Losing Faith In People? - Read This

[lame54]

http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/love-game-softball-team-forfeits-game

We live in a world where Peyton Manning walks off the Super Bowl field without shaking anybody's hand. Where Tiger Woods leaves the Masters without a word of thanks to the fans or congratulations to the winner. Where NFL lineman Albert Haynesworth kicks a man's helmetless head without a thought.

So if you think sportsmanship is toast, this next story is an all-you-can-eat buffet to a starving man.

It happened at a junior varsity girls' softball game in Indianapolis this spring. After an inning and a half, Roncalli was womanhandling inner-city Marshall Community. Marshall pitchers had already walked nine Roncalli batters. The game could've been 50-0 with no problem.

Yes, a team that hadn't lost a game in 2½ years, a team that was going to win in a landslide purposely offered to declare defeat. Why? Because Roncalli wanted to spend the two hours teaching the Marshall girls how to get better, not how to get humiliated.

It's no wonder. This was the first softball game in Marshall history. A middle school trying to move up to include grades 6 through 12, Marshall showed up to the game with five balls, two bats, no helmets, no sliding pads, no cleats, 16 players who'd never played before, and a coach who'd never even seen a game.

One Marshall player asked, "Which one is first base?" Another: "How do I hold this bat?" They didn't know where to stand in the batter's box. Their coaches had to be shown where the first- and third-base coaching boxes were.

That's when Roncalli did something crazy. It offered to forfeit.

Yes, a team that hadn't lost a game in 2½ years, a team that was going to win in a landslide purposely offered to declare defeat. Why? Because Roncalli wanted to spend the two hours teaching the Marshall girls how to get better, not how to get humiliated.

[flvegan]

1. Sportsmanship in the pros is pretty much dead.

Good to see these younger athletes being better than that.

[BrklynLiberal]

19. In the pros, it is not even sports any more. It is big business..for the owners and the players

[bobbolink]

2. Maturity in middle school.

Maybe there is some hope for us?

Thanks for this story. :hi:

[katandmoon]

3. K&R

[Dappleganger]

4. This ex-softball catcher thinks this is SWEET.

People can do amazing things when they are challenged to rise to the occasion. A lesson for the ages.

[napi21]

5. That's a great story! I only wish there were more of them. nt

[bluestateguy]

6. I think this is a poor lesson to teach the girls

In real life, your opponents/adversaries are not going to just give up and let you win just because there is a disparity of talent between the teams.

Getting your ass kicked in a game can be one of the best motivators to improve, and for the players to learn to handle setbacks. In short, losing has to happen before you can be a winner.

To compare the above examples of bad sportsmanship (T.Woods, Peyton Manning, etc.) with thrashing your opponent in an honest game is disingenuous.

[lame54]

8. how is this not real life?

[Binka]

11. Go Back to Watching Your 42 Inch TV

You are clueless. Welcome to ignore do not bother to respond. Bye-Bye. :hi:

[bluestateguy]

17. I make a reasoned critique and you make a personal attack

nt

[Tsiyu]

32. Ayn Rand

no idea you were a DUer

[Odin2005]

12. Atttitudes like yours are the source of a lot of problems in our society.

[Angry Dragon]

13. If this is your honest opinion then I feel sorry for

the people in your life.

Since when is it all important to always win, when did sports only become only about winning instead of the joy of just playing?? It is nice to know that there some people still left in the world that think it is best to thrash others just because they can and I can only hope that you only meet people that can thrash you in competition so you can really grow as a person.

[NuttyFluffers]

21. not all competition is worth the effort. sometimes cooperation is better.

if this is a cakewalk, it makes your team better if you illuminate a new competitor on how to get up to speed.

not all new competition will be at the same level; taking advantage of a complete novice without explaining how to get better is a waste of time for all around. taking advantage of people ignorant of basic rules and basic strategy is not worthy competition -- more like masturbation. time is better spent improving a new opponent so that there is a real challenge in the future.

[Trajan]

22. Yeah ... It's a jungle out there ....

Whoa ! ... watch out for that spear ! ...

Here is how I look at it: If my child wants to go to the candy store, they had better learn to navigate the crosswalks and open streets ...

What better way to teach them life's lessons than getting whacked by a car ? ....

Hey ... They will look more carefully next time ... right ?

Right ....

(/sarcasm)

Me ? .... I respect a team the refuses to capture another easy scalp, and chooses to teach instead ....

The replies here are deserved, in my view .....

