91-0

           A recent high school football game in Texas ended with a 91-0 score. One team was highly ranked. The other team was not ranked at all.

          Stuff happens when you have a mismatch on the schedule.

          According to the losing coach – read again, this was the losing coach – nothing that happened during the game was out of line. The winning team did not talk trash. The losing coach said, “We ran into a buzz saw,” and let things go at that.

          But a parent of one of the players on the losing team filed an official Bullying Report because of the final score.

          Now, we can agree that a 91-0 score is a pretty big wipe out. You would hope the teams agreed to go to a running clock in the second half in order to end the game quickly, avoid injuries and keep the score down.

          Whatever happened, reality struck a decisive blow in that game. The following message was delivered: Sometimes life gives you a 91-0 defeat. Deal with it, live with it, learn from it, get better because of it and move on.

          Where have we gone as a society that a resounding defeat in a football game is worthy of a Bullying Report? Where have we gone as a society that we even have a thing we call a Bullying Report?

          As a journalist, I used to cover an area where there was an outstanding girls high school basketball program. I watched the really good team hammer a lesser team 92-6 one night. The starters for the good team were in the game for much of the fourth quarter. I went to the losing team’s practice the next day with the idea of writing a story about how coaches deal with teams that run up the score in high school games. I dumped the story idea. The losing coach taught his players to deal with the big loss by practicing their defense.

          “Get better,” the coach said.

          No parent filed an official Bullying Report, either.

          An iceberg floating majestically in the Atlantic Ocean was suddenly and violently struck by another majestic object, the Royal Mail Steamer Titanic, one night in 1912. The iceberg defended itself and the rest is history.

          Sooner or later we have to learn that the best way to deal with difficulty is to prepare as best we can for it, deal with it the best way we can when it comes and then keep going.

          Friends can be supportive, too. Remember the writing that appeared in this blog space a few months ago about Hall of Fame Pitcher Don Drysdale? If an opposing pitcher threw at a Dodgers hitter on a day when Drysdale was pitching, Drysdale threw at two opposing batters. So, if you have to deal with a bully, it’s a good thing to have a big tough guy like Drysdale on your side.

          Just remember that nobody bullied you into reading this blog. Instead, your loyal blogger thanks you for reading.