An Ohio boys basketball team has been kicked out of a Cincinnati-area recreational hoops league after a parent brought attention to their sexually suggestive team name and inappropriate uniforms.
Photos of the racially-objectionable jerseys popped up on Facebook after parents from another team in the league noticed they had an upcoming game with "The Wet Dream Team."
After a quick investigation, parents also noted that the names printed on the back of the student's jerseys contained phrases like "Knee Grow" and "Coon." One parent, Tony Rue, expressed his displeasure over the team's attire and name in a lengthy post on Facebook.
A Rec league or not, please explain how this is even remotely considered appropriate for a high school basketball game. From a team name referencing sexual conduct to offensive and racist nicknames. It was so inappropriate that the coaches of the girls teams that played before us quickly ushered the girls out of the gym so they wouldn’t have to see it.
The rec league is meant for children and students who range in age from grades two through 12.
“By no means are we perfect parents or assume our teenage boys are innocent and don’t speak of things like this, but I could never imagine allowing my teenage son to represent his school and league in this manner, let alone representing our family with such filth," Rue wrote in his post.
Rue told WLWT-TV that he was in disbelief that the team's name and jerseys managed to get past the school district, and parents responsible for the players.
Could you imagine being an African American high school kid and seeing these things on the jerseys of the team you are playing and how uncomfortable and unsafe they would feel?? Then a team page, again representing Kings League, with vulgar language. Beyond disrespectful. There is enough hate, bullying, and aggressive behavior in the world that these kids, parents, and schools shouldn’t have to deal with bigotry and lewd innuendos on jerseys and in team names in a school district represented recreational basketball league. This isn’t a typo, this isn’t a mistake, these are ideas that were thought of, discussed, agreed upon by adults and kids alike, printed on uniforms, social media accounts registered and manned and no one thought this was a bad idea or inappropriate?
According to WLWT-TV, the team was banned from playing on Kings school grounds, and dismissed from the youth basketball league. A Kings School Board member, Kerry Mckiernan whose son played on the recreational team, resigned at a board meeting on Monday because of the controversy saying, ""I completely agree with what the rec league did. I thought they took a very appropriate and necessary step in just booting the team out of the league."
Mckiernan said the jerseys and team name were "inexcusable,'' but that he and his son were "guilty of not saying no."