Shame and respect...
So I got to see a video of my nephews last football game in Auburn this past weekend. He played in a 10 and under team out of Graham, WA, the Eagles.
They were "matched" with a 12 and under team from the Reynolds Raiders. While, from what I saw, they were certainly outmatched, they played a good game. Perhaps there was no other talent that would have been fun or fair for them to play in their age range, I don't know.
Your team played well also. At that age, the years and size matters, and your team certainly had the skill and size advantage. That said, there was obviously some quality coaching that went into their training, as they played well and the Eagles stuck it in there.
What was both disturbing and disgusting, however, was the parents. Starting on your side, either parents or "fans," the behavior was horrible. It started with booing with the 10 and under Graham Eagles made a good play or did something right and escalated to cursing, flipping off, etc. Certainly, there were a few choice and disgusting phrases, directed at parents of your Raiders, that can be heard on the video, but the more clear and discernible pattern is from your adult fans. The worst was the jeering and booing. Really.
At the end of the day, your 12 and under team played well and pummeled a 10 and under team 48 to 18. Your boys were awesome. The parents, however, were not. They showed no respect and were the epitome of everything we try to teach my nephew not to do. In all honesty, I tried to talk my brother into giving me the video so I could post and shame those adults who would boo, jeer, and taunt 10-year-olds. It's not what the game was about when I was a kid. But I guess maybe respect is done differently with your association, because there was little intervention done from anyone who appeared to be in authority.
Perhaps it's for the better that my brother declined giving me a copy of the video. I'm sure the last thing you want is videos of your parents booing and jeering 10 year olds. Respect indeed.
Again, your boys did great against a team that hasn't lost a game in 2 years. They should be proud, even if it was a mismatch. They certainly didn't participate in the bad sportsmanship coming from their parents and families. They showed respect, but were shamed by those adults they should be looking to for leadership.