I think that's what he said. I was just shocked when he said that no one ever closed to within the mercy rule margin again. Have to play some pretty bad D and miss a whole lot of shots for that to happen.

A few years ago we were winning by a significant margin at half time in the last game of the season. Some kid on their team hadn't scored all season. Their coach approached before me the start of the second and told me that, so I agreed to tell my guys to defend a baseline screen the wrong way so this kid could get open. After about 3 times, he finally hit an open shot at the rim.

Some people are against that, but what harm does it do? If the kid hasn't scored all season he obviously isn't going to think he's all that hitting one wide open one in the last game. I have no problem letting a kid feel a bit of accomplishment.

Several years ago, there was some girl on....Tennessee maybe?....who was 1 point away from the collegiate scoring record and got injured. The next game she started in a soft cast, and as prearranged with the other team, they got the tip and she hit an open shot art the rim. The other team then scored an uncontested layup. I'm actually against something like that because that took a record away from someone else.

11-12. Correct.

This is a rec team, there are plenty of no mercy sports teams around here also.

And then there was Brett Farv-reh's soccer flop that gave Michael Strahan the sack record.

Yeah -I don't know why anyone would want to own a record that way.

At first the linked story read like it was going to say that the one team lost on purpose because of the emotional loss experienced by the other team. And that, to me, isn't good sportsmanship.

But this story is fine. I agree it isn't a rare display of sportsmanship, just rare as a way that good sportsmanship can be displayed (see also, story from last year of opposing team that carried batter who hit home run around the bases after she broke her leg running the bases).

As for the 100-0 basketball game, I got flamed to hell for it on MousePad but I don't view that as particularly poor sportsmanship. Definitely poor scheduling.

Same thing happened last year with O's team (7 & 8yos) except at the end of the game, the other team completely stepped away and let the girl shoot 3 times until she made a shot. Girls from both teams celebrated the basket. Kudos to all coaches of young kids who try to instill the idea that sports is about more than winning. (As opposed to the coach of the team they played last week who coached and encouraged his team to shove and elbow our girls throughout the game.)

I don't know of any coach who wouldn't have done the same thing in that situation. There just aren't too many coaches who are interested in picking up two points in that manner.
I've had that same situation where I've drawn up plays for the kid who hasn't scored all season but I'll be damned if I'd ever go begging to the opposing coach. Run the play and spring the kid open for a shot...it's not that difficult. Kids know a rigged situation when they see one, and most kids will not respect such an obvious farce.

Well, it wasn't like I told them to lie down. I just told them to defend a screen improperly - turn and chase the screener, defender of the man geting the screen stays too far on the weakside and gets hung up on it. A common mistake.

Plus, my defense is so good that coaches can't draw up plays for open shots against it. :)

Also, I knew the other coach - there was some relationship there. It isn't like he just came over and begged.

I don't blame you for what you did, sca. It would probably have been some sort of dick move on your part if you had told him no. I just think the coach should have found a way to get the kid a legit basket. This assumes, of course, that the coach hadn't been trying to do just that all season. Who knows? Either way, credit to the coach for recognizing the importance of a basket to that child. I've seen many coaches who don't notice or don't care about such things.