Lot of bad thoughts from dad in this article. Just because you kid was a grammar school All-Star does not mean they will be good in high school, nor are high school athletics a right. The 40 million dollar suit is made better by also requesting a Varsity Letter



Father sues after teen is dropped from track team

Jane M. Von Bergen, Inquirer Staff Writer

There's a point Ervin Mears Jr. wants people to understand, and it's the reason he filed a federal lawsuit when his son was ousted from the high school track team:

"Children have rights," Mears, 68, said, "just like any adult."

In this case, he said, it's the right to run.

Eleven days later, his father sued in Camden, naming the coach, athletic director, principal, superintendent, and school board.

The suit says his son was subjected to bullying and harassment. It seeks $40 million plus 2012 and 2013 varsity letters and championship jackets.

Sterling's interim superintendent, Paul Spaventa, declined to comment, citing the pending litigation and student privacy.

"Interfering?" Mears asked, his voice rising in response to a question about whether filing a lawsuit was interfering with the school's prerogatives. "That's my son. I better interfere. I better make sure he gets every opportunity."

Is it rare for parents to sue over high school sports? Yes, according to local school and athletic officials, who say they have been threatened with suits but never actually sued.

Is it rare for parents to push hard to get their children off the bench? Not at all.

"Sports is a lightning rod," said athletic director Steve Iles at Delsea Regional High School in Franklinville. "If you look at society and our culture, sports is a very big part of it.

"It's an emotional issue anytime you are dealing with parents, children, and their sports," he said.

Mears, a disabled veteran from Lawnside, filed the suit on his own, without a lawyer's help.

He ran track in high school and the military and said his son "comes from a family of track winners." The boy was the "undefeated champ" in the 200-, 400-, and 800-meter runs as an eighth grader at a Catholic school in 2010, the suit says.

That promise, his father said, should have translated into a key spot on the team when, as a ninth grader, Mawusimensah entered Sterling Regional High School in Somerdale. Sterling draws about 950 students from Magnolia, Hi-Nella, Somerdale, Stratford, Laurel Springs, and other towns.

But things started to sour in his son's freshman year, Mears said, when he and his son's track coach disagreed over which races his son should run.

It's unfair, Mears said, that his son wasn't allowed to compete, even though he may have been faster than some seniors who raced. "If he doesn't qualify, then the clock will say he's not fast enough," said Mears, who worries his son may be losing out on the possibility of a college athletic scholarship.

"Let him get some exposure," Mears said.

Unexcused absences from practice were the official reason Mears said he was given for his son's dismissal. That's an excuse, Mears said. A family death and injured leg kept his son away.

"Participation in extracurricular activities is a right," Mears said.

Not allowing his son to participate constitutes bullying, harassment, and an "abusive school environment" in which the sophomore's rights to due process and freedom of speech were impeded, the suit says.

"I felt in a way, disrespected," Mawusimensah, 16, said Friday. "At practice, I work hard and I try to be the best athlete I can be, but at meet time, I didn't get the respect that I thought I deserved."

Joseph Rafferty, superintendent of the Gloucester City School District, has been a track coach, principal, superintendent, athlete, and the father of children on sports teams.

"I can understand how the father feels. I can understand the coach," said Rafferty, who has also had to back up his coaches as a principal. "Sometimes you're not going to make anybody happy."

Though he said he didn't know the particulars of the issue at Sterling, figuring out whom to run in a meet is tricky, he said. Individual prowess has to be weighed against the overall team score.

Acknowledging that parents can reasonably be concerned about scholarship prospects, Rafferty said he worried that in their concern, their children "lose the enjoyment of the activity."

As Mears' lawsuit embarks on its slow race through federal court, his son is staying on track. On Saturday, he was set to run in a United Age Group Track Coaches Association meet in Philadelphia.

Temple University psychology professor Frank Farley, a former president of the American Psychological Association, worries about "unintended consequences" in a situation like this, including any potential backlash from classmates of Mears' son if they perceive the father to be overly involved.

But, he added of that involvement, "the positive side is at least they are concerned about their kids, in contrast with many parents who don't get involved at all."

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This should make his son quite popular at school.

