Shit's getting real in the 53rd District

Hate mongering and intolerance, in the guise of being witty and supporting your team, has reared it's head once more. Unfortunately, it has happened in Eastern Kentucky over, of all things, a high school basketball game.

Maybe as basketball crazy as we are though, it is fitting that hoops would cause some of our brethren to break out into such hysteria. Actually, it's predictable.

In any case, this time, I think some boundaries have been crossed. Lord knows proper judgement and good taste were foregone conclusions in this matter. Rodrick Rhodes and his Cordia Lions have been winning and attracting attention. The attention more so for the Canadians who are powering the former UK Cat's team.

It's drawn the ire of some folks down in the mountains and hollers. Outsiders are coming in. Trying to take what's ours. We gotta' show 'em who is who and what is what around here. That kind of stuff.

'Cordia ain't nothing but a bunch of cheats', so they say. Because we know that kids playing high school basketball removed from their homes, thousands of miles even, have it hard enough trying to fit in and find their way through their awkward teenage years without this nonsense. I can see how not being as good and have the talent level of others can be construed as being a cheater. Just being better means you are cheating and are probably on your way to at least the 4th level of Hell. Seem completely legit.

We are familiar with this up here in Nor'easter Kentucky. O.J. Mayo and all that venom those high, and upstanding Tomcats spit over that situation ring any bells?. "Jesus knows you're cheating", they would cleverly put on posters and bring to the games. Perhaps, those folks should have realized that if they were cheating, than yes Jesus probably did know about it... and he knew what Ashland was doing, too.

Ineligible and out of district players is something that Ashland is all too familiar with. They practically invented the practice. When someone came along and did them one better at their own game, they cried foul. Do you recall the shit-storm they created over Frank Lee?

Now, I am not ragging, or meaning to do so much of it anyways, on Ashland. Sometimes there are very good reasons, and some of which are completely factual and reasonable to raise the red flags in these situations. High school basketball has a way of being a puppy mill turning out youngsters for the greed and pockets of others. So, yeah, crooked stuff does happen, and players do end up places that they should not be able to be at. It's fine to fight the good fight for just setting things right.

But this isn't about what has happened here in the past, or even present. This is about how a group of kids are being attacked for simply playing basketball, and have satisfied all conditions to do such in the state of Kentucky. Rhodes has released some of the pictures that have been tweeted and posted on Facebook in regards to his Cordia team. Some are borderline hate crime eligible. Hell, they even have made an Internet meme in regards to the situation.

From what we can tell, they have come from over-zealous Knott County fans, or folks disguised as such who had already fallen victim in the win/loss columns to the Lions.

All, going beyond supporting their own team and being fans, and entering into the realm of lunacy.

Rhodes has pleaded with his team to ignore this, not to let the foolishness of certain individuals drive his team apart. Stay united, and stand together.

We will see if they have listened to his pleas.

It astounds me that folks can't see the benefit to EVERY program in that district by having players of this caliber calling a team in that district home and having the opportunity to play against these players.Not only does nobody want to get better, they want everybody else to not get better ,too.


Cordia and Canadian sensation Emmanuel Ewootoah are playing for a district title tonight @7:00 in the 53rd District against host-team Knott County Central in Knott County.

Those same folks who are spreading all this hate towards Cordia and the Canucks will more than likely be adorned in UK gear. Makes quite the impression on a youngster who could possibly help out the Cats in the back-court, and has been getting attention from them...That impression would be 'How could I ever play for people like this rooting for me?" Well played, Knott County.

It would be the greatest thing I can think of, if the Cordia fans united and sung the Canadian National Anthem before, during and after the game.