Here's a hypothetical...

Express enters the John A. Smith charity tournament. In the bracket are the 2026 (not 2025) teams Schmigloo*, Team 92*, Leprosy*, Inlaws*, and a few others. Just making up some completely random names... Express comes out on top in all 3 of their games! Wait, no celebrating, this is a charity tournament. How dare you be happy. Is that a grin, you devil you? You should be ashamed of yourself!!! This isn't the olymipcs, stop acting like it. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Fingers are wagging at you.

While getting over being ashamed of your happiness, you check the schedule on tourney machine, and next you are going up against a team named SadLax*.

Is it the Olympics? Of course not, you remind yourself. You tell the kids just have some fun against SadLax*. "Don't worry Johnny, this is a charity game, you should be whistling skippity doo dah, not worrying about ground balls. It's just a silly silly game."

At this point you also make sure your kids realize there are starving kids in Ethiopia and this game doesn't mean a single thing. Even the WSYL means nothing, zero, nada, in the grand scheme of things, you remind your son. They are 9 years old afterall. They need these reminders. We ALL need these reminders, let's be honest. Some of them are still 8, buy I digress. None of them are 10, but I digress even more.

Almost half way through the receiving end of an a$$ whipping it is revealed to you that SadLax* is playing with older kids. What in tarnation!... is not what you'd say or think. Rather you think hey, that's AOK!!! My boy is out there having a jolly time. Who cares that this is the 4th game my 10 (whoops I mean 9 or 8) year old has played hard in the July heat and humidity. So long as the boys remember they are playing for John A. Smith they'll be grinning from ear to ear even if the score is 9-1. In fact, I'm in such a charitable mood right now, that I hope the other team scores more and more and more so they have more fun fun fun! YEA!!!!

SadLax* will not, by any means, boast of this on Twitter under the headline that starts "SadLax* 2026..." It's not the Olympics to them. No, no, no sireee!!! SadLax* will remind you that it's not the Olympics.

End of hypothetical....

There is no one on earth who can say with a straight face that they wouldn't be bothered.

But SadLax* filled in last minute and told the organizers. No one told you (or other teams you played). You find this out a little too late, but all good. Carry on. Still not the Olympics though.

*Names are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual teams, active or defunct, is purely coincidental.