THIS is what sportsmanship is about

[Show Heifer]

I was watching ABC News last night and saw that they "Person of the week" was actually two boys basketball teams from IL. Dekalb was one team, can't remember the other.
Jest of the story: The leader of team A lost his mother a few days before the game, so the coach didn't list him on the roster. Well, the player showed up, playing in his Mothers memory. When he was put in the game, the referees called a technical foul. The coach of team B told the officials he didn't want that to be a technical and they didn't want the free throws. They refused to allow it. So, the Coach from team B, took his number one free throw shooter aside and told him what he thought. The kid said he didn't think it was right either, so with the entires team blessing, and the coachs' approval, he MISSED ON PURPOSE the two free throws. (This is a huge riveraly and a very close game to go onto the tourney) 
After the game, all the players, (I do mean ALL the players from both teams) went out for pizza.
Congrats to BOTH coaches for being such wonderful examples to their students and our country.

Just thought after that "coach" from TX running a score on the team with special needs students, that this story needed a lot more recognition. If anyone can add details please do.  If more people did the right thing, just to do the right thing, think of how our world would be!  Hmmmmmmmmmm

 

[farmboy]

missing on purpose dose not make sense to me..... too nice. was the outcome of the game dependent on these shots?


if you can't tell, i am a big sports nut and believe in winning in reasonable measures (not cut throat, but close)

 

[Beach Limousin]

I congratulate both teams. All the time we see the opposite happening and it is good to see that we steel realize there is more to life than just winning. And i agree show heifer, you how good this country would be if we all did the right thin???

 

[steermaker]

What amazes me is when you do the right thing, some people think you some kind of alterior motive.  Some people are so used to being taken advantage of they don't trust anyone.  Sad but rue.

 

[box6rranch]

I think it was an incredibly awesome thing to do! In an age where kids tend to be so selfish to do something so sincere in respect for another player is amazing. The coach and the player obviously thought that it was worth it. A game 20 years from now will be just a game. That boy's memory and probably a lot of others will last a lifetime. And for all of them to go for pizza later, I congratulate the coaches and players for being mature thoughtful human beings.

 

[Show Heifer]

zach,  I do not know the final score, but I do know it was nip and tuck the entire game. And team B (the team that missed the free throws on purpose) lost the game.

But my question is,  Did they REALLY lose?  I do not think so.

 

[farmboy]

team A>team b

they lost

 

[Diamond]

to bring a bit of joy to someone who lost his mother means more then any game, ever, period.

 

[BIGTEX]

That is what it is all about! This is the way we should act, unlike the coach here in Dallas.

 

[red]

Reminds me of the woman's volley ball team after their coaches father-in-law was murdered in China. They played in his memory.

Red

 

[bcosu]

i know that is in the rule book if you try to substitute someone into the game that is not on the roster it is a technical foul. It happened to my team one time except we had the wrong number written in the book. in all reality it is a dumb penalty to call and the fact that the kids mom died and he wasn't expecting to play should have been pointed out to the referees. if the other coach doesn't care about the roster then the refs shouldn't either.

 

[LoVeShOrThOrNs]

I think that is a pretty cool thing to do. Last year when I was a Junior, a pretty well known Sophomore died in a really tragic car accident and we had a football game in his memory, it was pretty cool.

 

[CJB]

team A>team b

they lost

Zach- I know you are still young, but one of these days you'll see the bigger picture.  I'm not a whole lot older than you(out of college 3 years), and it took a long time for me to be able to see that bigger picture.  Now, I hope that we are both around to see the biggest picture of all, but who knows?  On that day, team A may have been greater than team B, but it won't be remembered as such. 

I hope that more of us really think of the actions of these young men and their coaches, as we go through our everyday lives.  I think we could all learn, at least a little bit, from this story.

Sorry for getting on my soapbox, but I am a large supporter of my local HS team, and I think that they would rather be team B in this situation.  They just won our league, so it wouldn't be due to a lack of talent.  Team B not trying to stick the "nail in the coffin" by missing the 2 FT's shows such great sportmanship. 

Awesome story!!

 

[jason]

that was a good story

 

[ROAD WARRIOR]

I think it showed alot of class on the part of both the coaches and players knowing that it could possibly be the difference in the game. RW

 

[BIGTEX]

WWJD?

 

[justme]

Zach, Not to diss on you but you can tell your just a kid on this post.  That is one of my beefs about kids these days (OMG I sound like my grandmother! but that's ok I thought the world of her).  My husband coaches basketball and this weekend he had a close game with his 5th grade girls.  He benched his best ball handler due to unsportsmanship conduct.  I know it was hard for him to do it but I'm glad he nipped it in the butt.  They lost by a basket that was stolen by his "other" point gaurd right at the end.

What we all have to remember winning isn't everything.  Integrity in ourselves is much more important than winning.  The lesson my husbands team learned about sportsmanship was way more important than winning that game.  I would have gladly missed those free-throws for that kid to play.  Would the vicotory had been as sweet winning by those "gimme" shots?  I don't think so.  I think it took alot of courage for that boy to come on the court and play after such a devistating loss of his mother.

Good post!

 

[N2ShowN]

Sometimes the lessons that we learn from things like this are far more important in life than winning.

I am as competitive as anybody and I HATE to lose, but there were no losers in that scenario!

 

[farmboy]

Zach, Not to diss on you but you can tell your just a kid on this post. 

too bad you think that, some folks are allowed to disagree. its sports. the rules were broken. and so what does it matter, its just two free throws - 2 points.

 

[BIGTEX]

I don't think any rules were broken. The kid missed the two free throws on purpose.