Today, Covenant School in Dallas, Texas, has been praised for its headmaster Kyle Queale’s actions. After a 100-0 drubbing of the winless Dallas Academy, a school for learning disabled kids, Queale apologized to the losing team and fired the head girl’s basketball coach, Micah Grimes. This decision was made in response to Grimes’ email to a newspaper disagreeing with school administrators and stating that he would not apologize “for a wide margin victory when my girls played with honor and integrity”.
Questions have been raised as to the honor and integrity of such a one-sided victory. A 59-0 halftime lead and a full court trap press and pressure defense throughout the game, as well as long range 3-point shots throughout the fourth quarter, all point to a lack of respect for the losing team.
A referee who witnessed a similar game six years ago in The Netherlands, where a coach was using his team to fulfill his own broken professional dreams, noted that the game should have been stopped for the sake of the players. He argued that the punishment for Grimes was too lenient, and that the lasting effect of such a drubbing on the self-esteem and ego of the young players should not be overlooked.
The actions of Queale have been applauded for their class, and serve as a reminder that sportsmanship and respect for opponents should always be at the forefront of competition.
