Quote:
Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve
It's a great concept, but the reality is that the parents, coaches and fans make it more about them than about the kids anyway. The antics of some of the parents are appalling. I've actually had kids turn around and ask if I could please throw their mother out of the stands because she was embarrassing them. The coaches and parents apparently care more about wins and losses than if the kid's are having fun. Sometimes you would think the world was about to come to an end when their little Johnny's team loses.
If it's really all about the kids, then the adults around them wouldn't act so much like little kids themselves, and make it all about the kids' enjoyment.
That's why high school ball is different. At that level and up, nobody is pretending that it's "all about the kids." Everyone knows that it's serious business and that winning is the key thing. To quote the late, great Vince Lombardi, winning isn't everything...it's the only thing.
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This is exactly why when my son played LL, I and my wife retreated to the outfield fence. We did not want to be part of all that BS! I could not believe how some of the parents acted in the stands. It was as if their kid had a multi-million dollar contract riding on the line!
As my son got into HS ball, I found that I still had to watch from the outfield as these nut case parents were now watching their kids compete in HS ball! My only salvation was that a lot of my old "outfield acquaintances" still were with me at this level.