
Atrocious basketball parents
In this video clip of the championship basketball game last night in CHYSC’s 12-14 year-old division, between the very talented and hard-driving Sixers (for whom my son played) and Jazz, a parent to my right screams and hurls verbal abuse at the referee. (This went on by several Jazz supporters throughout the course of the game but I was afraid to direct the camera in their direction for fear of getting attacked and my wife left the game early for the same reason)
As a Sixers player is about to attempt a foul shot, a Jazz player waves his arms up and down to encourage the crowd to create a din to distract the shooter and the Jazz parents more than oblige.
At the foul shoot, what comes out of the mother-to-my-left’s mouth is equally charming, “Miss!”
I only regret that I don’t have footage of the Jazz coach giving the angry, verbal abuse to the referees that earned him only one of many deserved technical fouls.
Or of the mother who, when the Jazz were trailing, loudly berated her own son for not getting more rebounds.
Or of the scary, profanity-laced altercation between parents in the parking lot a few weeks ago after another basketball game.
Or of the uniformed police officers who seemed to be less than coincidentally present at Friday night basketball games after that incident.
When I shook the hand of the Jazz coach after the game, I neglected to congratulate him and tell him I was disappointed at our team’s loss but also happy for his players because we are acquainted with these boys and they are poetry in motion driving towards the hoop and scoring!
Instead I told him how glad I was his team won because I didn’t want there to be any blood. I couldn’t have been more sincere.
Brian Rudnick