# Now that is classy: RO \[H.S. girls basketball blowout\] **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 26, 2009, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-is-classy-ro-h-s-girls-basketball-blowout/483013 "2009-01-26T04:21:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2009, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-is-classy-ro-h-s-girls-basketball-blowout/483013/101 "2009-01-26T18:51:12Z")
> [@Agent\_Foxtrot](#): > > Only in our touchy-feely ultrasensitive culture do we feel the need to punish winners and coddle losers. And I’m a freakin’ liberal left-wingnut. > [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I don’t think there’s anything wrong with running up a score. I enjoy watching teams run up scores. How about some context though. Two professional teams, featuring grown adults being paid millions … sure, run it on up. If the one team doesn’t like it … all they have to do is stop the other team if they can. Girls High School Basketball? Is it really fucking necessary? Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. It doesn’t have to do with coddling, it has to do with not being a fucking douche-bag sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2009, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-is-classy-ro-h-s-girls-basketball-blowout/483013/102 "2009-01-26T18:54:08Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > How about some context though. > > Two professional teams, featuring grown adults being paid millions … sure, run it on up. If the one team doesn’t like it … all they have to do is stop the other team if they can. > > Girls High School Basketball? Is it really fucking necessary? Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. It doesn’t have to do with coddling, it has to do with not being a fucking douche-bag sometimes. Using your comparison, a high school basketball team can quit anytime they want. They’re not paid, and no one’s forcing them to stick around after the score tops 65-0. ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2009, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-is-classy-ro-h-s-girls-basketball-blowout/483013/103 "2009-01-26T18:54:24Z")
Have you seen video of the losing squad? Some of them literally cannot dribble the ball. Some of them had never even played basketball prior to joining the team. They have a great attitude (one of the girls said that they were proud because they didn’t quit) but really, their basketball skills are pretty much nonexistent. I’m sure with time and effort they’ll improve, but from the video I watched, it would be a real achievement for them to even get the ball across the halfcourt line without a traveling or double dribble call. Unless the other team is sitting on their hands along the baseline, I don’t see how they _couldn’t_ run up the score on them. They probably didn’t even have to make an effort on defense; just stand near the girl that you’re guarding and she’s likely to dribble it off her knee any second now. The coaches said that they never pay much attention to scores in their games, they just enjoy playing together. Great, so why pit them against a team that you KNOW will kick their asses? This game should never have taken place. None of the girls seem particularly traumatized, and they’re getting Mark Cuban to take them all to a game and meet NBA players. I think they made out pretty well considering. ---
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2009, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-is-classy-ro-h-s-girls-basketball-blowout/483013/104 "2009-01-26T18:54:28Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I remember that story and thinking it was totally inappropriate for the other team to help her around the bases. Her run shouldn’t have counted. It was completely fraudulent. It disrespected the game. If you aren’t going to follow the rules, what’s the point? What are we going to do next, have somebody up on a ladder catching basketballs from lousy players and dropping them through the hoop? Making runners stop to let a paraplegic crawl across the finish line first? Let’s just skip the games altogether and give everybody a trophy. No one should ever have to earn anything because competition is so mean. I believe it WAS in the rules of baseball (or at least softball) - so cite the rules to back up your claim of fraud or shut the fuck up.. I don’t have my umpire book on me (it is in my ump bag), but interference / obstruction would be the only call - and they were not guilty of it. That was not some “let the wheel chair kid win” situation - the batter blew out her knee while on the base path. The opposing team deserves every accolade that they received - because they played within the spirit of the game, and did not violate the letter of the rules of the game either. I have been the coach in blowout situations. One season in AYSO soccer I built up one hell of a powerhouse team of elementary school boys. Our league was adamant that you were not to score more than 5 points over your opponent (5-0, 6-1, etc.). I was also required to play everyone for 3 quarters - I did not have a “bench” of poor players. The first time we hit 5-0 early, I pulled my best players back to defense. My worst players were still being able to get close to the goal. The next time we hit 5-0, I pulled EVERYONE back to defense. When they other team would get past the midline - they hit a wall and would bounce off. It looked ugly. The third time we hit 5-0, I made my players play keep away. They would pass the ball around on the other team’s half of the field, just so that they could practice their skills. That was not perfect either. It is very hard to keep a game enjoyable when you completely dominate in skills. No matter what you do, it will be obvious to the other team what you are doing. