Bob CollinsA girl’s basketball game in Minnesota on Thursday night reignited an old water-cooler discussion. Is school sports about sportsmanship? Or is it about toughening up kids for the dog-eat-dog world that awaits them?
Moose Lake-Willow River beat Wrenshall — they’re known as the Lady Wrens — 65-0 this week. Moose Lake’s coach says he played his JV squad for nearly the entire second half, after his team ran up a 40-0 lead, and Wrenshall still couldn’t score. The squad is 0-5 this year.
Over the first five games of the year, the squad has lost 78-8 to Cherry, 68-22 to AlBrook, 63-21 to Cotton (Cotton was coming off a 78-20 loss), and 102-20 to Floodwood. They are ranked 19,968th in the country and 439th in the state, according to CBS Sports.
Tonight, the Wrenshall boys are playing Moose Lake, with a chance to defend the honor of their classmates.
Can kids learn something from a 65-0 loss in basketball? If so, what is it?