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If the kid was undefeated in 8th grade in the 200, 400 and 800 meter races, I have to wonder if he was given a chance to beat out the runners that competed in those races or was prevented from competing in them. If Seniors were given those spots without this kid getting the chance to compete for them, I can see where the frustration might come from. But to go so far as to file suit.....thats only gonna cause the kid to be ridiculed and be pushed away by the rest of the team. Dad should have told the kid to bite the bullet for a year and wait for his chance to shine.

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Go Cubs!!!!

And the Father sues for $40 Million? The world has gone mad.

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CSFMB 2014 Nascar Pick 'em Champion

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan

I think if you learn anything about life from high school team sports is that life is not fair. It's not fair that certain players get to play the whole game while others sit on the bench even though they both practice for equal amounts of time. It's not fair that a coach doesn't pick you because you didn't play the year or two before.

Talent evaluation and scouting is not an exact science. Even pro athletes often get overlooked or were not given scholarships in the past. The good news for a lot of players is there are injuries and then they get that opportunity to show what they can do.

It's entirely possible that the suit is totally frivolous and this is just a dad looking out for his kid. But if it is true that the kid is not getting a fair opportunity then maybe there is something to be looked at.

For every kid who has had to ride the bench, fairly or unfairly, I think it feels good to file a lawsuit even if you can't win.

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To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

It's the add 2 zeroes rule. Find out what it's worth and add 2 zeroes.

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To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

ThisGuy is special.

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I disagree with that.

Mini Ditka sounds like a communist.

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Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

Mini Ditka's post is as bad as the father that just filed the lawsuit.

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2018
#ExtendLafleur
10 More Wins

You have to really suck to get cut from track. They take everyone. Even Bobby fucking Hill made the Arlen track team.

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That's my purse! I don't know you!

Well, to play MD's advocate, in thinking about it, I guess to a child that would be a lesson of fairness.

But that's because we work very hard to make every toddler feel like they are special.

So if you are a better student than me then should make the same grades and make it fair and equal for everybody. Really, if that is the way society is going to be, it is a sad, sad world.

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2018
#ExtendLafleur
10 More Wins

Give the kid a participation ribbon. Problem solved.

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Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

Im just trying to see where he's coming from.

I agree, better players should play, better interviewees should get the job etc

Ok, good. For a second I was worried about you.

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2018
#ExtendLafleur
10 More Wins

Why would anyone be upset they were told they couldn't "play" track? Just go outside, run, or throw around a metal ball, or jump fences and then go home.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Cmon, Hawg give me some credit.

I guess Ill point out that not ALL toddlers are special. They CANT be. Kinda goes against the definition of special.

68 years old shock: n dude has a 14 year old kid

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that is the first thing I noticed in the article. Nothing against being an older parent but
you don't see many guys that age with high school aged kids.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

Well, youth sports is certainly not fair. The coaches and players compete as though every game is the Super Bowl and they take things so seriously even when there is no championship on the line. It's like Dan Bernstein is coaching the kids' little league team. You've got to be the best or you don't get to play. It's very much survival of the fittest on the athletic field. In many cases kids are not given a fair shot at competing because a coach won't give them an opportunity or the coach won't play the bench guys/scrubs because he doesn't believe in playing them.

There isn't any known reason why one person is better looking than another, more physically gifted or more intelligent. In many cases these are things that a person is born with. Jefferson says we are created equal in the Declaration of Independence but honestly we are not. We don't make equal amounts of money, we don't have equal opportunities in life, we don't live as long as another person and we don't get to choose our parents or family of origin. One child is born Prince William or Harry and another child has AIDS in Africa because his/her parents made poor choices. There isn't anything fair about that.

My point is that as a coach of youth sports a big part of it should be teaching people how to win and lose with sportsmanship. Giving kids an opportunity to play is important because who a coach plays is not an absolute law of the universe that someone is not good enough to play. (They can be wrong about players. For example, Michael Jordan was not selected for the varsity team as a sophomore.) Sometimes kids just need an opportunity to get in the game and all they learn from the sidelines is that organized sports is about politics and that if they're not the chosen one they're never going to get to play.

