If you can't beat 'em... quit

[refaholic2]

I agree with Padgett that this was a very poor solution to the problem. Why would you punish the kids for the mistake of the coach. Like the one kid said, the players that were on the floor was playing their hardest. IMO, the obvious answer would have been to put them in the Div I tourny and let them play.

[M&M Guy]

Originally Posted by refaholic2

I agree with Padgett that this was a very poor solution to the problem. Why would you punish the kids for the mistake of the coach. Like the one kid said, the players that were on the floor was playing their hardest. IMO, the obvious answer would have been to put them in the Div I tourny and let them play.

Are you absolutely, 100% sure none of the kids involved knew anything about it? Are you, without any doubt whatsoever, sure that none of the kids knew about what the loss would mean in terms of which division they would end up playing in? And, that if they did know, are you sure they made their feelings known to the coach that this was the wrong way to approach the game? Or did they sit back and accept what was happening? I don't completely buy into the fact the kids are 100% innocent and only the victims in this situation.

Even if there is the outside chance every single member of the team was completely unaware of the situation, Cameron still has the point that this is a team sport, and it is the team that is penalized accordingly. When you look at the name that gets engraved on the trophy, you only see the team name, not any of the individual names. So everyone, from coaches on down to the last player on the bench, contribute to both the success and failure of the team. How is this situation different than giving the other team FT's for a T because of the unsporting actions of their coach? The kids have been totally respectful all game, yet they are penalized for the actions of their coach.

Yes, it sucks for those players. But the team has been penalized for the actions of one; no different than a T. Just like the team would benefit from one player hitting the game-winning shot at the buzzer - everyone wins, including the coach, for the actions of that one player. Those are the advantages and disadvantages of playing on a team.