What's wrong with y'all?

Is it March madness? Why yes it is. It is that time of the year when a large cast of chest thumping 20 something year olds set out to capture our attention because they can shoot a round ball through a round hoop a mere 10 feet off the ground. When one of these prima Donnas hits a shot further out than eight feet, expect that he will turn, fist clenched in triumph above his head while his other hand pulls at his jersey so everyone will know who made the shot. All of this happens while his opponents race by the glory hog for an easy lay-up. Then, if he draws blood with a hard foul and the ref calls it, his face will get all contorted his hand out outstretched, palms up to the ref, as if the player is the Savior, head shaking noooo way. And that’s the good stuff.

In New York City this weekend there was brawl in the stands during the city championship game. As the brawl raged, the public address announcer came over the loud speaker and asked, "What the f%#* is wrong with y'all? Come on!" Herein is the perfect answer the next time someone asks me why we send Lex jr. to the Catholic school instead of the public school. Well, we send him to St. Vincent’s because, whatever else might happen, it is unlikely that the public address announcer at a St. V sporting event or any event for that matter will ever have to utter the words, "What the f%#* is wrong with y'all? Come on!"

Sports used to be a way to teach young people about team work, respect for your opponents, the coaches and the referees. Now, as a by product of building self-esteem I suppose, it seems too often to have the opposite effect. Sadly poor behavior, once reserved for professional athletes, is now a mainstay of even high school sports. So while the NYC public address announcer’s language was a bit over the top, the question, "What’s wrong with y'all?" seems very appropriate.