A new twist on just taking your ball and going home!
Sadly our season of observing grandsons playing little league has been plagued with some dismal displays of poor sportsmanship.
The poor conduct is not from the young players, but from one of the coaches from the opposing team (now granted our coach did not take the high road on this one either!) What sort of example is that setting?
Last weeks game was a second contest between our team and an opposition who had played poorly a few weeks ago. The result was that we won the game by a large score.
I wondered at the time if perhaps there should be some rule by which when too large a score had been run up, the game would just be gently over and both teams could just practice for the remaining time.
This time the score was once again lopsided in favor of our team. The opposing coach made a mockery of the coaching by yelling obscenities at our coach and the umpire. His tactics did not improve the playing skills on either side.
As the game progressed his additude became more and more objectionable.
Then as the teams changed positions on the field at the beginning of the fourth inning, the yelling coach screamed at the umpire. " We want to just forfeit... Let them win!"
The umpire went to seek counsel and was told by an official that it would be alright.
So, the take home lesson from the game was " if you are behind, just quit?". Clearly this was a case of take your team and go home when things do not suit you.". Not the way to let youngsters experience winning!
So..... what can we learn from this? We can learn that life is sometimes not fair and others sometimes play the game better and we can learn to sharpen our skills and get back in the game and compete better!! That's what winners do! Which are you?
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