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2009, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-is-classy-ro-h-s-girls-basketball-blowout/483013/105 "2009-01-26T18:55:16Z")
> [@Keweenaw](#): > > He was fired because his wouldn’t go along with the apology and publicly dissented. His story about the game is somewhat self-serving, I’m sure. Still, his school was blaming his players to mollify the public. I don’t blame him for objecting. ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2009, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-is-classy-ro-h-s-girls-basketball-blowout/483013/106 "2009-01-26T18:56:26Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > It’s a bit mind boggling to me that they didn’t score a single point. Did the other team manage to steal the ball every time without fouling the other team? Did they not get any freethrow shots or just miss them all? See my post above. Of course I don’t have the box score, but even if they did get a chance at a free throw, chances are it would be an airball. These are not very skilled basketball players we’re talking about. ---
**Author:** ![cmosdes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@cmosdes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmosdes)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2009, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-is-classy-ro-h-s-girls-basketball-blowout/483013/107 "2009-01-26T19:01:25Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I remember that story and thinking it was totally inappropriate for the other team to help her around the bases. Her run shouldn’t have counted. It was completely fraudulent. It disrespected the game. If you aren’t going to follow the rules, what’s the point? Cite? What rule was broken? I get it. You think people should play as hard as they can at every moment of every game. If you don’t like losing, stop them. If you are up by 1,000 and you can stop them, do it, even in the name of sacrificing sportsmanship. To not try your best is an insult to the game and the other players. There is another side to which you are completely blind. No one is claiming everyone has to go home a winner. Learning how to lose is important, but so is winning gracefully and not rubbing people’s faces in it. You must be a joy to play against. ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2009, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-is-classy-ro-h-s-girls-basketball-blowout/483013/108 "2009-01-26T19:01:45Z")
Regarding the softball player helped around the bases… > [@](#): > > As one of the umpires involved in the game between Central Washington and Western Oregon confirmed in an e-mail to [ESPN.com](http://ESPN.com), the rule in question was misinterpreted on the field after Tucholsky’s injury and later clarified by the NCAA. > > According to page 105, rule 8.5.3.2 of the NCAA softball rule book, “If an injury to a batter-runner or runner prevents her from proceeding to an awarded base, the ball is dead and the substitution can be made. The substitute must legally touch all awarded or missed bases not previously touched.” ---
**Author:** ![Kaio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@Kaio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaio)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2009, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-is-classy-ro-h-s-girls-basketball-blowout/483013/109 "2009-01-26T19:01:46Z")
First, I have no idea what “running up the score” means in this context. Unless it’s the winning team continuing to score even after it was clear they were winning. But I’m hard-pressed to figure out just what they were “supposed” to do for the second half of the game, just stand around with their thumbs up their asses? Unless a ref was going to call the game early, which they didn’t do and the girls weren’t responsible for, I can’t see anything wrong with continuing to play the game that they were there to play. (And I’d think that having the ref call the game at halftime, essentially telling the losing team that they’re so bad they might as well just give up, is no less embarrassing than continuing to play. It also seems like the losing team had a good handle on positive attitude, “keep trying”, and good sportsmanship, so I don’t think the game lacked value to them even if they did lose.) Secondly, I don’t get the outrage. It’s not like it’s their fault that the other team sucked. Again, what were the players supposed to do? Throw the game out of pity? Dick around playing “keep away” for half an hour (which probably would have been construed as “taunting” too)? What? I think it’s outrageous that people feel a need to criticize the girls for playing well. WTF? ---
