Today’s blog post happens to be about a divorce case from another state. Even so, it is a story that devoted fans of the University of Tennessee’s Volunteers athletic teams might want to remember if they ever have to go through a divorce themselves. Here’s how it starts.
Once upon a time (not so long ago and in a galaxy not so far away), a man who was in the process of negotiating a child custody agreement with his soon-to-be ex-wife had the good sense to do something that people don’t always remember to do in the midst of a divorce. He took the risk of asking for exactly what he wanted — even though it was an unusual request and even though most people would likely view it as silly or frivolous.
In exchange for granting his wife’s request to have custody on certain Jewish holidays and for half of the children’s Christmas vacation each year, the man asked to have custody of the children on Christmas and Easter (not unusual), on Super Bowl Sunday and St. Patrick’s Day (somewhat unusual but not unheard of), and on the day of the “March Madness” NCAA men’s basketball final, if or when the Syracuse University Orangemen were playing for the title (probably a first).
The Syracuse University Orangemen won their first and only NCAA men’s basketball championship nine years ago behind the brilliant play of freshman Carmelo Anthony, one of the stars of the 2012 U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team. Some observers believe that Syracuse could be ready for another title run this year.
When asked about the unusual child custody request, the man said he was no different than others who “define themselves by their religion or race.” He added that “Syracuse sports, especially basketball, football and lacrosse” were a big part of his heritage and that having custody of his children on that day (if it happens again) would be very important to him.
Source: Huffington Post, “Syracuse Divorce: Man Requests To Have Custody Of Kids For Title Game,” July 27, 2012
