The 2020 Armstrong Bank Sequoyah County Area Classic wrapped up in Muldrow recently with nothing short of the only thing the annual tournament is guaranteed to produce.
Drama.
Social media is ablaze lately, particularly my inbox, because we still have some locals who feel like I'm responsible for all things Roland-news. As much as I'd love that responsibility, I'm not the guy. What I am responsible for is shedding some light on a particular situation that many feel should result in an area high school basketball coach "losing his job" because some folks are hurt and they don't understand two things.
Passion and symbolism.
Before we get to the passion and symbolism, let's attack another topic.
Cancel culture is something that has affected me in my personal and professional life. Usually it's because of "something that somebody heard." And why is cancel culture relevant? Because people feel like real-life stops where their feelings begin. And let me tell you something about feelings....
They change.
If you know anything about anything around here, you know you can't have a basketball tournament without some heat. You also can't have a basketball tournament involving Roland and Muldrow without some heat. And we all know for damn sure you can't have Roland and Muldrow in the finals of the tournament without there being a fire somewhere.
Per the usual, four years in a row now, the Muldrow Lady Bulldogs are SCAC tournament champions. There's nothing wrong with that, if you're a Bulldog. On the other hand, if you're a Roland Ranger, there's a huge problem.
Imagine you're a basketball coach.
Imagine you coach for the school you rivaled against when you played as a student athlete.
Imagine you've lost somewhere to the tune of 11 consecutive times now to your new rival.
Imagine your rival has won the county tournament gold three times over you since you began at your new school.
Imagine the fact that the school you can't beat for three years now has been loaded with college-caliber athletes for all of those three years.
Imagine you had your rival beat in the tournament championship on year three until fundamental mistakes ruined the night.
Now that we have the facts out of the way, imagine what it's like to be handed a piece of hardware, year after year, congratulating you for not being the best at what you do. A piece of hardware congratulating you for your players not playing to their full ability.
I wouldn't have thrown it in the trash. Personally, I would've orchestrated a bonfire and retired the trophy like an old, tattered flag and posted the pictures all over social media. Because I'm Clint Davis and that's how I roll.
Now, imagine you have some people in your town, at your school, maybe some parents of your players, maybe some regular fans, who want you to lose your job for refusing to accept defeat. Imagine all those people want your players to lose their coach because they have a coach who leads by example and shows them that they shouldn't accept defeat or hoist a trophy that says they're not the best.
Totally ridiculous.
To the naysayers who don't understand the passion of a coach who knows his team. To the naysayers who don't understand the symbolism behind taking out the garbage. To the naysayers who yet know what's in store for their team... what do you do with the same damn consolation trophy?
You don't keep celebrating it year after year and acting like it's an evaluation of your best performance.
You throw it in the trash.
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