• Where has the sportsmanship gone? Where has the sportsmanship gone? By Duane Shimogawa – The Garden Island Alright, with this past weekend clearly out of view, it’s time to ask the question that has been on my mind for
• Where has the sportsmanship gone?
Where has the sportsmanship gone?
By Duane Shimogawa – The Garden Island
Alright, with this past weekend clearly out of view, it’s time to ask the question that has been on my mind for the past couple of days.
Where has the sportsmanship gone? Since when does a team not show up to play in their championship game? Since when do players not even think about finishing off of their seasons with a title at stake? Since when does a team decide to take it into their own hands and spoil it for everyone else?
The questions go on and on, and I could fill up this whole sports page with questions, but that wouldn’t be worth it, plus I’d rather see local people who deserve their time in the limelight.
This past Saturday, which also happened to be my birthday, was one of the worst days for sportsmanship on Kaua‘i.
Then again, it could’ve been much worse. However, I’m referring to the Kaua‘i Youth Basketball Association’s boys 19-and-under championships held at Kapa‘a High School Gym on Saturday.
Both the title and third-place games were forfeited. Now, when was the last time you heard of, or saw a championship game forfeited?
Furthermore, when was the last time you witnessed a sporting event, where one of the team’s decided to not show up at the championship game? I have never seen an instance, nor did I ever think that I’d ever see it here on Kaua‘i, where sports reigns supreme and is considered an important way of life.
The Southside Boys (the team that didn’t show up to play in the boys 19U championship game) might have all the excuses in the world, but when it comes to sportsmanship, the team finished last in the league (tied with Zoom Zoom).
I could find a slew of players who would jump out of the gym to suit up for a championship game.
To make things worse, though, the third-place game was also forfeited, as the Kapa‘s Warriors took the bronze medals home thanks to Zoom Zoom, who failed to show up.
Imagine that, winning something, just for waking up in the morning and going to work or school, or even to something that you love to do!
Early last week, it was evident that things weren’t as rosy for the four top seeds in the boys 19-and-under playoffs.
Zoom Zoom, the number-one-seed, were upset, literally and decided that if they weren’t going to play for the championship, they’d rather not play at all.
That’s definitely not something I learned when I was in high school or even playing youth sports.
What has happened to those year’s where playing in a game wasn’t an option, it was a requirement, let alone be it a championship game?
If you find out the answer, let me know and you’ll win yourself a Matson container filled with sportsmanship, so you can share it with whom you might think needs it.
The loss was probably a wake-up call for the team, but unfortunately, the alarm didn’t sound, as Zoom Zoom, caught a huge dose of the Z’s.
Amazingly though, the lack of sportsmanship at Kapa‘a Gym fizzled away with the appearance of the 19-and-under girls teams that changed their schedules to play later in the day.
Coach Candice and Coach Gee lightened up the atmosphere, along with their teams, who looked as though if the only thing on their minds was basketball and just playing the sport they love and it looks as if the 19U girls won’t follow in their counterparts’ footsteps, hopefully (crossing my fingers)!
Duane Shimogawa, Sports Editor can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 257) and kauaisports@pulitzer.net