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2009, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-is-classy-ro-h-s-girls-basketball-blowout/483013/110 "2009-01-26T19:02:23Z")
> [@cmosdes](#): > > Cite? What rule was broken? > > I get it. You think people should play as hard as they can at every moment of every game. If you don’t like losing, stop them. If you are up by 1,000 and you can stop them, do it, even in the name of sacrificing sportsmanship. To not try your best is an insult to the game and the other players. > > There is another side to which you are completely blind. No one is claiming everyone has to go home a winner. Learning how to lose is important, but so is winning gracefully and not rubbing people’s faces in it. > > You must be a joy to play against. Since she knocked it over the fence, Dio wanted her to crawl the bases to earn her run. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2009, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-is-classy-ro-h-s-girls-basketball-blowout/483013/111 "2009-01-26T19:07:46Z")
> [@Cuckoorex](#): > > See my post above. Of course I don’t have the box score, but even if they did get a chance at a free throw, chances are it would be an airball. These are not very skilled basketball players we’re talking about. Then I agree with your other point, this game should never have taken place at all. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2009, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-is-classy-ro-h-s-girls-basketball-blowout/483013/112 "2009-01-26T19:09:40Z")
> [@Agent\_Foxtrot](#): > > Using your comparison, a high school basketball team can quit anytime they want. They’re not paid, and no one’s forcing them to stick around after the score tops 65-0. True, but that’s not in the spirit of the game, as scholastically hosted extracurricular activities should strive to be. The spirit of the game doesn’t include kicking the shit out of the nerds from St. Hibiscus because they suck so bad either. ---
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2009, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-is-classy-ro-h-s-girls-basketball-blowout/483013/113 "2009-01-26T19:11:50Z")
Part of the problem with quitting is determining how to count the points in a forfeit, when determining standings for tournament seeding. A win by forfeit can hurt a team, putting them into a tough place in the brackets. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2009, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-is-classy-ro-h-s-girls-basketball-blowout/483013/114 "2009-01-26T19:12:07Z")
> [@Kaio](#): > > First, I have no idea what “running up the score” means in this context. Unless it’s the winning team continuing to score even after it was clear they were winning. But I’m hard-pressed to figure out just what they were “supposed” to do for the second half of the game, just stand around with their thumbs up their asses? Your inability to understand the concept of strategy within a basketball game does not constitute an argument. No, you do not stand around with your thumb up your ass, you play the game under a low scoring, ball control, time consuming strategy, rather than playing under a run and gun high scoring strategy. ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2009, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-is-classy-ro-h-s-girls-basketball-blowout/483013/115 "2009-01-26T19:16:06Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Have we forgotten our history? It was not that long ago that America under Truman sought total victory over Germany and Japan—at least until we were assured a win. After that, it was only sporting to let them keep killing a few odd soldiers of ours, here and there. Sink the occasional ship. Dammit, just because it’s war doesn’t mean _feelings_ can’t get hurt! You’re kidding, right? This is hyperbole to demonstrate just how silly the “take no prisoners” attitude of the point mongering side is, right? Because if you’re not kidding, lemme 'splain something to you. Two middle school girls’ basketball teams with a problem regarding sportsmanship is not the same by _any_ standard as the world’s largest military conflict against two aggressive dictatorial regimes with a habit of committing war crimes and atrocities on a daily basis. On this side: a group of 13 year old girls and an asshole coach who need lessons in sportsmanship, class, and dignity. On that side: 50 to 70 million dead human beings. Basketball is not the same as global warfare. Different rules apply. Telling a group of teenagers to lighten up is not the same as allowing fascism to wipe out an entire race and religion of people, conquer the world, and end civilization as we know it. ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Chitwood)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2009, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-is-classy-ro-h-s-girls-basketball-blowout/483013/116 "2009-01-26T19:17:06Z")
