High School Kicks Boys Off Baseball Team for Sacrificing Chickens

A Fort Worth area high school has kicked two players off its baseball team sacrificing live chickens in an effort to improve their team's performance. 

The students at Western Hills High School in the Fort Worth ISD are alleged to have sacrificed chickens -- possibly baby chicks -- on the baseball field, according to sources with knowledge of the incident.

Western Hills baseball coach Bobby McIntire says he has no idea why they did it, but they may have gotten the idea from baseball movies like Major League and Bull Durham.

Police in the Fort Worth suburb of Benbrook are looking into charging both boys with animal cruelty.

The Western Hills team defeated Southwest High School 11-1 Wednesday night.  The team is now 7-15 overall and 3-2 in district.

via Western Hills High baseball players alleged to have sacrificed chickens to improve performance ....

This story doesn't mention the boys' ethnicity, but if they or their parents came from Mexico, it's possible they could be from an area where the Santeria religion is practiced.

Santeria is a blend of Spanish Catholicism and African Voodoo that was brought to the New World by African slaves.  Ritual animal sacrifice is part of its worship, and chickens are commonly used because they're handy, easy to get and inexpensive.