Story Archive

Teaching Character through Sports

Eugene Solano’s basketball players told him someone on the bench had been encouraging people on the other team to elbow them in the face during a game in Rocklin, Calif. Video shows she’d even extended a leg toward an opposing player, as if to trip him while he dribbled the ball past her. “This specific team is our 10-year-old and under team,” said Solano, but the problem person wasn’t so young: she was a parent. Officials from both teams said in a statement that they had “addressed the situation with the parent involved,” and the woman has been banned from future tournaments. “Are there other parents who take child or youth athletics this seriously,” Solano said, “where you would actually attempt to harm a child?” (AC/KTXL Sacramento) ...Remember kids: if you want to act like a grown-up, make sure you pick the right grown-up.