Bad Calls

I found this story interesting about how the a boys' basketball team from a Jewish day school in Texas will have to forego its earned-berth in the state finals tourney of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools ("TAPP"). The Director of TAPP - an association of religious schools, mind you - did not sound particularly convincing to me when he said, "If the schools are just going to arrange their own schedule, why do we even set a tournament?" But I found the spirit of the team - as described by their coach and a dad - quite refreshing. As the coach said, "We have a pretty mature group of guys . . . They knew this could happen down the road.” According to the dad, "It’s disappointing, . . . I think the kids will be disappointed, too, but the team has this attitude of when there are bad calls, you just move on."

Digging a little further, I see that the Beren Academy's situation stems directly from the fact that the Jewish Sabbath falls on different days from the Christian Sabbath. According to this Houston Chronicle article, "Neither TAPPS nor UIL teams are allowed to play any sports on Sundays, when Christians traditionally worship." (UIL appears to be another Texas-based athletic conference.)

Is this a case of some kind of religious discrimination? The coach/athletic director says no (not altogether convincingly, though): "I don't think it has anything to do with our school being Jewish . . . We were well aware it could come to this. But one thing that gave us hope that our game time might be changed was a Seventh Day Adventist school had games rescheduled in a TAPPS state soccer tournament a few years ago." (Click here for full article.). Even the Anti-Defamation League is exercising diplomacy: "ADL recognizes that many of the private and parochial schools with TAPPS membership are faith-based institutions where religion is an extremely significant part of the education process and the lives of students who attend. . . . We are hopeful the leadership of TAPPS will keep that in mind when making a decision about Beren Academy’s request ....” (full press release here)

I am definitely not a sufficiently informed observer to attempt to draw any conclusions here about basketball and religion in Texas (or anywhere for that matter.)

But I can tell you that I appreciate how the lesson the team draws from this is not to cry foul, but to move on after a bad call.