watchdog

Well once again our referees "helped" determine a district game! Way to go refs! Such a shame.

After reading the responses regarding the incident between the Ozen/Central players I still think that some people just do not get it. Regardless of the school or ethnicity it is is just plain wrong that we as a community have allowed this sport to be hijacked this way. Of course we want the kids to win but not at the expense of character. It's as if the philosophy is "play hard, play dirty and don't get caught". Just as children do not come into this world with hate and racism in their hearts, players do not go onto the court and play "their" game without the sanctioned approval of their parents, coaches, athletic directors and referees. Such a shame that it is all about "winning". What happened to the addage "It's not about whether you win or lose but how you PLAYED the game"? A backetball court should be neutral territory and not tainted by race or bias. Let the kids play their best, coached by coaches with character and refereed by refs with character and observed by fans/family with character. It's not that difficult, you just might be surprised.

I am not the least bit surprised that this happened, in fact what surprises me is that it did not happen before last night. As far as I am concerned coaches, referees, parents and players have let this sport spiral out of control. If you enjoy contact sports you can add basketball to your list. From what I have seen over the last few years this sport has been denegrated to what we see now.  Because coaches and referees have allowed this sport to become so physical, it puts fear and anger in my heart whenever I go to a game. I know that there will be bias from the referees and I know that certain coaches will be high-fiving their players when they are fouled out of the game. What happen to sportsmanship, class on the court and good, honest playmanship?