So it was a nice Saturday afternoon, and I thought it would be a good time to take my hungover self down to the local ballpark and watch some youth baseball... AND boy howdy was that just a cesspool. Whether it was bad baseball, terrible walking taco Frito bags, or just god awful parent fans, my experience there was just about as bad as you think it may have been.
Whether it was screaming on strikeouts, videoing every possible play, or just flat out arguing with other parents, the parents of youth baseball pandemic quite possibly has been the worst its ever been, and spoiler alert folks... I think it is only going to get worse.
If you are reading this and find yourself doing one of these next three things at your kid's sporting event, I am going to need you to check yourself in.. Because I get loving your kid and wishing them to do well, but there is absolutely no reason to do any of this....
Yelling at your Kid from the Stands. I can assure you the only one getting gratification out of this, the people around you think you're an asshole, and you are only ruining your child's passion for the sport he/she is playing.
Interrupting the Game to ask the Coach about Playing Time. Playing time will forever be a hot button issue at any sport, especially when it comes to pay to play, but that does not give you the right to call out the coach who is trying to do what is best for the kids he has to coach.
Yelling at an Umpire/Referees from the Crowd. Most of these times at youth sports games, these officials are high school/college students trying to earn a quick buck for some beer on the weekend. Now if you want to be the topic of bar talk for some drunk party-goers on the weekend? Please. Be my guest. But if not, check yourself in, remind yourself not only do you look like a buffoon, and remember your kid is embarrassed too, so sit your ass back down.
Less than eleven in 100, or about 10.5 percent, of NCAA senior male baseball players will get drafted by a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Approximately one in 200, or approximately 0.5 percent of high school senior boys playing interscholastic baseball will eventually be drafted by an MLB team.
Read that again.
Do you not see how hard it is for athletes to get into their respective professional sports?? So sit the flip down people, there is a good chance your kid is not going to be the next $400 million dollar man, no matter how much you scream and yell at them when they are 12.
Stay Safe and Please Stop Overreacting at Youth Sports Games
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