They are nothing more than two innocuous words silk-screened on the back of a shirt. But to 14-year-old Krystle Newquist they represent a hypocrisy she cannot stomach.
Newquist has refused to wear a softball uniform that bears the name “The Carousel,” the liquor store and lounge that paid $250 to sponsor her team. Newquist, a star first baseman, says donning the jersey would mean she supports the consumption of alcohol.
“I learned in school that drinking was wrong and not good for kids, so I don’t think it’s very smart to advertise something that can kill you,” said the Lemont High School 9th grader. “And I don’t think it’s smart for adults to teach me not to drink, and then turn around and make me wear that T-shirt.”
For that moral stance, Newquist was banned from the team earlier this year. And even though her parents offered to pay $250 to sponsor the team themselves, and even though she showed up at every game wearing her uniform with duct tape over “The Carousel,” league officials would not relent.
Now, Newquist is taking her fight to a broader level.
On Tuesday, she asked the Lemont-Bromberek School Board to step in. Pointing out that Lemont Little Leaguers play on diamonds owned by the school district, Newquist told school officials that they have a moral obligation to prohibit T-shirts, or anything else, that promote alcohol consumption.
Newquist, with her mother’s vocal backing, wants the school board to either force the Little League to prohibit taverns and liquor stores from advertising on the jerseys or ban the Little League teams from school fields altogether.
“If the Little League (asked) to put signs on the fences around the fields displaying all the sponsors, I cannot believe this board of education would allow them to advertise the Carousel tavern on school property,” Newquist told the board Tuesday night. “Why then is it OK to advertise a tavern on the backs of children?”
School officials were not swayed by the argument. Supt. Tom Reiter said Wednesday that the issue is between the league and the Newquists, not the school board.
But Reiter–who points out that the T-shirt does not say “alcohol” or “tavern” anywhere on it–said banning it or kicking the league off the fields would put the district on a slippery slope.
“Where do you draw the line?” he asked. “Grocery stores, pizza places and other restaurants that sponsor teams sell alcohol. Should we ban them also? And what if someone objected to another type of advertiser for some personal reasons? Should we ban them, too?”
Marianne Manilov, head of the Oakland-based Center for Commercial Free Public Education, bristles at such comments.
“When a student speaks up and says I don’t want to be another logo for alcohol or tobacco, we should encourage that,” she said. “What’s upsetting is that the Little League and the school officials are not supporting a young woman who obviously embodies the values we teach our kids. It’s a double standard, and kids see right through it.”
The family, who had not received word of the school board decision Wednesday, said they are willing to take the matter to court if they have to.
Newquist, who’s played league ball for seven years, said she decided to object to the uniform after she found her grandfather’s death certificate in the basement of her home. “I always thought he died of a heart attack,” she said. “I looked on the certificate and saw he died of cirrhosis and I found out from my dad that he used to drink. That really scared me.”
More Top Picks Best Under Desk Bikes For Adhd
So, on May 20, the youngster showed up to her first game with gray duct tape over the team logo. League officials allowed her to play that night with her jersey inside out. But the next day, the board of directors decided it would not waive the uniform requirement.
Then, she tried to switch to another Lemont team that did not have a tavern sponsor. League officials said it was too late.
Lemont Little League officials did not return phone calls. But in a letter, President Michael Lippner said that allowing the Newquist family to “alter the uniform shirt would set a precedent for other families and players to refuse to wear the shirt and defeat the purpose of the game uniform.”
Despite the league’s refusal to let her play ball, Newquist showed up to each of the 14 games, uniform on and tape over the logo. She was barred from the dugout but she cheered from the sidelines.
“I kept hoping that one day they’d change their minds and I’d be there ready to go,” said Newquist, who’s hobbling around on a broken ankle she sustained in a softball game in another league that does not print sponsors’ names on uniforms. “I think they thought I’d give up my fight because I love softball so much. But I know that what I believe is more important than softball.”