100-0

Can a game that ends with the score of 100-0 really be considered a game?

I saw an article online today and it got me thinking. In a nutshell, two small school girls varsity teams in Texas met last week on the basketball court.

The winning team, Covenant, a small Christian school beat Dallas Academy 100-0. The halftime score was 59-0 and while Covenant did back off the scoring run once they reached 100 points, they were still taking and making 3 point shots and doing a full court press in the 4th quarter.

In an email to the local paper the winning coach said this,

"In response to the statement posted on The Covenant School Web site, I do
not agree with the apology or the notion that the Covenant School girls
basketball team should feel embarrassed or ashamed," Grimes wrote in the e-mail,
according to the newspaper. "We played the game as it was meant to be played. My
values and my beliefs would not allow me to run up the score on any opponent,
and it will not allow me to apologize for a wide-margin victory when my girls
played with honor and integrity."

I guess "running up the score" is a matter of opinion, not numbers. You can read the whole article here.

Having played high school ball for a small school, I can attest that 100 points is a run up, no matter the opponent. During my playing years, the now famous Lisa Leslie played for another Southern California team. I remember very clearly the hoopla that surrounded the now infamous game. According to school tradition, the senior star player broke the schools single game scoring record each year. The time came, and Lisa Leslie was one fire...she scored 101 points......in the first half. The half time score was 102-24. Their was never a second half because the opposing team refused to take the court again, and therefore the game was officially forfeited.

I wonder if records are worth it when they come at someone's demise and loss of dignity?

I also wonder what the players of Covenant Academy are thinking right now. I wonder what they would have thought if it never made the news?

Integrity matters.

It matters most when no one is looking.

In the aftermath, the coach of Covenant has been fired and the school is seeking to forfeit. As of this writing, the coach is showing no regrets. He stands by his decision to keep the pressure on the team and to push his players to 100 points.

Here is what I think...I think that school sports, and community sports should be about the sport itself. About how to play the game, and how to apply the game to life. While I do agree that much is learned by winning and losing, I believe that more is learned by how you play the game.

So what is your take?

I would rather be a player, than a winner any day.

****UPDATE*****
I thought an uplifting story about high school sports would be better to end with. If you really want to know the difference playing a game to win the game, and playing the game to win in life read this...but grab the tissue box.