Prep sports is supposed to be about a few distinct things: participation, teamwork, comraderie, hustle, loyalty and respect just to name a few. But I saw something on Tuesday night that doesn’t lump in with any of those words, and I wasn’t particularly happy about it.
I walked into the Saydel High School gym with about 20 minutes to spare before the Eagles took on the PCM Mustangs in a volleyball match. I sat down where I typically do to take some action photos, chatted up some parents and awaited the start of the match.
With about two minutes remaining on the gym’s clock, player introductions began. The Mustang girls were introduced just like any other gym would do, but the introduction for the Eagle girls was let’s just say a bit over the top.
The lights were lowered. Music was pumped up. A spotlight shone on the court, and the gym announcer proceeded to do his best Space Jam announcer impression. Far be it from me to criticize some high school kids trying to have a little fun before a sporting event, and this says absolutely nothing about the effort of the girls on the court, but it was way over the top.
All those things I mentioned before about the core values of prep sports are what is right