The sad news that the Jackie Robinson West All Stars were stripped of their 2014 Championship title due to the alleged acts of adults, has caused an uproar, and rightfully so. Last year, this was the feel good story of the season.
They were the first African American team to actually win a U.S. Little League World Series, but apparently they cheated. After researching the teams background, it appears that they used boys that lived outside of its district to play on the team. It’s a rule violation.
Despite the behind-the-scenes moves, the talent, the tenacity, strength and motivation of these youngsters should not be forgotten. The youth who did nothing more but dedicate their time and focus to a game they enjoy, should not be punished.
So many people have expressed outrage and angst at the decision to declare the Chicago team as the U.S. Champions. The major of Chicago tried to intervene for the team, but the decision still stands. I guess rules are rules!
Read more at Jet.mag
BMWK, do you think they should take their Championship away?
Yes, rules are rules, but rules only matter if the same rules apply to EVERYONE playing the game.
What’s funny is that the so-called whistleblowers (the team that JRW whipped 43-2, by the way) committed the same actions the adults in charge of the JRW team allegedly did and so did just about everyone else according to the CEO of the International Little League Organization (not sure of its correct name). So, if every other team was allowed to use players from outside of their district and no one else was stripped of titles, neither should JRW. Or, if JRW will be stripped of their title, so should every other team who did the same exact thing.
IMHO, besides the obvious racism, this reeks of sour grapes, arrogance and white privilege. This team of Black boys put a whipping on every other team, so the adult white men searched through voter registration, DMV and other records of these parents to concoct their extremely hypocritical case against this team. I mean, “how dare these Black men think that they can do the same exact things we’ve always done to build a winning little league team and give us a thorough beatdown to boot?” How dare they!
By the way, here’s a link to one article where a parent admits that her son was recruited by the whistleblower team to play for them, even though he did not live in their district: https://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2015/2/12/8025053/little-league-world-series-jackie-robinson-west-evergreen-park
My thoughts exactly. The adults couldn’t stand the loss. Meanwhile it’s okay (read privilege) for their kids to cheat on SATs.