It’s no secret that sports rivalries make up a significant portion of all rivalries and have been known to get a bit out of hand — almost everyone has heard of rival teams meeting in a secret location to let off some steam and beat each other senseless before game night (because that’s going to help everyone), and we can’t forget the popular TV trope of stealing a rival team’s adorable livestock mascot. While the stakes are high for college and professional teams, one would think a bunch of preteens would get a break and just try to have fun. Well, that’s what we all get for thinking.
Ponca City Public Schools and Enid Public Schools were recently in the news for an unsportsmanlike incident that occurred after a seventh or eighth grade football game.
OKCFox.com reported that visiting Ponca City players found a small noose in the visitors’ locker room in D. Bruce Selby Stadium in Enid on Sept. 26.
This wasn’t just an old-fashioned noose made out of rope. No, sir. Kids these days use their technology wisely. It was an electrical cord or USB cable formed into a 2-inch slipknot found hanging in the locker room showers over a metal chair — because that’s the best place for tiny killing devices made from electrical equipment.
Sept. 27, Superintendent Dr. Darrell Floyd of Enid Public Schools and Superintendent Shelley Arrott of Ponca City Schools issued a joint statement about the incident, OKCFox.com reported.
“Neither school district condones this behavior, which is insensitive and unacceptable,” the statement read. “The person responsible, when found, will be held accountable for his or her actions. Additionally, we will continue to educate our students about tolerance and respect for others, in all situations.”
We here at CFN agree that it’s never too early to teach youngsters about respect and integrity, even when face-to-face with a rival, because it’s apparently never too early for some burgeoning brain trusts to learn about the impact of strategically placed nooses on developing psyches.
