Here’s the greatest transition ever in the history of wheel barrow racing. You know, that stupid race where one person walks on his hands and his partner holds his feet while running behind. But this is not stupid at all. This is hair-raisingly awesome. This is like Magic Johnson reinventing the bounce pass. The sport of wheel barrow racing is finally ready for prime time. I can’t wait to walk on my hands again for the first time. Again. Whatever. via ShareBro James M.
This is nothing more than your garden-variety “High school students somewhere in America sell raunchy shirts of horses fingercuffing cheerleader from rival school while exchanging an equine high-five of sorts.” But everyone else is posting it, so I feel compelled to weigh in on it, even though its actual relevance to sports is significantly small.
Actual “show your school spirit” shirt sold by students to “support team.”
Those “vias” were a feminist law professor blog, and Jezebel, which is basically Cosmo in first-draft form. Anyway, it’s almost inconceivable that this is being sold by anyone other than a handful of students in some sort of underground market. Furthermore, said kids probably can’t even wear them to school. And “supporting the team” has been misinterpreted in the comments of both sites: the school isn’t seeing any money from the sale of these tees. And it’s a good thing, because the objectification of young girls wearing skimpy outfits and jumping along the sidelines uttering cheers any 8-year-old could concoct while the men are doing all the work in the field is just horrendous…except when it’s being done by cartoon Equidae of the animal kingdom. Eat your heart out, Eeyore. Among other things. Thanks, John. Also. Read the rest of this entry »
The “braintrust” running Walkersville High School in Frederick County (MD) have lost their damn minds. They fired their girls’ softball coach after he hosted a team party where alcohol was served…wait for it…TO THE PARENTS.
It was a cookout around Brad Young’s backyard swimming pool on June 11 celebrating the end of a winning season.
“And one parent brought some beers to the party. A couple of people had those– probably no more than five or six,” said Young. “No kid was uncomfortable. No kid had access to it. No kid drank. No parent got more than probably one or two beers. I did not drink.” [via]
And of course some schlupped-up parent with sand in his or her gash called the school board and that was it–Young was banned from the team that he had coached for the last five years, and whose dugouts he refurbished out of his own pocket.
A hearing has been scheduled in two weeks to determine whether or not the school’s overreacted over a beverage that over a third of the world’s population legally consumes at the high school age. You can call the school and get your two cents in that way. Because people in education can listen to reason! And some people think that teachers should be making more money. When’s the last time a professional athlete ever took alcohol out of a high schooler’s mouth? Don’t answer that.
I don’t really know how you feel about teacher-student sex or coach-player sex at the high school level. Personally, I have a hard time looking at some 16-year-old kid as a “victim” when he’s hitting some hot 23-year-old teacher. But that’s me. And, apparently now, the state of Georgia, whose landmark decision from its state supreme court has changed the landscape on age-of-consent laws in that state.
Melissa Lee Chase, a former high school softball coach, had a 10-year sentence overturned by that court last month. The conviction, stemming from a relationship with a 16-year-old at her school, was overturned since Chase was not allowed to use the 16-year-old’s consent as a defense. From The School Law Blog at Education Week:
The age of consent for sex in Georgia is 16, although school personnel are subject to the state law, revised in 2006, that bars them from sex with those under their supervision. The 16-year-old was in Chase’s class, but their romantic relationship began later. The girl testified that she had initiated and “pushed” the relationship with the teacher.
Did you see the SI cover of this high school baseball player that’s supposed to be The Next Big Thing? Actually, I thought Stephen Strasburg was supposed to be The Next Big Thing, so maybe 16-year-old Bryce Harper here is supposed to be The Next Next Big Thing. And instead of waiting to finish high school and get drafted, Harper is planning to drop out of high school, get his GED, and play junior college ball to make himself eligible for the 2010 MLB Draft. Break it down, Tom Verducci:
“But that’s not the priority,” Ron [Harper, Bryce's father] said, referring to Bryce’s draft status. “We’re preparing him for college. That’s the priority. He’s very bored in school. Maybe it’s because he’s always been around older kids. But he’s ready move on. He was very forceful. He said, ‘I don’t want to be bored any more. I want to do it, Mom. I want to do it, Dad.’ He definitely wants to do this. We spoke with his counselor, his principal and his coach, and they agreed he’s ready for this.”
“Even if he’s not [draft eligible in 2010],” Ron said, “he will play 55 games a year with a wood bat and receive an associate art degree. It’s a good situation for him.”
Seriously, unless you’re borderline-handicapped mentally or just scoring all kinds of tail, the last two years of high school are quite pointless. I like everything about this move: he’ll be close to home, he’s preparing for his career of choice, and he has the blessing and support of everyone around him. It’s really the best you can do when the pro leagues are age-discriminating against the players. Another place that age-discriminates? Taco Bell, with their new menu item, the Pitaphile. I have to pay 99 cents for it, but if you’re 12 or younger, it’s free.
Wow, another high school sports story from Iowa. Hey, how come we never see any pro sports stories out of…oh, right. From the Houston Chronicle:
An umpire emptied the stands at a high school baseball game, ejecting the entire crowd of more than 100 fans for being unruly…He said he had to take action because fans were being unruly, yelling and arguing.
However, West Burlington Superintendent James Sleister said he didn’t see any unusual behavior and said he thought the umpire overreacted.
Sorry, I gotta take the umpire’s word over someone that works in education. You don’t see this happening in Japan, do you? And they play baseball all the time. They all draw cartoons of oceanic wildlife raping female schoolchildren, but that’s splitting hairs.
