Mom sues because son cut from basketball team

Teresa Bloodman Attorney at Law

(501) 373-8223

PO Box 13641, Maumelle, AR 72113-0641

On the surface, this looks like complete crap: another example of a helicopter parent w/ an over-entitled son who expects the world to be handed to him on a platter.

The mother is an attorney. Hypothesizing that there actually was something screwed up about the selection process, filing a lawsuit like this makes the process public knowledge. If she complained to the coach and the district and did not receive justice/satisfaction, this might be a way to make her case in public. She probably knows she won't win, but she might force a settlement or she might embarrass the district into fixing their selection process.

On the other hand, she might just be an over-litigious helicopter parent who thinks her kid's poo doesn't stink.

Kanye North wrote:

Doesn't matter. You don't have a protectable interest to play sports, so no due process rights.

Actually, that is for the Court to decide, not you

Hey, we just had a coach sue (for injunctive relief) because he neglected to enter his athletes in the state meet, despite plenty of warning and opportunity ... and the injunction was granted!

Michael Jordan actually didn't make his varsity team until his senior year. When he was a junior in high school, he averaged 27 points per game on the JV team, and they still didn't move him up to varsity.

Armando wrote:

Wasn't Michael Jordan cut as a freshman in HS?

interesting point wrote:

This does bring up an interesting point. Athletics as a school activity is justified on the basis of its educational value. If school sports exist for educational purposes, why should some students be allowed to participate while others are not? If school sports do not exist for educational purposes, then why do they exist at all?

Then why do some schools require placement into advanced classes?

#gamed

Yea that's right wrote:

Michael Jordan actually didn't make his varsity team until his senior year. When he was a junior in high school, he averaged 27 points per game on the JV team, and they still didn't move him up to varsity.

Armando wrote:

Wasn't Michael Jordan cut as a freshman in HS?

He did not make varsity as a Sophomore. Made it as a junior.

(Read the SI profile of his coach--well done).

This is obviously ridiculous, as are the claims she makes. But it is also very odd for someone to be put on a school team after two tryouts, to be on the team for two months, and then all of a sudden to be off the team, along with almost all of the members of the team, in order to replace them with football players. Whoever heard of being able to change your high school team whenever you want to? It seems like the offense was not being cut in tryouts but rather being cut from the team after making the team and being on the team for months. You'd think the next cuts could come only in the next tryouts in the following year.

jjjjjjjj wrote:

This is obviously ridiculous, as are the claims she makes. But it is also very odd for someone to be put on a school team after two tryouts, to be on the team for two months, and then all of a sudden to be off the team, along with almost all of the members of the team, in order to replace them with football players. Whoever heard of being able to change your high school team whenever you want to? It seems like the offense was not being cut in tryouts but rather being cut from the team after making the team and being on the team for months. You'd think the next cuts could come only in the next tryouts in the following year.

It's not unusual at all to have the "summer league" basketball team have players other than those that end up on the full season team. Typically the coach does not separate the team into a Varsity/JV team until the full season begins and plays those kids intermixed as one full unit. When the football players join they often have their spots held for them or they go through a tryout period to allow the coaches to make sure those players are qualified. After that, the team is divided up.

This situation is a bit extreme because of the numbers but it's possible that the best basketball players are also the best football players.

To me it sounds like the coach wanted to maximize the number of players who could train and develop with the team in the summer/fall. Once football season ended and the real athletes came back, he had put everyone to their actual levels. The athlete in question didn't get "led on," he got several months of high-quality coaching and training that he wouldn't have gotten otherwise, which will hopefully pay off for both him and the team in the future.

What's interesting is that, according to MaxPreps, the basketball team had 20 rostered players which fits in to the 11 plus 9 football players mentioned. That's a fairly substantial roster and does not include ms. lawyers kid unless he has a different last name.

Also....unless they are pretty talented it's a bit unusual to roster freshman. The school apparently has no JV team.

life is rough Mommy, get your kid a helmet and a cup

get used to it