BREAKING NEWS
Cut from team at the last minute – is behavior like this normal?
The shocking news has left the sports world in a state of disbelief. Just hours before the big game, the team announced that one of their star players would no longer be participating. This sudden and unexpected cut from the team has raised questions about the team’s motives and the player’s behavior.
According to sources, the player was dropped from the team due to their behavior on and off the field. The team management has not released any official statement, but it’s rumored that the player’s constant tardiness, poor work ethic, and unsportsmanlike behavior led to their sudden exclusion from the team.
Is behavior like this normal in the sports world? Experts say that it’s not uncommon for teams to make tough decisions like this, especially if a player’s behavior is affecting the team’s performance and morale.
"This kind of behavior is unacceptable in the sports world," said sports psychologist Dr. Jane Smith. "When a player’s behavior is negatively impacting the team, it’s the team’s responsibility to take action. The team has a responsibility to uphold a certain standard of conduct, and if a player is not meeting those standards, they need to take action."
The sudden cut from the team has sent shockwaves through the sports world, with many fans and experts weighing in on the situation. While some are defending the team’s decision, others are questioning the timing and reasoning behind it.
"This is just a classic case of team politics," said sports commentator John Doe. "The team is trying to make an example out of this player to send a message to the rest of the team. It’s all about maintaining control and power."
The player has been a key member of the team for several years and has been a fan favorite. The sudden cut from the team has left fans wondering what the future holds for the player and the team.
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Hi all,
I finished my first ever league season this past May with an average of 101. I had a great time playing, and I looked forward to returning for another season.
However, after not hearing from my teammates about league starting back up this Sunday, I reached out to them to make sure I was all set. Instead, I was informed by the team captain that I was being removed and replaced by someone else.
I was no doubt disappointed by this news. What really confused me however was the fact that the reasons that the captain had cited was that he felt like the team "needed a change" and that he hated losing all the time. He said that he wanted to "strengthen the team" as well.
For context, I joined a non-competitive league in an attempt to learn the sport and have fun. Of course, friendly competition in casual leagues is fine, but if you really want to be competitive, why not just join a competitive league? The whole point of a casual league is just to bowl and have fun. Winning against someone should be secondary.
It seems to me like this decision was made a long time ago, and they had hoped that I would forget about next season. I had to reach out to them in order to find out what was going on, even though two team members had my number. Imagine if I had gone to the center not knowing this had happened and finding this out!
Also, I was put on this team at the last minute. The league secretary had gotten back to me saying that he would find a team for me after I went through the center with more information. He hadn't done that by the time I had showed up for the first night, so I subbed for another team and I was put into my permanent team. I had indicated that I had never bowled regularly before, and the team captain agreed to have me on! I don't think that one can say that removing someone is "nothing personal" and yet say that you need to strengthen the team in a casual league! He agreed to bring a completely amateur bowler in, so what did he expect when he had his "worst finish in over 30+ years of being in the league?"
It also blows me away that there are people that are much older than me, old enough to be my grandparents that feel the need to do this to someone (the team captain is 60+ years old and also the vice president of the league.) I hoped that people would have more civility instead of decending towards behavior like this. It only serves to destroy someone's confidence and make them not pick up a bowling ball again, especially when you consider that most people think that bowling is a dying sport.
Is behavior like this common in casual leagues? It just seems like there is a whole bunch of gatekeeping and it's discouraging me to find another team, as well as continuing with the sport. I would hope that someone that's trying to pick up the sport doesn't go through something like this, but it seems to me that it's very common.
I am at a loss on what to do. I want to continue with the sport, but I do not want to deal with drama like this again.
TL;DR: I was removed from my casual bowling league team, despite having a good experience and wanting to continue. The team captain cited a need for a change and better performance, but I feel that this is unfair for a non-competitive league where fun should be the priority. The decision was made without proper communication, and I am discouraged by the lack of civility and the gatekeeping in the sport. I am unsure if I want to continue bowling under these circumstances.
View info-news.info by lacweal
May I ask what does he average
Try not to let it bother you and definitely don’t take it personally. Unfortunately this kind of thing is commonplace in bowling even at the casual/fun level. At least now you know who *not* to bowl with. Sounds like this guy you were dealing with doesn’t understand that it is a team and was trying to project his poor performance on to others. That’s not the kind of person to bowl with in a casual/fun league.
