D'Arcy Maine, ESPN.com 9y

Youth Basketball Team Disqualified For Having Girl On The Roster

There are plenty of legitimate reasons for a team to be disqualified from a youth basketball tournament. The under-11 Cavs from Charlottesville, Virginia, were not disqualified for any of those reasons. Nope. They were barred from participating in a Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, tournament over the weekend because there was a girl on the team.

According to Scrimmageplay.com, the Cavs won a quarterfinal game and then were notified of their disqualification because Kymora Johnson, a soon-to-be fifth-grader, played in the win.

Johnson has been on the team since kindergarten and the squad has even played at this very tournament before. During the 2015 registration process, her mother, Jessica Thomas-Johnson, was notified of a rule change that would only allow for one female member on the team, which Johnson is. Because such a conversation had occurred, the disqualification and the timing of it were especially baffling because it indicates officials were aware of Johnson's presence from the beginning of the tournament.

"We submit all of the paperwork, the whole team checks in in full uniform, with a birth certificate," Thomas-Johnson told the website.

"She has hot pink fingernail polish and a pink headband. She's a girl."

Despite being barred from play, the Charlottesville Cavs still showed up to what would have been their semifinal game on Sunday -- dressed in full uniform -- in an act of silent protest. According to the team, it was given a warm reception from other teams and their parents.

While the decision from the tournament seems ridiculously unjust, it's incredible to see 10-year-olds respond in such an amazing way. Despite not being able to play, the Cavs are clearly the real winners here.

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