All-Star Or All-Popular?

The following open letter to Jack Shpunt, president of the Newtown Basketball Board, has been received for publication.

Dear Mr Shpunt:

I am writing this letter to you in regards to one of your policies, which is being instituted in your girls’ 7-8 grades Park and Recreation Basketball league. I am not just addressing this policy on behalf of my child but for all the other girls, which this may affect now or in the future. The policy which I would like to address is the way in which the all-stars are chosen.

As you are probably well aware, the girls vote for the players for the all-star game. The league should not call it an all-star game, due to the fact that not all the best players are chosen. The most popular girls in the league are chosen. The league should call it the popularity contest game.

Is the league assuming that all the girls that play basketball go to the Newtown Middle School? As we all know there are other schools in the area for girls to go to. So due to the way the system is now set up for the all-star selection a girl playing in this league from another school could possibly be discriminated against as being all all-star because she would not know that many girls in the league for them to vote for her. I know for a fact that this situation did happen in the past. The point of the matter being is the coaches should do the voting because they know the players the best and would be impartial to popularity.

My concern is that my child didn’t make the all-star team, however she has been told by her own coach this week “if she didn’t come to the semi-final game we wouldn’t win.” How could a player be this important to a team and not be an all-star? So on Saturday, March 10th at 10:15 am there was a semi-final playoff game, which was won by the Yellow Submarines 18-9 over the Rockets. My child plays for the Yellow Submarines, which has three all-stars on the team. My child scored more points than all three all-stars combined on her team, plus she scored as many points as the entire Rockets team. Could you please explain to me how a player could be so influential on the outcome of not just one playoff game, but possibly the championship of the league and not be an all-star? Coaches and parents in this league approached me and couldn’t believe my child was not chosen for the all-star game.

What is the actual message the basketball league is sending to its players? That it really does not matter how hard you play the game or how good you are or if you are a team player or exemplify good sportsmanship but you only have to be a popular player to be an all-star. If this is the case in your league, then you should consider renaming the game from All-Star to All-Popular.

My child was approached by an AAU coach in Danbury to play basketball for him. Not bad for someone considered not of all-star quality in the Newtown league. In closing, changes need to be made now in the league so that a player that truly deserves to be in an all-star game is in that game. As you are well aware the championship game is this Saturday at the high school at 12 noon. Hope to see you there.

Edward F. Wolf, Sr

16 Taunton Lake Drive, Newtown       March 11, 2001