Article: "Student-athletes to parents: 'Grow up'"

[JRutledge]

These are the reasons I never wanted to coach. I saw in Little League how much parents interfered with our team and who played. I always wanted to stay next to the games, and officiating was the best way for me.

Peace

[Adam]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

These are the reasons I never wanted to coach. I saw in Little League how much parents interfered with our team and who played. I always wanted to stay next to the games, and officiating was the best way for me.

Peace

It was definitely a factor for me. I watched the crap my dad put up with from parents when he coached my brothers' Little League teams.

[amusedofficial]

Nothing worse than watching your kid ride the pine while the coach's kid plays when he wants, where he wants and for as long as he wants. I see this far more often than I see parents getting out of control with a coach. I've seen coaches pull kids from a game for a simple error while their precious flesh and blood commits unforced turnover after unforced turnover. Then there are the coaches with their buddies as assistants and no one else need apply

[Adam]

Originally Posted by amusedofficial

Nothing worse than watching your kid ride the pine while the coach's kid plays when he wants, where he wants and for as long as he wants. I see this far more often than I see parents getting out of control with a coach. I've seen coaches pull kids from a game for a simple error while their precious flesh and blood commits unforced turnover after unforced turnover. Then there are the coaches with their buddies as assistants and no one else need apply

This happens. It also happens that the coach plays the AD's kid, or the councilman's kid, because failing to do so will result in a loss of his job.

[Lcubed48]

Originally Posted by Snaqwells

This happens. It also happens that the coach plays the AD's kid, or the councilman's kid, because failing to do so will result in a loss of his job.

In my case, it was president of the school board's son who got the playing time over my brother and myself.

[bainsey]

Originally Posted by amusedofficial

Nothing worse than watching your kid ride the pine while the coach's kid plays when he wants, where he wants and for as long as he wants.

Not true. There are far more worse things than this. When we start treating it like there's nothing worse, we become part of the problem.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by bainsey

Not true. There are far more worse things than this. When we start treating it like there's nothing worse, we become part of the problem.

Reminds me of a commercial that ran on the radio as I was driving around Colorado Springs a few days ago. It started with "There's nothing worse than getting caught driving in a hail storm."

My first thought, staring at the smoke in the mountains, "I can think of at least one thing."

My second thought, "It's a figure of speech, for crying out loud. Lighten up, Snaqwells."

[bainsey]

Originally Posted by Snaqwells

Reminds me of a commercial that ran on the radio as I was driving around Colorado Springs a few days ago.

Of course, advertisements are the worst offenders of such hyperbole. (That's what sells.) My favorite opening radio ad line was, "Losing your hair can be devastating!" No, losing a child can be devastating. Losing your hair is part of life.

And more to my point, so is dealing with nepotism. We can complain all we want about our kids not getting playing time, or we can teach them that the real world is the exact same way. It isn't fair, but it's part of life. Learning how to deal with it is better than making too much out of it.

[bainsey]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

These are the reasons I never wanted to coach. I saw in Little League how much parents interfered with our team and who played. I always wanted to stay next to the games, and officiating was the best way for me.

There it is.

I've said it before. People get mad at officials for 5-10 seconds, and move onto the next play, but people hold GRUDGES against coaches. For this reason, I have a higher respect for them since I started wearing stripes.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by bainsey

There it is.

I've said it before. People get mad at officials for 5-10 seconds, and move onto the next play, but people hold GRUDGES against coaches. For this reason, I have a higher respect for them since I started wearing stripes.

I do for some of them. To be honest, I give them the same level of respect I detect from them.

I'm professional, and show them all a minimum level of respect; but the fact is I respect quite a few of them far less than I let on. Others, far more.

Frankly, in my view, character is displayed by (among other ways) how you treat those around you whom everyone else despises. This is why I have absolutely respect for that coach from Duke.

[26 Year Gap]

A guy I know who coaches VG basketball once cut a bunch of seniors much to the amazement of onloookers. When asked about it he said: "This way I only have to deal with one phone call."

If two players are about equal, take the one who took less time to get there. Same holds true in the workplace, for that matter.

[JWP]

Growing up in the early 1970s, our youth baseball program was fairly low key. No coaches, just team captains, with three high school players serving as advisers and umpires.

I remember having a parent yelling at me (captain) from the stands, during a game, because he didn't like the way the lineup was set. I'm 12 years old, trying to play first base, and trying to explain why his son was catching (because he wanted to try it.)

I suspect that because of that incident, I have zero tolerance for parents yelling at players during the game. Never had to have a parent tossed, but I have stopped the game a few times and told them they could cheer for their kids as loud as they wanted, but one more negative word directed at player from either team and the parent was gone.

The last time I did that, during a junior high game featuring a parent yelling at players from both teams, the fans at that end of the stands applauded. Didn't hear a word from the loud-mouthed putz after that.

[BillyMac]

I coached middle school basketball for over twenty-five years. Lack of playing time for one player, and lack of a starting position for another player, both of whom were grandchildren of a former, still influential, town councilman, led to my resignation as coach, something that I had already been contemplating for a few years to concentrate on my officiating. Helicopter parents, parents that hover over their kids, drove me from a job that I used to love.

I don't ever remember my Dad saying anything negative about any of my coaches, at many levels, in a few different sports. I had a few real bad coaches, as well as several pretty good coaches, and my Dad expected me to deal with the coaches on my "own two feet" if I had any complaints, concerns, or questions.

The only way that I will ever coach again, in any sport, is if I'm asked to coach a group of orphans.

My son teaches Sociology at a small private college. He tells me that parents of his students will often call him to complain about their childrens' grades. This is college. What is this world coming to?

[Adam]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

I coached middle school basketball for over twenty-five years. Lack of playing time for one player, and lack of a starting position for another player, both of whom were grandchildren of a former, still influential, town councilman, led to my resignation as coach

My dad was relieved of his (volunteer) coaching duties after a similar incident with a local power broker in our little town who didn't think his son should be playing center field. Dad held his ground, but the next season, without any communication with my dad, they hired a local kid home from college for the summer to coach.

That's what "local politics" means to me.