Football Friday nights in Texas are so sacred that it’s right up there with religion.
Parents come to support their kids, students come out to support their classmates and show school spirit and some folks just show up because that’s what you do on Friday nights during the fall in Texas. It’s something truly special to experience.
Unfortunately, this past weekend, things went “all the way left” at what is always a spirited rivalry game between Jack Yates and Madison. A fight broke out in the bleachers late in the first half. The noise was so violent at Barnett Stadium that players on the field dove to the ground for safety and some spectators came rushing to the football field for safety, while others found the nearest exit.
Initial rumors were that gunshots had been fired. Houston Independent School District officials and the HISD police quickly corrected those initial reports from spectators and the players on the field. Whatever the case, the game was abruptly ended.
According to HISD, the mistaken gunfire was from the commotion in the middle bleachers.
But even if that was the case, what took place, and for whatever reason, was ridiculous. These are two predominantly Black inner city high schools, and our kids need to do better. We’ve seen the video clips and we saw who was doing what.
Those kids were an embarrassment to themselves and their families—not anyone else. I’m all about my people, but I don’t subscribe to the notion that people I don’t know, people who didn’t grow up in my household, reflect on me.
I lost some social media friends over the weekend because of their insistence that this is why white people and police mistreat and profile Black people. I couldn’t help but let them know they were dead wrong. That’s flawed thinking to let white people and bad-acting cops off the hook for their mistreatment of us.
But I am bothered by, even frustrated by, the disrespect those kids showed for the players and coaches who had worked tirelessly to prepare for Friday night’s game, only to have it cut short due to misplaced anger and aggression.
“During last night’s football game at Barnett Stadium, an incident occurred just before halftime when a group of students rushed onto the field. During the commotion, coaches and administrators directed athletes, band members, and spirit teams to safety after a report was made that shots may have been fired. Law enforcement and stadium staff quickly secured the area, and fans were directed to leave the stadium.”
HISD statement
If you want to show how hard you are or how you represent your tribe, try spending the summer in strength and conditioning camp (SAC) and show the coaches you are worthy of some shoulder pads and wearing the school colors. Then let loose all of your anger and frustration between the lines and on the whistle.
But those kids didn’t do any of that. Instead, their actions caused the Yates-Madison game to be suspended and eventually canceled. Yates was handling Madison in that first half, taking a 34-8 lead before the melee in the bleachers commenced. But both teams were robbed of the ending they had worked hard to have.
Thankfully, no one was seriously injured. HISD credits the coaches, law enforcement and administrators for quickly controlling the situation and getting the people out of the stadium safely.
“Following a thorough review, officials confirmed that no shots were fired, and no arrests were made,” HISD said in a released statement. “HISD police assumed control of the situation, and administrators from Yates and Madison high schools worked to account for all students.”
Still, the actions of a few have families, coaches, players and fans questioning safety practices. But I am questioning the families of those kids. This is what you are putting out there, and you should be embarrassed that your kids don’t know how to conduct themselves.
