Sport Parents
Last night Blue played his last basketball game of the season. They lost by about ten points. The other team’s coach screamed the entire time. Running up and down the court, waving his arms, pointing, kicking and stomping. Sort of a joke really, if you ask me. But his team won. Kristin and I sat in the bleachers with a couple other parents from our team surrounded by parents from the other team as they screamed and yelled at how bad the ref was doing, how bad their team was doing (though they were up by ten points) and all sorts of other things. I’m pretty sure my jaw was dropped in dis-belief the entire game.
Maybe this is kids sports. Maybe it’s kids sports in the South. Maybe it’s just that team. Either way, I know that if any of our kids ever end up on a team with that type of coach and those types of parents, we’ll take the season off and go camping.
Anyone run into these parents? I wonder, it’s almost cliche’ to make fun of these parents. How is it that they still exist?
Bro,
I think you know, these people make me nervous and anxious. They are children, playing a sport and ideally we are to be teaching them to have fun, play organized sports and have good sportsmanlike conduct.
I, too, have reached a time in my life when, it seems sort of funny that these people feel like they need to scream and yell at the children, the refs or other coaches, just to make THEIR feelings known. I really don’t get it.
I remember these parents and coaches from my time in junior sports. My coach got tossed from a game by the ref one time.
Its kiddie sports, its supposed to be fun. You learn how to win and how to lose.
Even high school sports are taken way too seriously.
Our son played soccer once in this town, and it will remain that way. He had a good coach, no screaming involved. However, too many of the other coaches and parents screamed yelled and the like. The parents believed they were doing so in fun. In fun? What’s fun about screaming at kids? So Bryan will not play soccer in this small town again.
These people are one of the main reasons I never let my girls do sports.Because not only is their behavior awful, I often felt myself being pulled into the negativity. Let me tell you, I found I can be pretty mean to opposing teams,coaches and refs.So needless to say it is just better for me to stay away from all sports that I have emotional ties too.
I should have played the lottery cause I knew this post was coming. (LOL) Brody, I will never understand why people think the primary need for communicating must be shouting and acting like a bonehead. It boggles the mind man … it just boggles the mind.
Wait so you’ll go camping for the entire season?
Yep, saw this one coming…Extremists scare me…no matter WHAT they are extreme about (unless it is Billy C., of course) sports, money, politics, religion etc.. Just plain scary..Their passion seems to be an obsession, I’m not sayin don’t be passionate about whatever your thing is….just be considerate of other people/families around you and mostly be supportive. What example are they setting? Really, C’mon people…..
I think it’s kids anything at this point. Sports just seems to be the place where we see it played out most often (and, unfortunately, where it’s most accepted). The desire to win eclipses the desire to have fun and teach kids some basic life lessons (teamwork, respect, discipline, etc.).
I’ve seen parents yell at their own kids from the sidelines, yell at refs, yell at each other, and be ejected from games. And all this was at YMCA games where the “C” in YMCA seemed to have taken a back seat to winning.
We switched our younger daughter to Upward sports through our church some years ago, and she also played her last game this past weekend. What a difference between these games and the YMCA games! Our coach certainly wants to win, and he’s certainly into the game. But the yelling and jumping up and down is out of excitement and encouragement for the young ladies he’s coaching, giving them thumbs up and high fives from the sidelines when they even dribble well.
Don’t give up hope. Just walk away from those who don’t get it. Try Upward if it’s available. Hopefully it’s not the game you are describing…
LOVE Upward sports for just this reason! It’s a great sports program run by some churches. Sadly, my kids have outgrown that program (only goes up to 6th grade) and won’t be playing in any other sports for the reasons you mentioned. I LIVE with a crazy sports guy (that would be my husband) and I’ve even left a game or two of his because I couldn’t even stand to watch how upset he and some of the other guys got. And that was a CHURCH league! I’m just not competitive enough to care. Who needs that kind of stress? It’s just a game. That’s why I stick with Scrabble