They are part of YOUR lesson .... but I doubt you will learn it ...

[Dappleganger]

24. I disagree with your opinion.

These are just kids. I played 3 seasons of sports during school for YEARS. There was one very small, newer private school we used to play in basketball and they were awful. Their gym wasn't regulation so we had to use our gym. Their uniforms were embarrassing, their coach a disgrace. Two of my neighborhood friends were on that team and they wanted to learn so badly, but this was what they had. Our team used to run the bench-warmers the whole time against them and we still trounced those girls.

I felt stinking AWFUL, as did most of my team mates. It felt like taking advantage of them the entire time because of the vast difference in skills.

So there is your flip side...I would much rather have skipped/forfeited the game altogether and run a fun clinic during that time instead of humiliating friends and girls who didn't deserve that.

[flvegan]

25. Right. No "opponent" could or should ever be a mentor.

You should read the whole story. How Reebok called and offered all sorts of equipment. How someone with a batting cage offered free time.

They didn't "just give up and let you win" in this case. They opted to better spend their time helping fellow softball players rather than destroying them. And the response, unintended as it is, will surely help this team in the future.

[roguevalley]

26. actually, one game is not going to undo the competitive spirit here

in this winning team. but they are going to grow their souls and add more peace and love in this world by what they did. I love this team and all those girls present and the coaches who tried to do something good for their girls even though they didn't have a clue. This was a power moment for peace and I love them all.

[phasma ex machina]

40. +1 "they are going to grow their souls and add more peace and love in this world by what they did"

We're all in this together.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

45. :)

:thumbsup:

[seabeyond]

27. learning the game has to happen before you can get to the losin and winnin.

the girls forfeiting wasn't about winning or losing, though the article made that out to be the main emphasis. "give up and let you win". for you to have focused on this part of the article shows how skewed your view is. it wasn't about the unexperienced team getting a win. it wasn't about making the unexperienced team feel good about a win. it was about

taking the time to teach the girls the basic of the game.

[Dorian Gray]

35. I disagree

while I do believe that learning to lose is a part of life (we all lose at times), I think the kindness showed in the actions of the team here are a much stronger lesson for all involved.

[we can do it]

39. In Real Life Dumb Male Athletes Get Passed In Order To Play Sports

they also get scholarships to college where they are too stupid to pass 3rd grade math and deserving students are passed over- so what's your point?

[BlancheSplanchnik]

43. your argument depends on the phrase "Honest Game", which implies equally matched teams.

This was not, therefore your argument is seriously flawed.

I applaud these young women, who CAN tell the difference between fair and unfair sport -- and they chose the high ground.

You go girls, and may your example instruct many others

[Horse with no Name]

44. You really suck

It's not whether you win or lose, it is how you play the game.

THAT is a life lesson--not a catch-phrase.

One of the BEST motivators of winning is KNOWING how to play the game. The BEST teacher of the game is someone who is already a winner.

How the hell do you even stay here?:shrug:

[devilgrrl]

46. You're so on it! SOFTBALL IS LIFE!!!!!!

:sarcasm:


:eyes:


Puh-leeze.

[Obamanaut]

47. I agree. I suspect the ill-prepared team had a pretty good idea they

were going to be thrashed.

What they learned here is that maybe next time they are pitted against a better team, the other team will also have pity on them.

[daleanime]

7. Nice!

:applause:

[Angry Dragon]

9. Thank yoy very much

I needed to see that to know there is another side to the world instead of a daily dose of oil, hate, intolerance, bigotry, and a bunch of other things that are depressing

[Brickbat]

10. Why on earth were they on the field if they didn't know where first base was?

[Binka]

14. Guess You Didn't Understand The Gist Of The Story

Sorry for you. Sad. Pathetic.

[seabeyond]

29. read the whole article. it is good. nt

[NYC_SKP]

15. I think this is an invaluable lesson to teach the girls...

Compassion, cooperation, genuine caring for another human being, even a stranger, even a rival, is a lesson they are far too unlikely to get anywhere in life, but is such an important concept for humanity.

Now, if we could just reward them and quit idolizing the likes of those professional athletes mentioned in the articles.

But then, compassion is it's own reward.

:thumbsup:

[lame54]

31. well said

[iamjoy]

16. White House Invitation

These girls should be invited to the White House. Traditionally, championship teams in the NCAA and the Pros get an invitation. They don't need it and I don't know that they've done a lot to earn it. Sure, they're talented and hard-working, but so are a lot of folks who will never get that opportunity.

