Let's talk about unsportsmanlike behavior, shall we?

Libby1978 · September 2013

The following FB post are from the parents of the same kid. The dad helps coach his son's junior high football team. Neither of these parents seems to understand why running up the score on another team is an asshole move. I think it's an asshole move on any level, but in fucking junior high??? Come on!! These are 11, 12 & 13 year olds we're talking about. I think they got the point, they lost! I'm all for learning that you aren't always going to win and such, but really? REALLY???

Libby1978 · September 2013

HilarityEnsued said:

I don't know... I don't necessarily feel too put-off by the fact that they kept scoring. Now, the parent's response is sort of appalling, but the way the game was played was just sports.

I get what you're saying. And I agree to an extent, but what did they have to prove exactly? It's junior high football, not the Super Bowl. And I'm sure they would have felt completely different if they were parents of a kid on the other team.

Libby1978 · September 2013

GhostMonkey said:

Did they leave the starters in? If they had second and third string in (if they even have them), what exactly did you want them to do? Intentionally cause bad plays to make the losing team feel better?

Yay, trophies for everyone.

I didn't say anything about trophies for everyone. I'm totally believe that children need to learn they aren't going to always win.

Maebb · September 2013

LOL at "saposed," "tomarow," and "we half to." I guess if he can't be good at grammar, his kid can be a superstar at sports, right?

I do think that kids should try their best at sports, and they should learn how to win and lose gracefully. Having said that, I think it's stupid when parents complain that the refs are unfair if they're winning something like 33-0. It's a game, and you still won, so you don't need to complain about it.

Libby1978 · September 2013

kiraliz2 said:

I remember playing another team in soccer in junior high (club, not school) and we were beating them like 5-0 at the half. Our coach told instructed us to go easy and practice passing instead of scoring.

I think there is a nice way to go about things, and it's not running up the score. However, I don't know why they wouldn't count the touchdown. If he scored, he scored.

I do think they should have counted the kid's touchdown, but yeah there are things coaches can do to prevent running up the score on the other team. And I think if you run up the score on a bunch of junior high kids you are pretty much a dickhead.

ReeseFox · September 2013

I guess I'm an asshole b/c I don't see anything wrong with the score or the posts. I don't see it as running up the score so much as playing the game well. If I'm reading correctly, it looks like they did pull their starters out. What would you have them do, just keep downing the ball when they have posession? The refs may as well just call the game if that's the case.

Libby1978 · September 2013

HilarityEnsued said:

The parents are jackasses though. I won't contend with that sentiment.

In a game like football, it's harder to "go easy" than in something like soccer. Football... you are either advancing the ball, making passes, running up the field, defending the line, making tackles, etc... or you are obviously throwing the game. What are you supposed (saposed?) to do? Just drop passes? Fall down on your own? Just let them by and "miss" the tackle? To me that's more effed up and arrogant than the alternative.

Soccer you can just pass the ball forever. Basketball is a little rough too. You can pass a lot but at a certain point it becomes obvious what is happening.

Well, I can agree with this. It probably is harder to back off in football than in some other sports. I guess more than anything the post by the parents rubbed me the wrong way.

LuckyDad · September 2013

I believe kids should play hard every play.

But yeah, at some point you put in the second and.third string and start targeting weaker receivers with passing plays.

Going on FB to complain about officiating that didn't affect the outcome is poor sportsmanship. Its much worse than complaining to a ref after a blown call in the heat of the moment.

Rach21 · September 2013

When I played softball, they would score kids properly but if there was a greater margin than a team could possibly catch back up by the last couple innings, they would call the game early. With football, it would be different because you only have 4 quarters and amazing changes can happen after the half. Like PPs said, it's really hard to "go soft" in football without obviously throwing the game, and that doesn't really teach sportsmanship to the other team either.

Parents, on the other hand, who get on FB and whoop it up about "we crushed them" blah blah blah do irk me because a) they weren't playing, and b) you can praise your kids' team for hard work without degrading the other team. I like it when parents on FB say something like "Johnny did a great job defending the line today" or something to that effect with out "whooping that tail."

littlestjerry · September 2013

Even in high school soccer, once we got up by a lot our coach would make rules like you have to pass 15 times before scoring or every player has to touch the ball before scoring. I think that's good sportsmanship and has nothing to do with the everyone gets a trophy mentality. I think it's about respect.

Unknown · September 2013

This content has been removed.

littlestjerry · September 2013

GhostMonkey said:

Little Jerry said:

Even in high school soccer, once we got up by a lot our coach would make rules like you have to pass 15 times before scoring or every player has to touch the ball before scoring. I think that's good sportsmanship and has nothing to do with the everyone gets a trophy mentality. I think it's about respect.

That's not respect, it's showing off just as much as scoring would be. Did you really think they didn't notice you were doing passing drills in the middle of a game and not taking shots?

Of course they notice. The point is not to hide the fact that they're losing and a much worse team. They're not stupid. It's an embodiment of the saying don't kick a man when he's down. Even division one college teams do the same kind of thing.

Pearls+Oysters · September 2013

What really scares me here is the fact that the parents can't write for shit. That should be more important than any game of soccer. Be an example!

As for the actual subject. Douchebaggery at its finest. Assholes is another way to put it.

Smootchy · September 2013

I'm not a fan of unsportsmanlike conduct.

Although, I'm not seeing this as anything other than a doushy dad/coach.

eta: "doushy parents" I stand corrected. Reading fail on my part.

Libby1978 · September 2013

chapski said:

I'm not a fan of unsportsmanlike conduct.
Although, I'm not seeing this as anything other than a doushy dad/coach.

Don't forget the douchey mother! haha

OhSewCrafty · September 2013

The way the game was played doesn't seem like poor sportsmanship. The coaches and parents gloating about beating the crap out of junior high schoolers is inexcusable and unfortunate.

The thing that always bothered me about junior and high school sports was that the budget situation at the schools can seriously impact the athletic teams. If your school is wealthy enough to hire more trainers and have better facilities, the students are more likely to do better.

When I was in high school, we didn't have the funding to hire 2 field hockey staffs, so instead of having a JV and a V team, we had one V team with girls from 9th - 12th grade on it. We got our asses handed to us regularly. Well, of course! We were playing with 30 year old equipment and one part time coach, against varsity teams of juniors and seniors only. They bragged and bragged about how bad we were, but so much of it wasn't our fault.

s0ulchicken · September 2013

The only issues I see here are douchey parents and a moron coach. Those kids might be beasts, but I hope like hell they have excellent English teachers as well.

Seriously though? DS wrestles. He is really good. He is also really humble, and has never made any of his opponents feel like they weren't worth the match up. But I see a ton of parents bitching because so and so's kid is in their kids weight class, and that's not fair because he has more/less experience, yada yada yada. IME, parents make it suck for the kids. I hope that the winning team was at least gracious about the shut out.

Libby1978 · September 2013

mbenit4 said:

I think like PPs have said if the 2nd and 3rd strings were in and they still scored so be it. Those players want to make plays, catch snaps, receive, rush, etc too.

I do think it is a dick move to put time back on the clock in hopes that the losing team will score but when the winning team does, they don't put their points up? That is shitty in my opinion.

However, getting on FB talking that way is in poor taste.

I do agree that this shouldn't have happened.

shadypines · September 2013

I "saposed tomarow" they will get the POTY award.... smh!

L-)

Libby1978 · September 2013

Manneek1977 said:

I "saposed tomarow" they will get the POTY award.... smh!
L-)

Hahaha :P

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