Double Overtime
I have decided that Pee Wee basketball leagues should not go into overtime. Parents get too rowdy, the coaches get too uptight, and the refs start calling games like it was suddenly really important. In this sudden surge of emotion, the kids get completely lost in it. These are 5-7 year olds, for crying out loud!
Aiden’s Tarheels played the Thunder again today. The competition between these two teams has become rather fierce. Well, as fierce as it can get for 5-7 year olds. The two teams are the best teams in the league – by far. The first time they met, the Thunder won. While we were on break, the Tarheels won the rematch against the Thunder. So – it was time for round three…
Apparently, a player on the Thunder traveled under the basket and then made the go-ahead shot with just seconds to go in the second overtime. I didn’t see the play unfold, so I have no idea if he did or didn’t travel. Coach went onto the court to protest the no-call. He got a technical. Thunder made the shots. Tarheels lost by 4. Some of Aiden’s teammates left the floor in tears. A few were really bawling.
I started saying, “Great game kids…You played your hearts out…We’ll get them next time…” And stuff like that. I expected to hear the other parents say similar things. Instead, they ran over to the ref and the director of the league and started to berate them. Some complained about other inconsistencies. Some started talking about filing a formal protest – which would cost $100 to actually do (smart thinking on the league’s part, I think). Sometimes, you have to know when enough’s enough.
Sometimes, things don’t go your way. Maybe they did have the game stolen from them by the ref. If that’s the case, you pick yourself up and move on. Don’t teach the kids to simply blame everyone else when something doesn’t go their way. I agree that the refs were inconsistent – on both sides of the ball. They didn’t lose the game for the Tarheels, though. There were missed shots and missed defensive plays that would have swung the game in the Tarheels’ favor.
In all, it was an intense, mostly fun game to watch. The kids played their hearts out and should be commended for that. I just think that some people need to keep their priorities in check. Like I said before, they’re 5-7 years old – not the NBA (although I saw as much travelling as you do in any NBA game. The difference is, most of the travels were called in this game)! I think many parents missed a golden opportunity for a teachable moment.
Although it might not have been as exciting (regulation had its share of excitement, though), we would not have had the disaster at the end of the game. It would have ended much more positively.
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I’m thinking that maybe your parents did an OK job in teaching you about balancing life….
I’d like to think so.
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