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As a parent, I am supremely aware of sportsmanship as it relates to our children's personal development. As I see it, one of the main reasons for our kids to be involved in sports is to learn the art of being on a team. That is to say, they should learn that winning isn't everything (duh, I know...), grace and courage count, and manners matter, too. Being a good team member is an acquired skill. I do believe that it is learned.

Both of our girls play softball in the summer. Just rec leagues. Nothing super competitive in either case. Most years, their teams are happy to come out even for the season. And they have a blast. It keeps them active in the summer when other sports might be taking a break (yay!), and it just plain keeps them busy. And yes, in addition to learning the fundamentals of a sport, they learn the fundamentals of being on a team. How to get along with others. Take turns. Win (and lose) gracefully. Respect others. Play with good sportsmanship.

Well, last weekend, one of my daughter's teams witnessed the most rotten display of sportsmanship I have encountered - well, perhaps ever. Rethinking it, I am appalled that the umpire didn't throw at least a couple of those involved right out of the game. I have heard of such things happening in cases like this. And the most disappointing thing of all is that it not only involved an opposing team's players but their coaches, as well. I am seething.

Here's what went down...

• The catcher, whom we had come across before and knew to be a heckler (not allowed in this league - only positive chatter toward either team) continually called our girls "losers" at the plate whenever they got a strike.
• The opposing team's players mimicked our girls' phrases in a mocking tone.
• Two of our parents overheard the opposing team's coach say, "I can't believe we're losing to this sucky team."
• When one of our parents finally got fed up, he went and found the league president, who happened to be in the ballpark that night. He told her what was going on. Another of our parents heard the umpire back him up right afterward, saying, "Whatever he just said about that team, double it." Apparently, this was after the game.

OK, here's something I don't get. Isn't it the umpire's responsibility to keep this sort of thing in check? If you don't nip it in the bud, it gets out of hand, right? Which is exactly what happened in this particular scenario.

As the saying goes, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, so maybe the catcher was the coach's daughter. Who knows? But here's another thought. If your child is playing on a team with a coach whose behavior you find reprehensible for any reason, guess what. It's your responsibility to see to it that your child is removed from that situation. Call me a wimp or extremist  if you will. I just don't think there's any call for this behavior. And if our girls had to endure that at the plate, how many other teams have been facing that same treatment? These are 13 year olds.

Like it or not, a coach has a tremendous effect on your children. Thankfully, my daughter's coaches are great. We are very blessed. Good sports all around, and she reaps the benefits of that positive encouragement and team fostering spirit. Yes, the coaches correct them. Yes, they let them know when they blow a play. But they don't make it more important than it is. And they don't lose sight of the fact that they are all human beings first. Players second. Period.

I hope to be able to get back to you in the way of a "Comment" regarding this situation. I am holding a flicker of hope that the league will do the right thing. At the very least, this team should be severely reprimanded. However, I am more inclined to think, especially if this is not their first offense this season, that they should be thrown outta' here! Throw 'em out of the league. Get their toxic tongues and caustic comments out of our daughter's heads. Clean up the field, so they can hold their heads high, win or lose.