The Alabama women’s basketball team is denied the championship trophy after being forced to play in a men’s league, then winning it all!
An Alabama fifth-grade girls’ basketball team has been denied the championship trophy after being forced to join a boys’ league and then beating all their opponents.
The women’s team at Spain Park, in Hoover, Alabama, was reportedly told at the start of the season that they would not be able to train at the local gym facility unless they joined the men’s league.
In response, they did exactly that and won the championship, only to be told that the trophy would be awarded to the runners-up they had just beaten in the final.
In a Facebook post, Jayme Mashayekh, the mother of one of the players, explained: “So proud of Rylie and his basketball team. It was a hard lesson they learned tonight. They won the boys recreational league championship in fifth grade, but did not receive the trophy.
‘These girls have played together for 3 years in a competitive women’s league representing Spain Park. They are all fifth graders in the Hoover school system. Midway through the season they were told they couldn’t use Hoover’s gyms for their practices unless they paid to play in Hoover’s recreational league.
Championship winner Spain Park poses for a photo to celebrate their win over the boys.
‘They were told to stick together as a team, that they had to level up in competition and play with the fifth graders. The girls were in the middle of the pack all season losing several close games by 1 point.
‘Playing the boys was a challenge they faced. It made them better players and a better team. They were told before the championship that they could play but if they won they would not be allowed to have the trophy.
‘Excuse me? That? What did they do to be disqualified? Didn’t they pay their dues? Didn’t they level up in the competition? Oh, is it because they’re GIRLS?!?!’
On the Hoover Parks and Recreation department website, Spain Park is listed as the champion of the basketball league, having beaten a ‘Knicks’ team in the final.
In an update to her Facebook post, Mashayekh later revealed that “The City of Hoover and the Hoover Rec Center have reached out to make things right for girls.”
She did not reveal if they had lifted the trophy but added: “Thank you for all your support and I hope this is a step in the right direction for more/better access to facilities and opportunities for our female athletes.”