The Alabama girls’ basketball team is REJECTED of the championship trophy after being forced to play in a boys’ league – and then win it!
A fifth-grade girls’ basketball team from Alabama has been stripped of their championship trophy after being forced to compete in a boys’ league and then beat all of their opponents.
The Spain Park girls’ team, from Hoover, Alabama, was reportedly told at the start of the season that they would not be able to train at the local gym unless they joined the boys’ league.
In response, they did just that and went on to win the championship – only to be told that the trophy would instead be handed to the runners-up they had just defeated in the final.
In a post on Facebook, Jayme Mashayekh – the mother of one of the players – explained: ‘So proud of Rylie and her basketball team. It was a hard lesson they learned tonight. They won the 5th grade boys rec league championship but did not get the trophy.
‘These girls have been playing together for 3 years for a competitive girls league representing Spain Park. All are 5th graders in the Hoover school system. Midway through their season, they were told they could not use the Hoover gyms for their workouts unless they paid to play in the Hoover Rec League.
Championship-winning Spain Park poses for a photo to celebrate their victory over the boys
“They were told to stay together as a team, they had to level up in the league and play against the 5th grade boys. 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 took on. It made them better players and a better team. They were told before the championship they could play in it, but if they won they would not be allowed to have the trophy.
‘Excuse me? What? What did they do to get disqualified? Have they not paid their dues? Didn’t they play a level higher in the league? Oh, it’s because they’re GIRLS?!?!’
The Hoover Parks and Recreation department website lists Spain Park as the champion of the basketball league, after defeating a “Knicks” team in the finals.
In an update to her Facebook post, Mashayekh later revealed that “the City of Hoover and the Hoover Rec Center have done their best to make it right for the girls.”
She did not reveal whether they had lifted the trophy but continued: “Thank you for all your support and hopefully this is a step in the right direction for more/better access to facilities and opportunities for our female athletes.”
