Streaks vs Blackbirds
Growth & Maturity After 39 Years?

The reason regular-season boys basketball games between the Archbold Blue Streaks and the Pettisville Blackbirds were stopped 39 years ago had nothing to do with the players.

The high school boys played the kind of high-quality basketball both teams are known for, the kind of play that comes out when a big rivalry is on the line.

What ended up being a 39-year suspension of games wasn't a problem with the players. It was the fans.

It was the adults, and their actions, that stopped competition between the two schools.

It was the grownups who got caught up in the excitement and lost personal control. Poor sportsmanship and lack of respect caused the powers-that-be to stop the games before things really got out of hand.

On Saturday, today's adults will be given the opportunity to show how much their sportsmanship has grown since 1968.

High schools sports are about many things: competition, skill, athleticism, and commitment. They're about hours of practice to learn the art of the fadeaway jump shot and the fireman's carry take-down, or to perfect the pass-setspike.

Sports teach important lessons, like how to win with grace and lose with dignity.

Grownups in the stands must do their part to teach that lesson. Enjoy the excitement of the game, but remain respectful of the other side.