Blocked shot at glory

An Alabama high school basketball team has garnered national attention—and an invitation to meet the state’s governor—for honoring the Fourth Commandment: “Remember the sabbath day by keeping it holy” (Exodus 20:8).

The team’s decision to forfeit a state playoff game rather than play on its sabbath has also raised the question of whether interscholastic sports’ governing bodies must accommodate athletes whose sabbath day isn’t Sunday.

Oakwood Adventist Academy is a Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) private school whose boys’ basketball team advanced further in Alabama’s state playoffs than any team in school history. SDA church members observe what many call the “Jewish Sabbath”—sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. During that time, they must avoid engaging in secular activities, including competitive sports.

“It’s a time to get away from worldly things and focus on what God has done for you,” Oakwood athletic director Calvin Morton explained.

Oakwood thus faced a dilemma when the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) scheduled the Mustangs to tip off against their semifinal opponent, Faith Christian School, at 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 19, a Saturday: Because 4:30 p.m. was before sundown, the Mustangs could either play on their sabbath—keeping their championship hopes alive but violating their beliefs—or forfeit.

Morton reached out to Faith Christian about rescheduling to 7:30 that night. The Lions were willing. So were the two schools originally scheduled to play at 7:30 at the same venue.

The AHSAA, however, was not. Accordingly, Oakwood abided by its faith’s tenets, forfeiting to Faith Christian.

“No school wants to win by forfeit, especially not when playing for a championship,” Morton said. “I know Faith Christian was disappointed, just like we were.”

When Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey learned of the situation, she praised the Mustangs on Twitter “for standing firm in their convictions” and invited them to her mansion to celebrate their achievements—an invitation Oakwood plans to accept. Ivey also demanded answers from the AHSAA about its refusal to accommodate Oakwood when all schools involved were willing.

Alvin Briggs, the AHSAA’s executive director, responded that he was holding Oakwood to its end of the bargain the school made when joining the association in 2017: The Mustangs would either participate in all postseason contests without asking the AHSAA to reschedule or forfeit if the association scheduled a contest on their sabbath. Briggs also asserted that making schedule switches for every school that requested one would create chaos.

Still, the AHSAA is accommodating of non-SDA Christian denominations: The association “doesn’t schedule games on Sundays,” John Few wrote for the Madison County (Ala.) Record. “Even Wednesdays, a traditional Bible study night in the Deep South, is usually light on nighttime high school sports.”

Few also noted that the NCAA accommodates Brigham Young University, the Utah-based Mormon school: In accordance with Mormon teachings, BYU does not play on Sundays. When BYU qualifies for postseason tournaments in any sport, the NCAA schedules the Cougars’ games accordingly. If the country’s most high-profile interscholastic sports governing body can be so accommodating, Few argued, so can the AHSAA.

Photo illustration by Krieg Barrie

Oakwood isn’t the only SDA school to forfeit a state playoff game in compliance with its faith: In 2002, Oregon’s Portland Adventist Academy forfeited a postseason boys’ basketball contest scheduled on a Saturday afternoon because the state’s board of education refused to reschedule. Parents of Portland Adventist players took the matter to court, ultimately winning in 2008. The Oregon School Activities Association now accommodates SDA schools to the extent that it can.

“Hopefully [Oakwood] can work something out with the state,” said Lance Judd, Portland Adventist’s longtime athletic director. “Most associations are willing to work things out with schools from what I’m hearing. This case seemed like a pretty simple fix.”

Ivey agrees—which is why Alabama’s governor hopes the AHSAA changes its tune in the future. As Ivey wrote to Oakwood Principal Judy Chiles-Dent, “The idea that a team like Oakwood can be denied a chance to compete based on its faith—without even the most modest of accommodations—is deeply concerning.”

Morton believes litigation shouldn’t be necessary to ensure that SDA schools can compete for championships—organizations like the AHSAA must simply remember their mission.

“They need to think about children first,” Morton said: “If everyone else thinks the same way—putting children first—I think things will change.”