> [@Kaio](#): > > First, I have no idea what “running up the score” means in this context. A lot of people are with you on that point, apparently. Again, a hundred fucking points is a total that you have to aggressively pursue. They scored a hundred fucking points because they were gunning for it. Walk the ball up the fucking court, set a couple of picks, run somebody off of a curl and shoot a jump shot, then run back down the court, play a passive zone defense, don’t foul the shooter but contest, box out, get the rebound, repeat. If you do that, and you make every shot, and the other team misses every shot, you don’t score a hundred fucking points. You score a hundred fucking points if you’re playing uptempo for the specific purpose of scoring a hundred fucking points, with the necessary side effect of humiliating a bunch of teenage girls who are playing basketball because it’s supposed to be, like, fun, to play on a team, or whatever. For fuck’s sake, does anybody think it’s a coincidence that they finished on such a round number? They were facing an opponent that couldn’t keep them from getting to whatever spot on the floor they wanted to, thus they probably could have scored 200 points if they were really intent on doing so, because they were basically playing uncontested out there. Why is it so absurd that people are saying that scoring a hundred fucking points in a thirty-two minute game, where a hundred fucking points is a number you only get to if you take a lot of shots, is a little bit fucked up? Is there any behavior that would count as unnecessary and cruel, or is girls’ high school basketball now the jungle? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2009, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-is-classy-ro-h-s-girls-basketball-blowout/483013/117 "2009-01-26T19:17:08Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > Out of curiousity, is that true at all levels of competition? Would you enjoy watching a little league team run up the score on an opponent, if they could? Sure, why not? > [@](#): > > Also, what is it about that that you enjoy? The novelty, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2009, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-is-classy-ro-h-s-girls-basketball-blowout/483013/118 "2009-01-26T19:25:59Z")
> [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](#): > > A lot of people are with you on that point, apparently. > > Again, a hundred fucking points is a total that you have to aggressively pursue. They scored a hundred fucking points because they were gunning for it. Walk the ball up the fucking court, set a couple of picks, run somebody off of a curl and shoot a jump shot, then run back down the court, play a passive zone defense, don’t foul the shooter but contest, box out, get the rebound, repeat. If you do that, and you make every shot, and the other team misses every shot, you don’t score a hundred fucking points. You score a hundred fucking points if you’re playing uptempo for the specific purpose of scoring a hundred fucking points, with the necessary side effect of humiliating a bunch of teenage girls who are playing basketball because it’s supposed to be, like, fun, to play on a team, or whatever. Again, have you actually seen video of the losing girls’ squad at practice? Some of them literally cannot dribble the ball. I mean it’s on the level of a kindergartner trying to play with a regulation NBA ball. The other team wouldn’t need to set ANY picks, run any plays, or play any kind of intense defense to score 100. > [@](#): > > For fuck’s sake, does anybody think it’s a coincidence that they finished on such a round number? They were facing an opponent that couldn’t keep them from getting to whatever spot on the floor they wanted to, thus they probably could have scored 200 points if they were really intent on doing so, because they were basically playing uncontested out there. Wait, so by this reasoning, stopping at 100 points is actually an act of mercy since they could have REALLY stepped it up and scored 200. Right? ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2009, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-is-classy-ro-h-s-girls-basketball-blowout/483013/119 "2009-01-26T19:26:31Z")
> [@phouka](#): > > You’re kidding, right? It’s **Vinyl Turnip** , so it’s usually a good bet that he is. ---
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2009, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-is-classy-ro-h-s-girls-basketball-blowout/483013/120 "2009-01-26T19:28:35Z")
> [@Cuckoorex](#): > > Regarding the softball player helped around the bases… Cool! thanks for the cite! I wonder if they have something similar for NCAA baseball? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-is-classy-ro-h-s-girls-basketball-blowout/483013.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-is-classy-ro-h-s-girls-basketball-blowout/483013.md?page=7)