You can try reaching out to the bowling center and seeing if there are openings on other leagues on days/times you are available to bowl. Don’t let this drive you away from the sport. You just have to find the right group of people to bowl with and sometimes that takes a season or two!
It is an individual sport with a team dynamic, there is always going to be drama. I am not doing a league this year because of team dynamics and flaky people.
Sat at league meeting to learn that my two teammates that were carrying over this year without warning were moving to another league. So suddenly we needed to find 2 people within a week and hope they work out.
Noped out, as I don’t need that stress and I will just open bowl.
Week later one of those teammates was asking if I would be full time on another night as they had someone flake. No.
I have subbed in a non competitive league before and am now in my first league (also non competitive) as an actual bowler. On my sub team, I was the best bowler. All the players were so kind to me. This league, I’m the worst bowler on my team. These guys have crazy averages. And they’re still so kind to me. I was told by someone I met last night in the league that some of the people can be real assholes and some can be super genuine and kind. Some people take it way too seriously, and to that I say go play in a tournament or competitive league. You’re not the asshole here. Maybe you could find a friend or coworker that would want to join a league with you?
Some people take it very seriously and are always on the lookout for someone to improve their team or a better team to join. Others don’t care about that, all they care about is that you show up and are a good hang. I myself had 2 offers to join better teams for the league that starts tomorrow despite being rather average at the moment but I like my team so I’m sticking with them.
Not the right team for you. They did you a favor. Find a team that you enjoy bowling with.
Your team captain sounds like he has the charm of a pit viper. I can understand bad team dynamics could be a problem, but the team really should have addressed any problem at the end of last season and discussed with you. I suggest you contact the league secretary to see if any teams need a player, if you want to stay in that league. If so, do your best to beat your old team when you play them.
He did you a favor, get on a team with a better captain. A captain can make decisions like that fine, but you should have received some advanced warning so you could have time to find another team. That guy’s failed as a person.
Ok. Time for some hard truths/devil’s advocate time that some might not agree with:
You are a new bowler that’s male and you seem to be not…old. Those are the BEST types of new players to join a league and a team because there is unlimited potential. The fact that you average 101 after a year is rather dismal. I don’t know very many adults, female or male, in any league who average under 120; those that do don’t make any effort to get better, are set in their ways, and tend not to care about their performance. Of course if you have some sort of disability or injury you can kind of disregard my reply.
Barring some sort of disability/injury though, your average over a season that says you haven’t put in the time or effort to get better, and chances are your team noticed that too. If I have a teammate who just shows up every week to have fun but does not care whether or not we win, or his/her own performance, I will probably make a decision to cut them as well. Some people join to have fun, some people join purely for competitive purposes, but most combine both.
People who have your average can be some of the worst bowlers to have on your team because they have a limited ceiling. For example, if I have a new bowler who averages 130 but is capable of shooting 240 every once in awhile, that’s valuable. But if I have a bowler who averages 101 and is never expected to bowl anything higher than a 130 and has the potential to shoot sub 80, that’s pretty bleak as far as contribution to the team.
As a couple of examples, I started bowling about 5 years ago with my mom on my team as well. I averaged 135 to start, my mom was about 100. By the end of the season I had a 165 average and my mom was about a 120. I had several 200+ games including a game or two shooting over 300 with sticks. We got better and were credit to team because we tried, practiced, and had fun at the same time.
Moreover, you didn’t say anything about your chemistry with the team. Maybe you don’t mesh with them. Maybe they don’t mesh with you. It could be a combination of your low average with a low ceiling (maybe? I don’t know what your PB is, but 101 tells me you can’t really convert spares).
Bottom line: why are you valuable to your team and what have you done to contribute? To me it seems like they were justified.
Also, time for you to practice seriously.
I’d suggest maybe trying a different center if you have another one close by. If not then I’d suggest simply looking for a new team or a different league until you can find a new team. I’m currently in my first season of league and everyone especially older people from other teams are super supportive and even give me tips while I’m playing against them
Don’t get discouraged. Maybe that wasn’t the team or league for you. Look around and talk to a few league secretary’s and see about being placed with a good/fun team.
I will say not all leagues are made the same. My Tuesday night league is all about the fun. We don’t care if you drop a 100 game or a 200 game. As long as you are a good dude, it’s all fun and laughs. Now my Thursday night league is all about the business. It is a high money payout league. 5 person mixed roster with my lowest bowler averaging 195 (not me) and my highest averaging 220ish (again, not me).
