If you haven’t heard about this game in early January, you need to learn about it. Arroyo Valley High played against Bloomington High , both from Southern California, in girls basketball. (I wish I could say this is unusual. Unfortunately, just last January, I wrote about a record setting Division 1 blowout.) The score was 104-1 at halftime. Arroyo used a full-court trap the whole first half and a half-court trap the entire second half.
Since the game, there has been widespread criticism of the coach, including a two-game suspension. However, not everyone agrees. Colin Cowherd of ESPN, says
“They (the players) were over it 15 minutes later,” declaring the discomfort with the game coming mostly from parents. He goes on to defend the value of such a defeat, “You know how you get grit, you lose 161-2.” (For all his comments, click here.)
I disagree. Competition and losing certainly build grit, but not such lopsided competition. It is hard to develop skill when there is such discrepancy of talent. I would ask Colin if he taught his kids to play and even played with them. If he did, I would ask him how he competed with them when they were 5 or 8 or 10. Did he let them score a basket? Did he block every shot? Did he give his all-out effort to stop them from even advancing the ball? Was it 10-0 by ones or HORSE to nothing. I doubt it? If he did, I doubt his kids played for very long. More importantly, if he did, then I doubt his kids liked him very much!
Most dads I know who played with their kids, in a way that built rather than destroyed that relationship and developed the child’s athletic talent, did so by just playing a little above their children. They mixed winning and losing to give them confidence and drive. This is good competition that brings out the best in all who are involved, striving with rather than against those in the game.
However, where I really want to focus is on the Arroyo Coach, Michael Anderson. He offered this defense after the game,
“The game just got away from me,” Arroyo Valley Coach Michael Anderson told the San Bernardino Sun on Friday (via ESPN) about last week’s blowout against Bloomington. “I didn’t play any starters in the second half. I didn’t expect them to be that bad. I’m not trying to embarrass anybody.” (For the whole article, click here.)
The game got away from him! I find that statement really troubling, sort of like Bernie Madoff saying the investments just got away from him. This admission seems to deny any real responsibility in the matter, like the runaway nature of the game just snuck up on him. Wasn’t he around the whole first half as his team scored 104 points and the other team only 1? Only 1!!!! The coach knew going in his team was better, much better, having already won his four previous games by at least 70 points. Not playing your starters is just one of many things he could have done to make the game more competitive for both teams.
At CSO, we are troubled not only by the behavior of such coaching but by what drives such behavior. We have written about it before:
– 73-0!!!
– 91-0 : Coach accused of bullying!
– Five Ways to Manage Lopsided Games
This kind of coaching has got to stop. For the love of the game, this kind of coaching has got to stop.
While I am glad the coach was suspended, two game suspensions are not the ultimate solution. Rules can’t change the heart. What is needed is nothing less that the redemption of the idolatry of sports and those who play them. Only this redemption can change what drives this kind of behavior – our corrupted hearts that make winning the ultimate prize!
