IrvingBlog.DallasNews.com, Katherine Leal Unmuth
Team Wins State Title, Coach’s Promise Of Tattoo Causes Controversy
March 15, 2011 /
MacArthur High School Lady Cardinals basketball coach Suzie Oelschlegel promised that she’d get a tattoo saying “We n dat thang” if her players won the state championships. WFAA reports that the her pledge to get the tattoo is drawing some online discussion and controversy. The saying is the title of a rap song.
Cameron Smith of Yahoo! Sports wrote critically in a blog post of the pledge, saying it endorses bad grammar. The post has received several hundred comments, and WFAA reported that a number of racist comments were taken down. There’s still vigorous debate online. “You go coach! All you haters get a life!” one comment says. Another reads: “I love when a coach will do anything as an incentive for her players to win!” And another: “Who cares? It’s her body.” But a critic writes: “This is stupid at all sorts of levels…The worst of which is the supposed adult in this thing, “The Coach,” is encouraging people to do stupid things in the name of sport…” Another wrote: “Its like saying its cool to be ignorant.”Principal Cynthia Bean defended the coach. And the coach told WFAA that the players are good students.
“I told the kids whatever they are saying don’t pay attention to it,” she said. “Don’t get down on that level. Just enjoy the celebration this week.”
