Just read this on MSNBC - I can't imagine getting so mad at a kids game that I would attack the ref or the other team's coach. Is it just me, or is this nuts?

ZD

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7875132/

Nice example those parents are setting for their kids...absolutely ridiculous!

Seriously. When I live vicariously through my son (who will have his left-hand tied behind his back until he's 12, then I teach him how to be a pitcher and teach him a curveball at 18) I'll be more concerned about my... er, his performance on the field and not vent at the coach or ref... unless my son is repeatedly benched.

JUST KIDDING!!!!

These people are insane! They've set a terrible example for their children. I hope they are all arrested and have to serve time in prison as an example to all of the children and other adults on that field of what really bad behaviour reaps.

I always knew that we involved our children in teams and sports to teach them something....I agree that charges should be filed and the punishment harsh. It's too bad the kids already have seen it and the damage may be done.

I miss the days when kids went to the sandlot and played games without adults around to, correctly or incorrectly, solve their disputes. Organized sports took that and many other learning experiences away from kids many years ago. Maybe some of those kids have grown up to be adults who don't know how to properly handle themselves in sports disputes. Just a thought.

I wouldn't know, I'm insane, but are a lot of parents like this these days? I mean the pent up anger and all. I know when I was young my father could get angry about things but he would never publicly humiliate himself by reverting to a primal state when confronted by opposition. What has taught these adults to accept this behavior? Is it a learned response or is it a sign of the times?

A hockey coach says to a young boy, "Son, do you know that when a ref. makes a bad call, you can't scream and holler obscenities at him?". The boy replied, "Yes Coach.". The coach asked, "Do you know that when I take you out so that another young boy can have a chance to play, you shouldn't call me a dumb butthead?". The boy replied, "Yes Coach." The coach asked, "Do you realize that you are part of a team and that it's not all about you?". The boy replied, "Yes Coach." The coach said, "Good, now can you go tell that to your mother!"

That made me laugh...but it's not funny that it's often the situation coaches find themselves in.

This type of story will always get press (and rightfully so), but the great majority of youth sports coaches will never be involved in any sort of physical altercation such as that. My experiences with other coaches and with spectators in my 10+ years of youth sports coaching have been overwhelmingly positive. I just think that the the potential for kids to learn positive lessons from organized sports (sportsmanship, fair play, teammwork, setting goals, giving one's best effort, etc.) outweigh potential negatives such as the incident described in the article. Competing is a good thing, as long as the competition itself is emphasized rather than the actual results. Trying to win is a good thing, but it really doesn't matter that much who wins if one's best effort was given.
O.K., sorry for the soapbox, and having said that, I agree with Z regarding sandlot games. It's great to see kids playing driveway basketball or playing baseball on a Sunday afternoon on the high school field. Gosh knows that's how I spent my summers as a kid, and I still like playing pickup games of hoops more than playing in a league.
On a lighter note regarding youth sports, here's a link to one of my favorite Rick Reilly columns. Hope you enjoy!
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/inside_game/magazine/life_of_reilly/news/2002/04/03/life_of_reilly/

JJohns - thanks for the reality check. I'm glad to hear that there are positive stories out there. I have heard more negative things in the last few years, and was beginning to wonder if little league was really worth it anymore.

Z is right on - I grew up playing "sandlot sports" - no adults to work things out, and very rarely did it result in violence when trying to resolve a dispute. I typically enjoyed these games more than the organized leagues (and still do).

I just don't get what these parent's were thinking. I guess I'm hoping that most leagues reflect JJohn's experience, and this is an isolated incident that the press jumped on.

ZD

Try to keep the bad press in perspective. The "sensationally bad" stories always get tons of press. Seldom do you hear about all the parents who do the right stuff for the right reasons with their kids. Think about all the t-ball parents all the way up to the college parents who nurture and support their kids. I have a 41 year old son and a 39 year old daughter and I remember all the good times. (Even the time I volunteered my husband to be an umpire when ours did not show up!! ) Any time I think they are gone, all I have to do is go by a field where all the parents with all the kids are playing any kind of game . . . . . . and it makes me feel good.

For the past two years I have coached little ones in soccer. They were "clinic" leagues for 4-7 year olds. I LOVED coaching the kids. I HATED having some of the parents there. After one game one of the fathers from the other team came over to yell at my assistant coach. I calmly walked over to the two men and reminded them that a bunch of 4-5 year olds were watching them and two of them were their children. When they did not stop yelling I stepped between them. The father from the other team shoved me hard enough to almost knock me down. Well, my brother was standing there and it took three other fathers to hold him back. I had a talk with my brother about his behavior, although I understand his protective nature. Then, the other father actually filed a complaint against us!! I had touched him when I stood between them and then my brother “attached” him. My brother never go the chance to even touch him and my touch was to physically come between him and my assistant coach. The league supported me totally but I have not coached since then. If I can't be safe on the field with a bunch of 4-5 year olds during a non-competitive game, I am sure not coaching older kids.

