Blowouts and Blowhards

This past weekend and the weekend before that, my boys the Jimmy Lee Jets have beaten the opposing teams by a combined score of 130 - 0. That is not an exaggeration, nor is it an untruth. They are unbeaten this year and have worked hard to get there and had a lot of fun along the way. Just ask them.
Now, at the last tournament in Oakdale we were invited to, we beat all five teams to take the trophy. Then it started.

1. "You have older kids on your team" Our kids meet the age guidelines for 3rd graders and under. We meet the weight reqs for running backs and linemen.

2. "Your kids are so physical" I thought this was football. A game where you tackle and block each other by using your body, hands and PHYSICAL strength. We do not allow cheap shots or taunting.

3. We DO build student athletes.

4. We DO tutor kids that need it.

5. We DO have the "Ticket to Play" program. Each player must take a sheet to school to be filled out by their teacher that says what kind of week they had at school. If a bad report comes in, they get to dress in their uniform, go to the game and stand next to me as my waterboy the whole game. They DO NOT get to play. If their parents come to us and say they have been out of line, they DO NOT get to play.

Basically these people are saying we cheat. Our kids come to play and are prepared to play. Some of them have come out and been with us since they were five years old. We teach the fundamentals, we teach fair play and we teach them to be good sports. They shake hands with the other team after a game win or lose. We DO NOT celebrate at the other team's expense.
It's really sad that when you are beaten fairly and by better teams that people want to start looking for ways to cheapen your win.