As a teacher you're not doing your job if you only focus on your top students and ignore the other students who may need more help or may have potential but you as a teacher don't see it. A lot of people don't see potential in other people because those people don't fit the mold of what a successful person is or can be. I think we put value on things in society about how great someone is when although they may have developed their skills, much of their abilities were given to them in their DNA at birth.

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To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Yes, it is. Your definition of "fair" is not close to reality.


Sweeping generalizations and wild exaggerations. Shocking.

I think you'll find at younger ages, the coaches are more interested in getting everyone playing time. As you get older, winning becomes more important because that is what happens in real life.




Sounds like your issue is with what/whoever created life



They were not Wrong about Jordan. He wasnt good enough. And getting cut and realizing that nothing would be handed to him, probably aided his game more than playing on the team would have.


Your last sentence is dangerously ridiculous.

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2018
#ExtendLafleur
10 More Wins

I agree with RPB that when kids high school or possibly even junior high things change with sports.
It isn't all just for fun anymore. My two cents on the subject is this.... Before I moved to the far
north burbs before my sophomore year in high school I was one of the best athletes in my grade.
Started on the basketball and football teams and played varsity golf as a freshman. When I moved
to IL I had a rude awakening from the way things were done in cental WI. Golf wasn't a problem
because that is what I excelled at best at the time. Unfortunately football and golf seasons were
at the same time because I loved football the most. I decided to go out for basketball sophomore
season and after the first practice I wanted to quit, I had never been worked so hard and it was a
tough lesson to learn that I wasn't all that great at hoops like I thought I was. My parents asked me
to stick it out and got a little playing time, but more importantly made some really good friends.
When junior year came around I tried out and managed to make the varsity team as probably one of
the last two guys on the bench. A lot of people probably would have been discouraged but I really
enjoyed being part of the team and felt it was my job to make the starters better by pushing them in
practice. I only got in a game once during garbage time in a blowout loss. Still found it to be a strong
and humbling experience in my life. My coach taught me a lot of life lessons about hard work and
dedication to team. He retired as one of the best all time coaches in Lake County history with over 400
wins in just 19 years. I don't know exactly what I am trying to say but whining and crying about not
getting in the game doesn't get you anywhere. Sometimes you have to put in all the effort you can and
when you realize you aren't up to the level you need to reach you can still be an effective and important
contributor in your own way.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

T-bone speaking the troof!!!

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2018
#ExtendLafleur
10 More Wins

A decent reporter would have found some results to verify if the dad has a legit beef.

And Mini Ditka, please understand that youth sports is not about fun. It teaches you that in real life, all that really matters is scoreboard.

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Reality is your friend, not your enemy. -- Seacrest

I think the younger kids sports are getting more and more competitive. My nephew's baseball team has 7 and 8 year old all-star teams. There is more and more pressure on younger people to be good at sports or other competitive activities now than ever before.

I'm not whining or crying. I'm stating the fact that coaches won't play you if you're not one of the chosen people and they are not always right about talent evaluation. Even the pro coaches have bench players who from time to time become all-stars on other teams. A lot of it is about opportunity to play. If there were no injuries a lot of the great players would never have gotten the chance to play.

I'm sure you can learn lessons from sitting on the bench. But I think most people sort of figure out at a certain point that if they're not going to get to play they should just find something else to do.

What's nice is about pick up basketball is that as an adult you can find a place to play regardless of how good you are. In pickup basketball if it's not super competitive you get to play the whole game and maybe even the whole time you are at the gym. It's lot more fun than being on a basketball team and riding the bench.

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To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Let's put some responsibility on the kid here as well. No way in hell I let my dad do something so stupid.

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Right but youth sports fails to recognize that sportsmanship is a big part of the game. Dwayne Wade may be a 2-time NBA champion, but he's still a cry baby and poor sport when he loses. A big part of sports should be about learning to win and lose with class. On some small level even the worst player in the world is better than Dwayne Wade if he has better sportsmanship.

In the end winning isn't all that matters. There are no U-Hauls behind a hearse. When you die you don't get to take all your millions of dollars with you to the afterlife.

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To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Youth Sports should be about participation. High School sports should also be about participation until Varsity.

Our goal on lower levels is to play as many kids as reasonably possible. Winning is second.

If this kid was faster he would of been running. However, you do not see many Freshman running varsity unless the team is not very good or they are just filling in an event.

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