I remember as a kid being very embarrassed by my parents. They would be in the stands yelling such absurd encouragement it was embarrassing!!

Flame me if you will (and you will) but I am of the opinion that young children do NOT belong in organized sports (like T-Ball) and young girls especially do not need to be playing team sports (sorry, but I think it takes away their femininity).

And to answer your question, yes, the world HAS gone crazy and we are locked in with the inmates!

I love women who can kick my a$$... but that's just me.

Anon was smart to post anon with that opinion. I wouldn’t want anyone in the business world to know I was thinking like a caveman.

I suppose math class also takes away femininity? We do like our girls barefoot, stupid and pregnant in the kitchen now don't we (Where is that eye rolling emoticon?) And dang…what on earth are they doing in the workplace when they could be taking care of my dinner!!! For gods sake, teacher maybe, because they could get home in time to press my shirts…but a 9 to 5 job…never for my woman!

Team sports teach valuable lessons to children which include…it’s not all about me. Like it or not, to be successful you need to work with a team in most cases. Competition is also a fact of life. Handled correctly, and not ruined by offensive parents, coaches, etc., it is a positive factor in children’s growth, not a negative.

I can think of no better example of a loaner who never learned to play fair….Our dear and departed from BOL…. Ray. I think he also has similar views on women given his statements and posted pictures on websites.

Now, I must run, I have to get dinner on and make the beds and polish my sweeties boots before he kicks my ars….oh wait, my darling isn’t such a dork. I think wine on the deck sounds much more like it…screw the laundry we have a maid for stuff like that.

Dawnie- right on!

wow...I may have something to say....yes, I do. Just a few facts before I comment any further...I have coached my son & my nephew in baseball since they were 5 (started in T-Ball). He is 12 now. I am his MOTHER. Hang on a minute while I reapply my lipstick and slip my heels back on; this may get good....I have had the opportunity to coach him in All-Stars 3 years. He has made the All-Star team every year...He plays SS & my nephew catches...I live in a small town in ARKANSAS....If you think I haven't caught H**L, think again. One summer, I had one of the dads comment to another dad about me coaching...what he didn't realize was that the other dad was my brother...Big Brother quickly informed him that I was a pretty good coach and probably knew more about baseball than most of the men out there....thanks bro! One bad experience during All-Stars I have trouble forgetting.... as we are gathering up our equipment after a ballgame where we had just gotten our brains beaten out; the game was called in the 4th inning...so the dad comes over to the dug-out, singles me out of the 2 other coaches (who were men) and let's me know that he "really appreciates the way I treated his son. It was his turn to come off the bench and I didn't put him in" All I could manage was a feeble, "pardon?"...So he yelled at me again and I just ended up saying something like, "sorry..."...I was embarassed that he would do something like that. So I spent a few hours doing the "I should have said this" thing....that was probably the worst thing that has ever happened to me and maybe if I weren't just a big ole girl, it wouldn't have bothered me so much. Most of the mouthing comes from the mothers, believe it or not... Otherwise the last 7 summers have been some of the most fun I have ever had. I always talk to my son before I decide to coach about whether or not he really wants me to. I understand that at some point this might get wierd for him, but it hasn't happened yet. One thing we always agree to is we will never embarrass each other by acting like an idiot. Fans should leave the game remembering how well he played not that he ran his mouth & was a poor sport....I can say that I have never left a ball-game disappointed in the way he behaved. I stress good sportsmanship and the importance of working together as a team as much as I stress the fundamentals of baseball...
I suppose my point is that organized sports has been a positive experience in my life. And in the life of my son. I agree it's not for everyone. I have kids on my team this summer who don't want to play, but their parents make them. Team sports isn't for them. And as far as the post about team sports taking away from a woman's femininity, it's my opinion that coaching a team sport has not taken away mine. I fix my hair, touch up my make-up & shave my legs before every ball-game! I want to look my best when I am nose to nose yelling at the umpire...just kiddin'....

This weekend I say a blurb on Bravo about a new reality series from the same group that has put on "Showbiz Moms & Dads" and "Showdog Moms & Dads". I am not making this up--The next show is "Sports Moms & Dads"!!! Some of the clips from the first show are disturbing and scary. Talk about wanting your 15 minutes of fame. What kind of mentality treats their children like that PLUS allows it to be put on TV????

Thanks for the heads-up TTC- I'm going to keep my eyes out for that show.