Kid Athlete Banned for Being Too Good: Fair or Foul?

by SodaHead Sports Posted 2012/04/30 19:00:00

Related Topics: Sports, Keeling Pilaro, Field Hockey, Southampton, Blow, Moon, High School, Mother, Physical, United States, Ireland

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299 votes
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	Fair	33 votes	11%
	Foul	266 votes	89%

Keeling Pilaro is just your average 13-year-old. He goes to school. He plays sports. He likes to have fun. Oh, he's also better than most in his age range when it comes to field hockey. Unfortunately for the young New Yorker, that seems to be a problem with some people. Rather than letting this young phenom showcase his stuff, officials are keeping the Southampton, NY high school student off the field hockey team because he's too good.

Now, while he does play on the girls team, due to the lack of a men's team, he doesn't exactly have a competitive advantage when it comes to physical stature. In reality, Pilaro is only 4'8" and 82 pounds. If he's not careful, the wind could blow him away. And Pilaro has certainly blown away his field hockey teammates and opponents, He's been the most dominant field hockey player in the area for the last two years, yet he won't be allowed to play on the team in the fall.

Both Pilaro's mother and father have protested the banning of their son for being “too good,” thus far to no avail. Pilaro is originally from Ireland, where field hockey is just as popular with males there as it is with females in the United States. Now Southampton's leading scorer may not be able to play the sport he loves, due to some insecure officials. What could have been a feel-good story for Southampton field hockey is now a sad tale about a young man not being allowed to play the sport he loves -- and is great at. Do you think the news is fair or foul?

+11

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the_old_coach 2012/04/30 20:03:48

Foul

+19
This isn't the first time this has happened, and as a high school coach for 31 years, makes me ill. This is all about several issues: first, "self-esteem," a phony-baloney new-age, feel-good (for some and not others?) concept that has been debunked several times but still finds its way into our sports activities, and #2, Title IX, another liberal concept that has backfired as much as it has helped: girls may wrestle on the boys team, and they may play football on the boys team, but as you can see, boys cannot play on the girls field hockey team or on the girls volleyball team. It's become garbage legislation.

When the government gets involved, everything gets ruined. You want to know why the USA is no longer competitive? It's stuff like this. "Every kid gets a trophy." SPARE ME!

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More polls by SodaHead Sports

CAPISCE to Hermes 2012/05/02 02:38:02

+1
Liberalism in sports example: Rational thinking leagues and teams give the Championship team and Championship players a throphy, Leagues and teams run by Liberals give everybody a trophy.

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Hermes to CAPISCE 2012/05/02 03:33:25

+1
That doesn't even relate to the same thing. This is BARRING A YOUNG HUMAN BEING FROM PLAYING. Get off your doctrinaire high horse and deal with the situation, don't try to use it as a spring board to throw out some ideological trope.

Further, again, I do NOT see your example as being particularly a liberal position, focus, or even something most liberals give thought to. I played sports in H/S and have been involved in various competitive activities my entire life. It never occurred to me that one didn't reward victory. That does NOT MEAN as it does for some that you mistreat or bully the weaker players. We never did, I never have, and we did well when I was in school and I've done well at competitive (non-sports) activities since.

What you are really saying is "In MY OPINION (that being y our opinion obviously) "this" is how liberals act, so let me shove my misconception down their throats.

I reject your false equivalency as what it is, as I said, a trope.

Have a good day.

Reyn

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CAPISCE to Hermes 2012/05/02 13:59:46

IN MY OPINION

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Hermes to CAPISCE 2012/05/02 16:30:25

Thank you so much for your tacit concession.

Regards,

Reyn

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CAPISCE to Hermes 2012/05/04 13:33:34

Your card

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Nameless to CAPISCE 2012/05/02 00:33:34

+1
Every liberal I know thinks this is awful and thinks the kid should be allowed to play.

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bozo 2012/05/01 13:26:26

Foul

+3
way to go liberals, discourage excellence , reward below average results
no wonder america is in this mess, we have had the wrong objectives too long.

