A few days ago, Slick Rick suggested I blog about the Tennessee high school girls basketball teams who were each trying to lose a game in order to get a better draw in a tournament. The story is old enough that most have heard about it so I won't bother to re-post any of the original article. I believe both of the teams and coaches were reprimanded for their actions.
I've read a few opinions, most suggesting the coaches and players should be burned at the stake or, at the very least, be given a stern dressing down. As Herm Edwards says, "you play to win the game." If you're not playing to win, then you're doing something wrong.
My first thought, however, was what a horrible job of bracketing a tournament. When it's more advantageous to lose than it is to win, that's a faulty bracket.
If I had a high school team, my ultimate goal would be to advance to the state tournament and try to win it. If by losing a game earlier in the season, I can somehow get an easier path to the state tournament, I'm not gonna lie, I might consider it.
Hey, in this year's Arkansas 2A Boys Tournament. Junction City and Clarendon, arguably, are the two best teams. The bracket has them meeting up in the semifinals. If either one of them had lost in the regional finals, they would've been on the opposite side of the bracket.
I'm not saying they should've thrown the game. But, if they had, as Chris Rock might say, "I'd understand."
I understand why the Tennessee coaches did what they did. Perhaps their biggest crime was being so blatant. To have kids intentionally miss free throws and shoot at the wrong basket, that really is making a mockery of the game.
If you're going to play, play to win.
On the other hand, if you're going to draw up a bracket, do the damn thing right. Seed the teams properly and this sort of thing won't happen.
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