It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game. And it's what you post on social media afterward.
Tough lesson for a girls softball team (ages 12 to 15). The team from Atlee was disqualified from the Championship for a social media post after they defeated Kirkland.
There had been some ugliness in the game that got a Kirkland player and a Kirkland coach ejected. And apparently, when the game was over, the Atlee girls showed out they felt about Kirkland in a Snapchat post.
Using their middle fingers.
The post was taken down (but still lives on the Internet.. also a tough lesson). Apologies were issued. But Little League felt the best way to teach this lesson about sportsmanship was to disqualify the team and give the slot to Kirkland instead.
Unfair? All I can think about are the team members who did NOT participate and had to endure the punishment as well. And the parents. I feel for them. Kids make mistakes and do stupid things, but thanks to the Internet, everyone sees it, talks about it, and points fingers. Maybe even the middle one.
This whole story feels like a fastball to the gut.