But these girls, they were willing to show that winning isn't everything, and make a sacrifice for the less fortunate. We should honor that sort of good will and community service. They are champions in every sense of the word.

It reads like a Chicken Soup for the Sport Soul, doesn't it?

added on edit: maybe they could teach President Obama how to throw.
;-)

[renate]

18. this is an experience both teams are going to remember for the rest of their lives

This has taught them far more about true sportsmanship and love of the game than any easy victory or hapless defeat.

How wonderful!

:loveya:

[NuttyFluffers]

20. that's beautiful. to the top with you!

:applause: O8)

[Swamp Rat]

23. k&r

[corpseratemedia]

28. great kids who'll make great future adults

[Angry Dragon]

30. Kick

[MrScorpio]

33. True Sports(wo)manship in action n/t

[Dorian Gray]

34. This story makes me smile.

A lesson in humility for all of us.

[Dr Morbius]

36. You know something? I have no idea how many games Dan Marino won.

I sure do remember how he played the game, though.

[joe black]

37. Very nice.

women are much smarter then men when it comes to this kind of interaction.

[RT Atlanta]

38. Bump

good message and way to go girls!

[Spheric]

41. Thank you so much. I really needed that.

And to those girls and their coaches:

:yourock:

[Contrary1]

42. Thank you!

We had no idea this was national news. My great-niece plays on that team.

Way to go Roncalli!

[zipplewrath]

48. So many layers

I don't know how responsible adults, on either side, ever let it get that far. That said, I'm glad the girls stepped up.

I was a little league umpire one season. (The therapy is still on going). I didn't have any kids in the league. Heck, I didn't have kids. I wasn't even married. A guy at work said they were having trouble finding parents to umpire and I had enjoyed my days in little league. (A testament after the fact to my coaches. I was very lucky). So I agreed to do it. I figured being the new guy I'd work the 3rd base line (one of the easier). Oh, no, they were REALLY hurting for umpires. 1st game, first pitch, I'm behind the stinkin' plate.

Anywho, back to the part related to this story. There were kids that weren't ready to play AT ALL. I don't know how they get to a game in that shape, but I'm talking kids afraid of the pitch. Kids that don't seem to understand the BASICS of balls and strikes. Kids that had no idea of how to swing. NONE. And they WEREN'T having fun. On more than one occasion I wanted to stop a game and just say to a kid, "here stand like this, hold the bat here, and don't worry about swinging, the pitcher hasn't cleared the plate all day".

I wanted to work with pitchers. I had one guy, who was pretty good. Consistent anyway. But he was getting away with murder because the opposing hitters would swing at anything. He never seemed to notice that every time the top of the order came around, he either walked them, or they got a hit. The reason was they wouldn't swing at crap. He seemed to have NO strategy in pitching. His poor catcher kept trying to get him to pitch inside and he kept laying them out wide right. I wanted to walk out there and just say "look there's something called a strike zone, and the better kids know what it is".

And the coaches. Besides the large number of morons out there, it is hard to understand how a coach doesn't recognize this level of inability quickly and do SOMETHING about it. Give them a crutch, a strategy, a CLUE as to what they need to do. Don't try to make them Hank Aaron, just help them figure out how not to get hit, and how to tell a "good" pitch from a bad one. (Hint to all parents who may be coaches. Most children pitchers throw more balls than strikes. For a marginal kid, a simple rule of thumb like "when in doubt, let it pass" will work more often than not). But near as I could tell the coaches were there for the..... Well, I never really figured it out.

I read once that most kids, left to their own devices, will play games without particularly keeping score. Even in games where score is kept, if it becomes lopsided, the kids will reorganize the teams, rules, or game to try to "even things out". It's the parents that cause all the problems. How a bunch of adults allowed these two teams to meet for ANYTHING but a scrimmage is beyond me. A simple scrimmage would have worked a bunch of this out so that the two teams wouldn't have had to take this drastic step.

But given the situation, I'm glad they did. And the kids on the Roncalli team probably "learned" the most.

Final hint to parents who find themselves as coaches. Unless the home plate umpire is a jerk (they reside there too occasionally) after a game, you might ask him what he saw. He "sees" everyone of your kids, and sees alot of your pitcher too. He "sees" the whole field in ways you might not. There's chatter that goes on at the plate that you don't hear. If he has time, he'll probably talk to you about it.