Pick the right one for you and enjoy. Don’t get discouraged by a few a-holes.
Just because you are nice to someone does not mean they will like you.
Use it as a chance to meet some other people in the league that may appreciate you more.
I would make sure you make it to the Meetings before the leagues start. This is the best time to see if you are on a team that you were put on last minute in a previous season. I have been a last minute addition and never really felt like I would automatically be on that team again in the next season.
It sucks that you found out the way you did, but like others have said, try not to take it too much to heart. It is unfortunately common in Bowling for this stuff to happen. Usually it is the opposite of what happened to you, teams get to the first night thinking they had a full team and find out a 1 or 2 guys arent coming back. Then have to scramble to find bowlers. Again this is solved by going to the meetings a few weeks before to sort it all out. And if your league didnt have one, that is also unfortunate.
Find out if there are any other leagues and show up to their meetings or the first few nights of leagues. Leave your contact info at the desk and let them know what you are looking for and they can usually find a team. But just be aware that if you are a last minute addition again, you should talk to the rest of the team and see if they are going to keep you on for the next season.
Best case scenario is to create your own team, but that can be a headache trying to find people to commit to 30+ weeks if they are not avid bowling fans.
It’s always an awkward and difficult situation when people want to return to a team and the team captain, for whatever reason, has to tell them they are being booted. I had to do it once, and it sucked. Feelings get hurt. It’s inevitable. Just move on.
Before I get asked, bowling in a four man league, we took on two strangers to fill our team. We all got along well, and the next year, everyone wanted to return. I had a daughter who was aging out of youth bowling, and I wanted to bowl with her. My long time bowling buddy and I were going to stay together, so someone had to go. It wasn’t really an option for me to add a second night of the week for bowling. So…I had to tell one guy he was out. It sucked for everyone.
I enjoy joining new leagues with completely different people. Take the pass to meet better people. I used to show up on week two or three and join teams. Typically it would be the new players with little experience missing a bowler. If they look decent can I fill that spot? Always enjoyed that more than joining with a stacked team.
Not normal, but people are free to do whatever they want. I’ve been in leagues where we needed an extra guy and then a year later a friend of ours decided to get into bowling so we had to part ways with the extra guy. No hard feelings, just wanted to bowl with our friend instead.
But honestly I love having someone with a low average. Better chance of someone averaging 100 getting a few strikes and having a 150 game than there is someone averaging 200 getting a 250 game.
I wouldn’t worry much about it. Plenty of teams out there just bowling for fun and to escape the house once a week that’ll fit you better.
A captain can dismiss a team member at any time, fortunately or unfortunately. I’ve been dismissed in the days between weeks 1 and 2 of a league season (talk about last minute!) due to an argument. In my case though we became friends again in a couple months (this was about 25 years ago).
All team rosters are automatically disbanded at the end of the season per USBC rule 109a, paragraph 3. No team is required to bring everyone back although many teams do voluntarily stay together. But the captain does have the ability to remove a bowler from a team at any time.
It would have been courteous for this captain to have notified you sooner. Unless you’re told, the decision could be made just moments before the team roster is presented to the league for the next season…or, could be made as the past season ended.
Even in a recreational (fun) league, there is still an element of competition.
You might do well on another team in this league (I’d like to think you got to know more than just the former teammates), or maybe a different league.
If you enjoyed the league, continue doing it. Don’t let one guy stop you. Sucks the way he cut you and how he worded it, but unfortunately, he has the “right” to do it since he’s the captain. I’d see if you have any friends/coworkers/family that wants to bowl, join the same league and go try hard and win it from him.
The first men’s league (i.e., competitive) I told the guy who asked me to bowl that I’m around 160, and inconsistent. Bowled the entire season, ended up bumping my average up to 170s. So I felt good about bowling and he ended up cutting me next season. I liked the league so I stayed on it, and everyone asked me why did I leave the team, when I told them I was kicked off, they’re like yeah..he tends to always kick people off his team in favor of higher average bowlers.
I guess what I’m trying to say just stay with the league if you liked it and don’t worry about 1 guy. Real bowlers don’t care what you average. If you’re consistent that’s all that should matter. Especially if it’s a casual league. Maybe avoid the sanctioned/serious leagues until you’re a bit higher, but casual leagues is all about the fun!