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Bob DiN to bozo 2012/05/01 18:09:20

Excellent point.

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Hermes to bozo 2012/05/01 18:18:27

+3
I'll ask you too -- I'm a Liberal, I find what is happening to the boy to be absolutely outrageous, but I don't see anyway that I should think otherwise. How is prejudice and inappropriate removal of a boy from a team where he excels a "liberal" thing?

Kind thoughts,

Reyn

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Mr.Hoodz the Truth Troll 2012/05/01 12:59:34

Foul

+1
I should have read this first. It's fair. He's a boy playing with a bunch of girls. He's physically stronger than most of the girls he plays against. He needs to learn how to ice skate and play ice hockey. If he was banned for being too good and playing boys his age that would be foul.

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Mr.Hood... to Mr.Hood... 2012/05/01 13:02:49

What they did to this young man in the story bellow is FOUL.

http://www.inquisitr.com/1466...

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Oblahblah to Mr.Hood... 2012/05/01 15:11:16

+1
Both are foul. It shouldn't matter if every other teammate is the same or opposite gender of the "star" player. You shouldn't be penalized for being too good but rather utilized and appreciated!

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Mr.Hood... to Oblahblah 2012/05/01 18:33:10

He shouldn't have been able to play on the girls team in the first place. There is a reason Lebron James isn't in the WNBA.

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Oblahblah to Mr.Hood... 2012/05/02 17:15:55

Considering I was a bit of a TomBoy growing up, I totally disagree. I don't care if teams are mixed gendered as long as the teams are good and players are not being singled out based on gender. Your having a penis or vagina is irrelevant but your performance is quite important! What is extremely relevant in this article and the one about the football player (although he was quite gracious about it) is penalizing a player based on exceptional performance. That is disgusting no matter what lies between ones legs. Field hockey is almost only played by women here. That does not mean its a light and fluffy sport. On the contrary its a tough sport when played well no matter the gender playing. It seems to be a common theme for those who oppose his playing on a girls team that girls are on the lower end of sports performance and that he's probably not that good but only good because he plays with girls. What an idiotic view on women in general and especially female sports.

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Mr.Hood... to Oblahblah 2012/05/02 22:11:33

It is a fact men are physically stronger than women in most cases. There is a reason we will never see a female in the NFL. There is a reason we will never see a male play in the WNBA.

This is a teenage boy playing against a bunch of females. Sure he may be great but it makes him even better that he is playing against a bunch of girls that are not physically as strong or fast as he is and will become as he gets older. When it comes to things like this we need to throw political correctness out the window. Facts are facts.

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Oblahblah to Mr.Hood... 2012/05/03 17:00:08

I don't want to get stuck on repeat so my previous response still applies.

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Mr.Hood... to Oblahblah 2012/05/03 19:37:15

Mine also.

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Hermes to Mr.Hood... 2012/05/01 18:19:29

I have to assert that this is foul too. I have long supported integration, but it has to go both ways -- otherwise its just an outrage - as this is.

Reyn

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Kat 2012/05/01 12:53:56

Foul

+3
That's right up there with failing a student for being smarter than the teacher. Total BS.

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Eddie 2012/05/01 12:34:43

Foul

+2
Please!!!!!!! It's got nothing to do with him being "too good" and everything to do with him playing on a girls team. You figure it out......!

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'Zedd 2012/05/01 12:18:37
mr echo 2012/05/01 12:16:02

Foul

+2
i change it to fair now
he plays against girls okey
its like a boy boxing or wrestling against a girl its not right

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Hermes to mr echo 2012/05/01 18:21:51

By that reasoning girls should also not be allowed to compete on boys' teams. Which would you prefer and why please?

Reyn

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Nameless to mr echo 2012/05/02 00:36:19

Why isn't it right? I have known female wrestlers to beat male wrestlers. When I competed in judo 40 years ago - I competed against both males and females. We fought fair and square.

