting in the stands with my mom and she told him that she would give him $10 if he got 2 fouls. I know for a moment how that would sound, but as for the "$10 per foul if the other kid got hurt!" Child Plzzzz!!!!


The Big T:

To start out I have known the other coach since we were in kindergarten and have always been good friends. We have coached our kids since they were in diapers and had a lot of fun doing it. As for the refs, they both were supposedly high schools refs and were very nice people. I spent prob 25hrs that weekend with them on and off the court.

Now to the meat and potatoes. This all happened in the first quarter. We each had one of our kids knocked down and they called travelling, then it happened again on the other side of the court from my bench. I yelled over to the ref, (I have a loud voice wife says very loud and prob everyone else in the gym agrees) "How is that traveling?" "When a kid gets knocked down it can't be traveling!" he sticks his whistle in his mouth the crowd goes to crickets and I said "That's ridiculous!" I get the T. Both refs come over to the bench and I said "Not only is it my kids, but we knocked down one of theirs right in front of us and you called traveling". He said well, it's going both ways and I said "That's not the point. The point is it's not traveling.". The ref shrugs his shoulders, we shake hands and the game continues. I talked to the ref after the game and asked him if the reason I got the T was b/c I was too loud? He smiled and said yes.

Were my actions wrong? Yes. Do I wish I would have handled the situation differently? With out a doubt! What's funny though is this whole situation spread like wild fire through text msg, FB, and online forums with outrageous claims and remarks, instead of a 1st grader the day before hitting a 3pt as time expires for the win!!!!! If there was video it would be on Berman's top 10!

There you go world. Thhat's my story and I'm thhickin to it.

My one and only post on this subject.


Regards,

The other coach


Spelling and grammar check was not used in this post.

[loganhoops]

PARENTS AND COACHES ALSO NEED TO REMEMBER A FEW BAD OR UNTIMELY CALLS ISN'T GOING TO COST YOU THE GAME. IF THE PARENTS OR COACHS THINK THEY'RE TEAM IS BETTER THEM THE OTHER TEAMS AND ARE GETTING BAD OR UNTIMELY CALLS. ITS PROBABLY THAT THE OTHER TEAM IS AS GOOD OR ARE PLAYING A GOOD GAME ON THAT DAY. OR THAT THE PARENTS AND COACHS TEAM REALLY ISN'T AS GOOD AS THEY THOUGHT OR AREN'T PLAYING GOOD ON THAT DAY.

I don't think it's about "costing" you the game. At this age it is not about winning and losing, but developing the kids and giving them the opportunity. That being said, parents and coaches do get emotional because they are only 6,7,or 8 years old and want them to get a fair shake for playing their little hearts out. Even if the score is way one sided, they still want fairness on both ends.
When refs joke with the opposing fans when they call something on your team, ignore blatent elbows thrown at the face, and state to the score keepers they are going to make sure who wins a game then they are on an ego trip and it is not fair for them to take that out on little kids. I think everyone needs to remember they are still little kids, including the parents, coaches, and refs. I want them to have fun, learn, and not get hurt. The not getting hurt has to be the responsibility of the ref to keep the game under control. Just my opinion.

[1987chieftains]

At this age it is not about winning and losing, but developing the kids and giving them the opportunity

i total agree loganhoops. i've coached for years in the biddy rank and have seen and heard it all. at that age, the fundamentals is all they should be learning and having fun. you gotta have fun, if there not having fun they're not going to want to play anymore.