Team loses shot at title over Snapchat photo

Little League boots softball team from World Series game.

Let this be a lesson, kids: The next time you want to gloat about beating your opponents on their home turf, think twice — especially if your chosen method of gloating is posting a photo on social media of six teammates flipping the bird under the caption, “watch out host.”

The 12- to 14-year-olds who make up the Atlee junior league softball team from Mechanicsville, Virginia, learned this the hard way on Saturday when they were disqualified from the nationally televised championship game at the Junior League World Series in Kirkland, Washington, after one team member posted that photo on her Snapchat account.

Little League spokesman Kevin Fountain called the post “inappropriate” in a statement to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, explaining that it violated the league’s “policies regarding unsportsmanlike conduct.”

The disqualification didn’t sit well with the Atlee team manager, Scott Currie, who had found out about the photo shortly after the team posted it following a 1-0 win over Kirkland on Friday. Currie immediately reprimanded the children who were involved, before demanding they delete the post and apologize in person to their rivals.

“It’s a travesty for these girls,” Currie told the Times-Dispatch on Saturday. “Yes, they screwed up, but I don’t think the punishment fit the crime.”

According to Atlee coach Chris Mardigian, the post came in retaliation to “several incidents of harassment” perpetrated by some Kirkland team members that targeted the Atlee team.

The Times-Dispatch adds that both a player and coach from Kirkland’s team were ejected after being caught relaying Atlee’s team signals from second base to Kirkland batters.

Making matters worse for Atlee, Kirkland was chosen to replace Atlee in Saturday’s championship game against USA Central.

Little League’s decision to disqualify Atlee while promoting Kirkland irked many on social media, although most admitted the photo posted to Snapchat was inexcusable. Many also said it’s equally unfair to disqualify the whole Atlee team over the actions of six members.

“You don’t disqualify an ENTIRE team due to the posting of one child,” Sueann Taylor Ellis posted on RVA Sports’ Facebook page.

“I can understand disqualifying Atlee for the post ... but to give Kirland (sic) the spot is ridiculous,” Jerry Broussard wrote. “The other team in the finals should just get the win outright. Bureaucracy at it’s (sic) finest.”

Others agreed with Little League’s decision, although they admitted it’s a “hard lesson” to learn.

“Adults/kids sooner or later need to understand that not everything should go on social media,” Michelle Turnbow Jenkins wrote. “There is always someone watching!”