Quote:
Originally posted by JRutledge
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You say nothing good comes out of it, and that I totally disagree with. The kids that did not play before, get an opportunity to play the game they watch most of the time.
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Rut,
You look at the faces of the children (yes, that's what high school students are) who are on the losing end of a 98-34 game (or 76-14, or 96-17, or 80-8, or 100-34, or 81-14, or 85-25, or 62-17, or 96-20, or 99-24), and you tell me whether they're enjoying the playing time. You don't have to be a mind reader to see from their facial expressions and body language that they're being embarrassed and can't wait for the game to end. By the way, these are actual Detroit Public School League scores from two weeks of girls games last year, the year after the mercy rule was taken away. FYI, the Michigan mercy rule took effect only when a team had a 40-point second half lead.
Not every game is going to be competitive, and lopsided games are inevitable, but at the high school level and below , if the winning coach is classless, the rules should try to minimize the embarassment and humiliation of the losers.