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mr echo to Nameless 2012/05/03 05:11:25

yes ive seen males beaten by females all i can say those were some weak gues who probably shouldnt compete in a first place
i did judo to and mma and ill say even very tough and big girls still soft and gentle
i think its not right idont know

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Sandman366 2012/05/01 11:54:22

Foul

+3
"Nice job on your trophy! I suppose even if you wouldn't really be the best on the team unless we kicked off that other kid for being too good. Yeah, he was too good to be on the team, so we kicked him off, so you wouldn't actually be the best on the team. But because we wouldn't let him play, now you're the 'best' of the team! Nice job!"

(But...why did you kick him off...?)

"He was too good to play. If he still played, the team couldn't lose. Plus, you'd never get that trophy if he were still here."

(But if he was better...why did you kick him off?)

"He was too good of a player to let him stay."

(But......why....?)

"BECAUSE I DIDN'T LIKE HI- I mean he's too good of a player."

(But....but...but.....what?! WHY?! I don't want this because you're just a big bully!)

"What?!?"

(You just bull off all the good kids, I don't wanna be kicked off next!)
[Child goes off and cries.]

[Okay, I may have messed with the facts, but the point remains.]

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Aingean 2012/05/01 11:47:50

Foul

+2
Let me get this straight, we want our kids to do well in what ever it is they do and to just have fun and this kid gets punished because he is a good player? That's absurd. Having a really good player on your team tends to help make you better because you try harder. Parents need to stop whining about having a good player on their kids team and start encouraging their kids to try harder or even ask the boy for pointers.

Yes he is on a girls team, so? I was on an all boys basketball team when I was little.It isn't that big of a deal.

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Eddie to Aingean 2012/05/01 12:37:12

They weren't worried that playing on a boy's team was gonna turn you gay or something?????

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Hermes to Eddie 2012/05/01 18:23:17

+1
Just WOW.

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Aingean to Eddie 2012/05/01 20:03:29

Seriously??

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Eddie to Aingean 2012/05/02 03:42:05

I know, and I agree with you. But at the same time I know that this is the kind of stupid crap that is in the back of too many people's minds.

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Aingean to Eddie 2012/05/02 03:49:42

I was the only girl on the team no one cared except the boys at first. After the got use to the idea there wasn't a problem. I perfered playing with the guys anyway, girls were to.... worried about breaking something or getting dirty I was a tomboy at that age.

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Eddie to Aingean 2012/05/02 03:55:17

Hey, I think more sports should be integrated. Especially on the junior level. My cousin Tina used to kick all our butts in sports n stuff. We were the same age. She was just really good at stuff like that.

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Aingean to Eddie 2012/05/02 04:01:43

I think some sports should remain seperate but others should be intergrated. Soccer for instance would be a good sport to intergrate but football most girls would be squashed like a bug unless its touch football. Tennis would be another good one to mix it up a little

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Eddie to Aingean 2012/05/02 04:05:11

Yeah, of course. There are exceptions to every rule. Although there are some girls who are really good at football too.

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Aingean to Eddie 2012/05/02 20:53:31

Thats why I said most. I knew a girl that was an awesome football player and she was big enough that she wouldn't be hurt during the game.

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P. Sturm 2012/05/01 11:09:57
Arianne 2012/05/01 09:43:21

Foul

+2
If he's good than he's good. So what if the other teams get insecure? It should push them to get better. Will the officials stop theis mollycoddling at all?

I'd rather lose to a good team than win because a good player has been banned for being "too good". You think its not fair to the losing team? Tough luck. That's the real world.

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Met 2012/05/01 09:39:52

Fair

first, he's 13 and in highschool? is he an advanced placement student as well?

He was on the girls team. There's a reason why lebron isn't allowed in the WNBA...

He can dunk.

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Aingean to Met 2012/05/01 12:02:58

+1
Euroupean acadmics are a lot better the ours. He was on the girls team because there isn't a boys team.

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