We should start a collection to donate a copy of this book to each girl on the team.
Posted on 08/06/2017 8:36:34 AM PDT by TaxPayer2000
The Atlee Junior League softball team was removed from the World Series championship game on Saturday after posting an inappropriate photo on social media.
According to the Richmond-Times Dispatch, Little League officials were made aware of the photo, which shows several members of the team giving the middle finger to the camera, on Saturday morning. It was quickly decided to disqualify the team, which consists of girls ages 12-14, from further competition.
The photo in question was taken moments after Atlee defeated Kirkland American in the semifinals on Friday.
Little League spokesman Kevin Fountain released the following statement to the Times-Dispatch explaining the committee’s decision:
“After discovering a recent inappropriate social media post involving members of Atlee Little League’s Junior League Softball tournament team, the Little League® International Tournament Committee has removed the Southeast Region from the 2017 Junior League Softball World Series for violation of Little League’s policies regarding unsportsmanlike conduct, inappropriate use of social media, and the high standard that Little League International holds for all its participants.”
As a result of the disqualification, Kirkland American was given Atlee’s spot in the championship game.
Atlee manager Scott Currie was clear in stating that the photo reflected poor sportsmanship, but wasn’t convinced the post was enough to “justify the disqualification.”
“Somebody got a hold of it. I guess they ran it through to Williamsport,” Currie said. “Williamsport decided to disqualify us.”
Coach Chris Mardigian added that the photo was in response to the treatment Atlee players received from members of the Kirkland American team during their visit. Kirkland serves as the host city for the tournament.
That may explain his team’s actions, but it doesn’t justify them. It’s a truly unfortunate way for a team’s memorable journey to end. But it’s also a good lesson on the importance of making good decisions and acting responsibly at all times.
Those kind of consequences? It affects both teams: Kirkland knows it doesn’t belong in the finals. The winner of that game knows they didn’t play the best team, just the one appointed to that game. Fining the team would have penalized the players without tainting the tourney.
This is girls softball politics, which makes beauty pageant politics seem trite.
Top left looks like a coach. Have a nice trip home @$$holes!
So then, do we not administer any discipline because these kids are growing up in a different world than most of us here? Do we say that’s ok because the popular culture encourages this sort of thing, which was not true for those of us above a certain age here?
Or is a softball team not the time and place to discuss the coarseness of the popular culture; should be ignore this incident because the world is so screwed up in so many ways, and kids growing up today don’t have the frame of reference that us older folks have????
Their actions are less tacky than what public school teachers typically demonstrate during class discussions. Critical thinking skills are taught as challenging your parents’ beliefs...never the teacher/professor’s beliefs.
This photo shows poor behavior but so is spitting on the ground. Perhaps they were disqualified in an effort to advance another team and is simply favoritism.
She’s the coach? Yep she looks older. Then, my gosh, she should have administered discipline and told her girls to cut it out.
What the heck; adult role models, adults in charge of kids activities encourage this horse blank activity????
Completely agree.
Well, in that case, then none of us here know the rest of the story. If there’s an untold story/back story to this, then maybe none of our comments make sense, if we don’t know how this entire event transpired.
We should start a collection to donate a copy of this book to each girl on the team.
The comments on their Facebook page are really sad. I can see why they have the attitude they have if this is how the adults in their lives view the world.
That said, it still is great to sit out on your back deck listening to a classic rock station while reading a book on your Kindle on a very sunny and warm summer afternoon.
I suppose they could have booted the six bad,actors and made them go apologize personally to the other team members.
But this is a TEAM and operates as such, not as a collection of individuals. So team punishment is very appropriate.
Using your logic is still have my job at Arthur Andersen since it was only 100 out of a company of 120,000 that were the bad actors.
Doesn’t excuse their behaviour but according To Richmond.com “Friday’s game ended in a double play shortly after a baserunner from the Kirkland team was ejected for stealing signals from the Atlee team while on second base and relaying them to the batter. A Kirkland coach was ejected as well.”
I’d say both teams were treated according to the rules. Both were penalized for bad behavior.
By the way, it was apparently one of the players that posted the picture, and it doesn’t appear that the coach was in the picture as some here have speculated.
Snapchat pics are supposed to only post for a few seconds. Obviously this one made it past its expiration time and is now out there for posterity. Lesson learned?
Sportsmanship was once a very popular practice and was taught to the youth of my generation at an early age. But it went out of fashion in the late 20th century. Today, you would be hard pressed to find anyone who can even tell you what it meant. Indeed, sportsmanship has fallen so far out of fashion that mentioning it is likely to be met with derisive laughter. I hope these girls (Can I use that term?) have learned something, but I doubt it. More likely they believe they are victims of “Unfairness”.
inappropriate use of social media"That may explain his team’s actions, but it doesn’t justify them. It’s a truly unfortunate way for a team’s memorable journey to end. But it’s also a good lesson on the importance of making good decisions and acting responsibly at all times."
and there it is... the rules are very simple, you just have to read them
This is Free Republic. It’s what we do.
Disgusting behavior. Shame on them. Anyone who apologizes for or rationalizes this is part of the problem.
Now that was a bad idea.
Too bad everyone got caught up in it.
Actions have consequences. Who knew?
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