SUBSCRIBE VIA RSSI am going to depart from my typical happy-go-lucky vibe for a moment because I’m pretty ticked after what I witnessed at Michael’s Little League game tonight.
Michael is the kind of kid who will play any sport he comes across. Soccer, baseball, basketball, golf, it doesn’t matter. Because of his love for the game and because we’d rather see him he burn his energy on the playing field and not in our living room, we do all we can to support his passion for sports.
The problem is that some parents and even some coaches are playing field extremists. It’s absurd. These are children…a bunch of 7-year olds who just want to get out there and enjoy a ballgame. Unfortunately, this isn’t want they’re experiencing.
I don’t think some of the coaches grasp the fact that their livelihood isn’t on the line if their mini-minions don’t bring home a victory.
This was quite apparent as I watched the opposing team’s coaches tonight. The coach on first base was constantly barking out orders and screaming so loud that the next county is probably contemplating a noise ordinance. The coach on third base wasn’t as boisterous but his flailing arms were probably more damaging to little psyches. If a child had the audacity to be a child and make a mistake, he’d throw his hands up, shake his head, and turn his back with his hands on his hips.
It was absurd. Their players were like deer caught in headlights. One poor kid took off running a little early and you could tell that he had no clue what to do next. Does he return to first or does he continue to second? Instead of being coached, he was bombarded by screams from frothing adults. So many people were yelling and pointing that it all blended together. The child danced in place, frozen in time, unsure what to do next. He was tagged out and sent to the dugout with little more than a pointing finger and an atta-boy of, “Listen to what we tell you to do next time, okay?”
Later in the game, one of their players noticed that his shoe was untied. He bent down to tie the offending shoe and was tagged out. The coaches felt that time should have been called but the umpire didn’t agree. What happened next made me question why some people are put in a position where they can help mold our children.
The coach from third sprinted to first and the two yelled all kinds of things at the umpire. The kids just watched…soaking it all in. When it was clear that the argument was lost, the third base coach stormed to home plate and started kicking dirt all over it.
This got some of the parents riled up because the catcher was standing there in a cloud of dust. No doubt awestruck by the childish display of someone 30+ years older.
24 sets of impressionable eyes watched as these two threw a temper tantrum over a 3-inning baseball game played by 7-year olds. Kids who spent more time chasing butterflies and dragonflies in the outfield than baseballs. Kids who spent more time drawing in the infield clay than fielding grounders.
You have to wonder what goes through people’s minds to lose self-control like that. Last I checked, your coaching record at the U8 level doesn’t go on your permanent record. I’m not so sure he’ll be faced with, “I’m sorry Mr. Brown but I’m afraid we can’t approve this mortgage application. Says here you led the Lil’ Braves to a 6-9 record last spring.”
Wake up people! The sport being played is for the benefit of your children and the lack of teamwork, discipline, and sportsmanship should be the only thing you get mad over. Bad behavior by coaches and parents is toxic and this was never more apparent than when I overheard the opposing players calling our team cheap. As if our boys had anything to do with it. No doubt these opinions were driven into their heads by the appalling behavior of those who were supposed to teach the opposite of what they displayed that night.
What they heck do we do? Do we pull Michael aside and explain that some adults are void of logic? Do we tell him to ignore the freakouts and temper tantrums of coaches who have yet to outgrow the terrible two’s? We’re at a crossroads and we’d love to hear your thoughts, experiences, and insight.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow – tough game. This is one of my biggest fears with our kids. Stay positive with Michael – he'll learn a lot from you and your wife!
I so hear you. My sister was in the same situation with her boy an a opposing team, (8 yr olds) and at the end of the season – I'm not sure how but the couch of that team couched the All-Stars – and when her son was asked to be on it – a flat out no was the answer. All we can do is keep our children away from that behavior, and praise them for knowing its not the correct way to act. My son at only 2 1/2 loves T-balls, and watches base-ball in the morning for the encore of last nights game. I look forward to him playing and loving the game the way I did, but dread going through what you and my sister have been through.
T-Ball was great because you just had a bunch of bobbleheads running around chasing a baseball. Now that he's apparently all grown up and ready for the Majors, more is expected out of these kids. I'm all for teaching them the fundamentals and having a more competitive spirit but when coaches and parents obsess over unrealistic expectations, it creates a bad scene.
I think parents and coaches should have to attend a sportsmanship class and sign a waiver that they'll be booted if they stoop to the level these coaches did. The kids deserve better and these parents & coaches need to stop sucking all the fun out of it.
You contact Little League Inc. and complain about the other coach's behavior. THEY do not believe that this is acceptable either, and if enough parents complain, this coach will be removed.
Unacceptable behavior.
But I do understand the emotions. As a coach, I know that you get attached to the kids on your team. You want them to "succeed". At 8-10 years old, "success" means something totally different for each kid. For some, it's hitting a double or triple into the outfield. For others, it's just making contact with the ball.
So, as a coach, when one of "your" kids is the victim of a bd call it is hard – very hard – to contain yourself sometimes. Even for the best of us.
When you have a kid who has shown up for every practice, may not be the most talented player on the team, but works hard. He hasn't gotten a hit all year, but he gets up and hits one – and he clearly beats out the throw…but the umpire calls him out.
It's hard not to not jump down the umprire's throat.
But you have to remember that there are a dozen 8-10 year olds looking at you – waiting to see what your reaction will be.
Very tough to controll yourself. Very tough.
But you have to.
This is the reason we signed up to coach. To teach these young men how to respond in tough situations.
You have to lead by example.
Excellent comment Johnny Mac and I appreciate everyone's insight. We did mention the incident to the league and were told that another parent had already complained. We were told that the coaches were sent a letter after that game saying that they would be asked to leave the league if behavior like that resurfaced.
Turns out the coaches involved and the umpire were friends which is why they took more liberty in acting like childish brats with him. Regardless, we're glad the league didn't turn a blind eye.
Now to work on the parents.
As a Little League manager for over 7 years, former board member and a current umpire for our local Little League, I hate it when I read a story like this. I've coached against people like this, and I've had to deal with them for years.
Please don't let this be a roadblock in your son's experience with baseball. Your league has a board of directors. Notify your son's league VP, and report these coaches as fast as you can. If you don't get the proper response from him, move up the board, until you do. Coaches like this need to be dealt with quickly and strongly, to get their priorities straight.
There are many a "coach" that I know can only watch quietly from afar, in our league, due to behavior like this. It's unacceptable, and I really hope that your son can continue to grow and experience the greatness that is Little League baseball as I know it to be.