GHS vs LHS
I told myself to stay off of Facebook last night to try and avoid the onslaught of statuses and arguments revolving around the game. I thought it would be safe by this afternoon, but unfortunately that isn’t the case. So, two things:
First, the usual. Yes, Granada is in NCS and Livermore isn’t. But Livermore played better than Granada this time, and the score reflects that. That doesn’t mean that Granada players “suck” or that Livermore players do. And that certainly doesn’t mean that fans should yell about how bad another team’s players are. There’s a reason that our 6th Mans cheer from the bleachers rather than play on the court: the people that sit there aren’t skilled enough to make the team. Of course, fans are always going to question calls, point out fouls, and call attention to dirty playing, and that’s normal. Sometimes, even a bit of moderated humor might add to the fun of a game. But making ignorant claims about the abilities of players on either team is just ridiculous, especially at a game like this when things are already tense.
In every school, there are kids that are quiet and kids that are loud. Of the ones that are loud, a portion are also rude. It’s just too bad that when rude kids get involved in school-related controversies, their sheer volume makes it seem like they’re speaking for the rest of their school. The great majority of students from both Livermore and Granada are being respectful and good-natured about this, and I hate to see such a strain on our schools thanks to a few immature loudmouths.
Second: As always, when a Facebook controversy pops up, some level-headed people try to add some perspective to the scene by pointing out that all this damage is being done for the sake of a mere sports game. And that’s one thing that I have to disagree with this time.
This wasn’t just another cross-town game. Emotions were running incredibly high for our players, for our 6th Man, and for our whole school, following the passing of Cliff Pope. The events leading up to this game and the build-up before it had players and many fans so high strung that to call this “just another game” seems offensive to me, even if offered with good intentions. And the few Livermore students that poke fun at our players as “crybabies” have absolutely no idea how rude and disrespectful they sound, and how emotionally taxing the past few days have been for our team.
All in all, this was just a single loss in one of Granada basketball’s best seasons in years. And if our boys have shown anything in the past few weeks, it’s their strength and ability to push through losses, on the court and off.
