Update: High School Baseball Team Walks Off Field in Protest

A YouTube video posted May 9 shows members of the baseball team leaving the field to the cheers of some spectators. According to the video's description, the walk-off occurred because the "coach did not start all seniors" on Senior Night.

Senior Night does not traditionally require all seniors to start a game in the PV School District. While the game against Pope John Paul II High School did resume that night, May 9, the players who walked off the field "declined to rejoin the team and did not play the final two games (of the season)," according to an e-mail from the Perkiomen Valley School District.

"We are disappointed that the students chose to take this action and declined to rejoin the team after the incident," the e-mailed statement continued.

The video's comments sections shows divided opinions about the appropriateness of the team's actions.

• "Disgraceful display of sportsmanship that reflects poorly on the athletes, if you can call them that, and their parents for applauding their actions. Coaches job is to start the best athletes. If seniors are not the best athletes then they should not start. Playing sports is a priviledge and what grade you are in does not dictate a starting position. You all should be ashamed of your actions."

• "For a whole team to believe it is right to quit all at once it takes alot (sic). Highschool (sic) players endure alot (sic) of (expletive) and bad coaching, and you may even see the occasional quitting of a player or a player getting kicked off the team for mouthing off, but it is rare that you find a whole team that feels strong enough against their coach to all walk off of the field."

• "It makes you guys look like quitters, dont (sic) you realize that? If your college coach found out about it even if you didnt (sic) put your high school records down, would he really want a kid like that on his team? Someone who (expletive) quits because hes (sic) not getting his way??? So (expletive) dumb man....think before you act"

• "I absolutely love what these guys did. I played at Phoenixville and it's great to know that guys I've shared the field with in the past have the class that these guys have."