Basketball excommunicants? — 1989
A very unfortunate occurrence led to a very humorous proclamation in our annual Church district basketball tournament in March of 1989. One of the members of our team instigated a fist fight with an opposing player during one of our games. The wife of the opposing player rushed onto the playing floor to help her husband, and she began to slap our player. Our player then spewed a string of expletives at both the player and his wife. Other players stepped in to halt the melee at this point. At the next game, our district athletic director made the following bold declaration: “Brethren, after much thought, I have decided to recommend excommunication from the Church for the two men involved in the fight a few nights ago. Fighting in Church athletics is now punishable by excommunication or disfellowshipment, and I will recommend the former.” He also banned the two pugilists from participating in or viewing a church athletic event for 1 year and 1 month. I wanted to ask him which handbook he was using as justification for his fanaticism, but I refrained. The fight was unfortunate, but this athletic director’s response was laughable.
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