*t sure does help that the Brentwood Superintendent is on the Board of Control..
I'm sure he didn't participate in the hearing due to conflict.
and I will repeat, the problem lies with permitting the kid in the bananna suit in the game to begin with!!!
I can see wpial with some sort of policy regarding costumes and chants coming right around the corner.

Monensen unhappy with outcome...
may appeal to PIAA...
interesting Brentwood had its attorney do the presentation... video, flip charts, etc.
Although Brentwood may have acted properly once the kid in the banana suit did his thing... it doesn't answer the question as to why Brentwood officials permitted that into the game to begin with!!

Banana suits aren't inherently racist. Seen at games all the time. That shouldn't be the issue.

agree anon. WPIAL championships two years ago with hampton and char valley multiple banana suits. Yes one can assume it is a racial joke right away but it is not like that is the first time they were it. So Joe D are you saying you cannot wear a costume to any game? I bet brentwood has a couple african americans on there team so I do not see the problem. I wore a cow costume to my high school games. Should I be not allowed to wear it? I did it to cause a distraction to the other team. Seem to work sometimes too. Anyway to help my team from the sidelines is my philosophy

Don't get me wrong I am not praising the kids actions at all

Brentwood school district appears to need diversity training

I believe fans can/will be denied entrance to WPIAL events if they wear certain costumes or full masks; they can hide prohibited items and identity - and therefore provide a security threat

.

the only suits I desire to see at an event are the suits worn by security or police - or the occasional business suit

can deal with just about any opponent - but the out-of-control parents, fans and crazies are the ones that concern me

.

There are two really good games tonight locally.

Shaler vs. M'port at 8:00 @ Fox Chapel.

Char Valley vs. Butler at 8:00 @ N.A.

I would typically go to the Shaler game, but they should beat M'port rather handily. Why watch a blow-out? The second game interests me with Nate Snodgrass et. al. against Char Valley.

another subject..
youth football and concussions... (lavar arrington interviewed)

http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/7601017/study-impact-kids-football-head-hits-severe-college-games

First off there are no black kids on Brentwoods team, if there were then they would have an issue. If Brentwood felt that no one at that game acted inappropriately then the hearing should have been open to media, Monessen had no objections. This is bigger than a banana suit, we are talking about the use of racial slurs directed at kids, I don't know what power the wpial has over the situation but I hope they take the same weak stance when they meet on the Cal U incident. Brentwood plays Beaver Falls tonight I'm guessing it should be quiet, we'll see.

Guys - You can bet that there is some ACLU lawyer out there waiting to file a lawsuit claiming violation of first amendment rights of free speech to wear a banana suit to a basketball game.

Wear your school logowear and support your team in a positive way.

BTW, I noticed that the crowds have been sparse this year, particularly with students. The WPIAL needs to review these schedules.

Seems Monessen is looking to make silly student behavior into a race issue...I also remember students dressing up as chickens and other funny costumes at my high school games...Maybe Monessen enjoys the drama and victim role, but its funny the assume bananas have to be a taunt, yet they call each other the N word without assumption or blinking and eye...Time to put an end to all this victim and crying wolf an man up and play the games....

Brentwood playing BF in Ambridge... lol
If they tried anything... the BF fans would text their friends from Ambridge and aliquippa and take care of business in the parking lot.. lol
they may be able to do as they wish in the brentwood gym... they would be stupid to try anything at ambridge gym.

but yes... I see some sort of policy coming up with the costumes and chants... the chants are really out of hand.

HeCanStillPlay,

Wow, you must either be from Brentwood or possibly one of the "southern" counties of the wpial. If you actually had done any research of the incident with the hundreds of articles provided online you would know that the banana suits were only a part of the story. I guess you're totally fine with black and biracial kids being called "cotton pickers" and "monkeys" along with the white players being called "snow monkeys." I can tell from your comment that you are perfectly fine with minority kids being called the N word. Monessen finally attempted to put an end to it after having cotton balls thrown at their players at Brentwood in the Jan 2011 bball game as well as being called the same slurs in their playoff soccer win this past Fall. But you actually think they wanted "drama." I'm pretty sure they would rather get publicity in hoops for what they are..champions, instead of "making up" being called slurs to "play victim". Smh what a sad society we live in today.

I don't really get it, but is is nothing new for students to come to sporting events in costume. The Petersen Event Center is routinely populated with all sorts of animals, body suits, hats and what have you for Pitt games. I think I have seen people dressed as bananas, as well. I'm not sure that actually indicates anything.

Anyway, here is a link to the actual decision issued by the WPIAL Board of Control. There were two persons who testified that there were racial slurs, but the Monesson Director of Security and all three officials assigned to the game by the WPIAL testified that they did not hear anything.



http://brentwoodpgh.k12.pa.us/...cision.PDF

wpialhardwood,

I'm actually not from the south hills and do teach in an urban school that is mostly minority. I see the N word being used like "hello" and whitey and crack - uh said a lot daily. You proabably wouldn't know about that or how teenagers act these days??? You sound like a Democrat trying too hard to say the right things when A. you do not live in either community B. you don't relate to teenagers daily and C. you believe everything you hear (talk is cheap) So get off the soapbox and talk to a few inner city or urban kids and see just how ignorant and uninterested they are in respecting any race. The parents plant the seeds in their heads (see Shakim Alonzo) that when you mess up, blame it on whitey with the race card or ignite the drama with the race card....such a joke...gotta be a sympathizer of OBAMA too

HeCanStillPlay...

You being a teacher in an Urban School and commenting the way you are troubles me. It is easy to hide behind blogs but I wonder how the principle, parents, board etc etc... would feel about your views. I don't see where "Democrat" or "Alonzo" or "Obama" is needed for your argument.

I do live in the community matter of fact I'm in the Woodland Hills School District. I'm also a coach that has worked with the midget programs for Penn Hills, Woodland Hills, and Swissvale. I've coached at Gateway and Penn Hills High School. I also know Alonzo and his family personally. I'm a graduate of Central Catholic and Duquesne University. I was raised in the East Hills project. Does this give me permission to speak on the "race card"?

As a minority I will tell you that racial slurs are used often by African American children but that doesn't make it right. The term n****r or n***a is offensive period. You as an educator should see the importance of education towards how degrading the word is even within the race. Or does one black kid calling another black kid n****r or n***a not bother you? My wife is a teacher and one thing that I praise her for is even if she can make the difference in 1 life its better than 0. Are you helping to solve the use of n****r or have you simply thrown in the towel, as many others have? I'm just wondering.

I was called a n****r by a top recruit of Franklin Regional multiple times during a football game it was at Franklin Regional. I was spit on under the pile. I was punched during tackles. I told my coach he said, "Play through it." I told the ref's they said, "We didn't hear it or see it." In frustration I took my helmet off and threw it on the sideline. Can you tell me since you are a teacher and I respect that, What do you tell a kid that doesn't use the term n****r? What do you tell a kid that kicks ass in the classroom and is a role model student? What do you say to him when he doesn't understand the ignorance of another race and he is hurt and crying? Or do you believe that whenever we accuse a white person of calling us n****r we are simply, "playing the race card"?

It is hard to get the intent of a writer on blogs. Honestly I don't want to read what you placed and make assupmtions. Hell, you could possibly be teaching a relative of mine. I'm just trying to honestly understand. Or should I use your comments and the others on these blogs and say to kids, "See, THIS is what I'm talking about when I say rise above the ignorance."

Oh I forgot...