Yeah, losing 100-0 sucks, but I bet the players on the losing team would prefer that while being treated like equals, than to have a closer game because the winning team though they weren't worth competing against.

Sportsmanship would have been to call the game early, but that has to come from the losing side, not the winning side, and evidently the losing side wanted to play.

Yup.

Although, I admit it is sometimes hard to do. I remember one time in Little League Football where we were up 35-0 in the first half. The coach swapped in pretty much anyone who wanted and was able to run in the backfield, but I remember him saying that while he was going to do that, he would still have the team try to score, even if it meant another 35 points in the second. He said something like "I mean, if they can't even stop basic plays with our third-string offense and defense . . "

I'd just ask all of you who think the outcome was just peachy keen to imagine your daughter being on the losing side and being humiliated like that. What would you say to her?

How about: "You played well"? Or is that poor sportsmanship? When I was a kid playing little league baseball, we often lost, sometimes by a lot, that's what my parents told me, along with "Win or lose doesn't matter, it's how you play the game". I suppose they were poor sports too.

For whatever it's worth, ESPN's commentary on Mike & Mike in the Morning pretty clearly stated that the team was pressing, stealing, and shooting 3s after the team had a 89-0 lead in the 4th quarter.

If there is video this can be settled pretty quickly and objectively, but so far all I here is what people think they saw. Anything on youtube.com?

Not the housing part, mind you, just the meritocracy of sport.

I disagree. By not playing your best you disrespect the other team. You are treating them as inferiors.

That's it in a nut shell.

Yeah, losing 100-0 sucks, but I bet the players on the losing team would prefer that while being treated like equals, than to have a closer game because the winning team though they weren't worth competing against.

Sportsmanship would have been to call the game early, but that has to come from the losing side, not the winning side, and evidently the losing side wanted to play.

Sport is the last meritocracy. Are we going to invade that now, too?

Reports I saw suggested the coach dropped the full court press in the first quarter. Even the opposing coach can't understand the big deal; There is only so much you can do to carry a bad opposing team.

We just got through ruining the world economic system in our attempt to make housing 'fair and affordable'.

You'd think we'd stop trying to regulate outcome, at some point.

I had heard that the guy pressed and had his team jacking up threes late into the game. That's truly awful. If his side of the story is true, though, then his school's action are, in my opinion, unconscionable.

For whatever it's worth, ESPN's commentary on Mike & Mike in the Morning pretty clearly stated that the team was pressing, stealing, and shooting 3s after the team had a 89-0 lead in the 4th quarter.

I am all for learning to lose with dignity, but winning with dignity is important as well.

Beating a bunch tards is not bad sportmanship? In what planet do you live? There goes your shot at NYT. Once in Pee Wee football, my team was destroying the opponent by a wide margin- and my coach called for a defensive play to allow the other team to score (and they never knew)- that -cold hearted people - is sportmanship. I have no respect for this coach.

I disagree. By not playing your best you disrespect the other team. You are treating them as inferiors.

If you are not as good as the other teams in your league/division/section/etc. then you should move to one where you are competitive. There is no shame at not being the best, but expecting others to offer you freebies is not good sportsmanship. And neither is handing out freebies.

Personally I think too many sports have gone the route of giving everyone ribbons, trophies and medals. It cheapens the medals won by those kids who have worked hard and take their sport seriously. I'm glad this kind of nonsense isn't at all common in competitive swimming.

Unfortunately, in high school sports, small private schools frequently end up in the same region and forced to play one another, regardless of how much emphasis they place on a particular sport. As a coach against a vastly inferior team, I believe you just grit your teeth and get the game over with as quickly as possible.

Beating a bunch tards is not bad sportmanship? In what planet do you live? There goes your shot at NYT. Once in Pee Wee football, my team was destroying the opponent by a wide margin- and my coach called for a defensive play to allow the other team to score (and they never knew)- that -cold hearted people - is sportmanship. I have no respect for this coach.

Say what? Intentionally letting the other team score is good sportsmanship? We obviously have WAY different definitions of what sportsmanship should be.

You can't tell players to not play. The coach specifically said that he called a 2/3 zone (the most conservative defense there is), and that they only took 1 three pointer after the first quarter.

It sounds to me like he did all he could to NOT embarass the other team. But you can't just give up and let them score. That's more insulting to the other team than continuing to play. I played peewee football games before where my team was completely overmatched, and lost games like this (at least two I can remember that were in the 50-0 neighborhood), and I can tell you that the other team giving up and letting us score would have made me feel 100 times worse than just being shut out.