Worst Sports Parents?
 

Deadspin wants to know.

Which Sport Produces The Worst Parents?

This would be like associating all writers and their parents with "Idiots", because this one sounds that way.

Sometimes when one is given space to publish articles, it is obvious where there brains are located.

Did you read the article, especially the one about holding in farts?

Football is 7th, behind cheerleading, tennis, gymnastics, hockey, figure skating and BASEBALL ??? This write has no credibility.

I have had umpires ask why I don't work football. But whenever I see a football game, I see some coach/parent berating the side judge on his sideline about a penalty that someone else on the crew made. I'd be calling unsportmanship penalties all game long (since EJ doesn't seem to be an option). I'd wear out my welcome in football officiating very quickly.

I think baseball parents get a bad rap because many umpires put up with their crap too long and parents think that its acceptable. It shouldn't be. I am all for parent involvement and think they should attend little Johnnie's games, but they aren't required to be there and shouldn't be allowed to stay if they can't behave.

I went ahead and moved this because it applies to all sports and we should use this section more.

Problem is, this will probably be the last post for this thread. And I really think it is a baseball issue, since the writer was bashing baseball parents in particular.

The article also talks about cheer parents and hockey parents but I'm not going to make duplicate threads for the others.

This will either gather interest or it won't but it applies across sports.

FWIW, in my experience cheer parents weren't so bad though I never really dealt with them. Fastpitch softball and rec league basketball parents tie for me in being the worst.

Bad sports parents is a universal issue to all sports...I'd also venture to say it's worse in basketball and maybe peewee football since parents tend to be right on top of you.

From what I hear, hockey parents are the worst, at least around here. I think it probably has something to do with the sheer amount of time/money invested in hockey. Skates, uniforms, sticks aren't cheap, especially because most of it has to be replaced often as the kids grow. And ice time isn't cheap either. So you get the "I'm paying $3500/year for my kid to play hockey, so he better be the best, and if he isn't it's the coaches/ref's fault" mentality.

I've never officiated hockey though, so it's just a guess.

Depends where. Anywhere that I've worked, it's been on HS or MS fields where there is a clear separation from the stands and the playing field. I know there are some places that play in city parks that are not like that though.

I'm surprised not much mention has been made of soccer parents. I've read plenty of horror stories about them.

True...I guess my caveat should be peewee football games in which the parents are right on top of the field instead of in seated in a bleacher type setting.

I can't believe that any sport parents (given the opportunity to misbehave) is any worse than another. That is why I like working baseball. I have stopped a game and not allowed it to continue until a forewarned parent is out of sight and earshot. Games are usually much quieter less hostile after. Though the kids aren't asked, I'll bet they enjoy themselves more when mom/dad isn't acting like a tool.

Funny that you say that because I can't count the amount of times that during a basketball game (usually during free throws) I can hear the players, in the lane spaces, talking to each other, complaining about their parents yelling, and actually saying that they wished their parents wouldn't come to the games.

They all are bad. They are all bad because the same thing motivates them. They think that that yelling makes a difference and they think that someone is screwing their kid on some level. Instead of just just watching and enjoying, they yell and scream. I have seen stupid parents in all sports when they get the opportunity to be heard (in their mind). The fans that are the worse are the Pee Wee fans as they usually know little about the game they are yelling about as their kids have not played very long. But this is the case in every sport. When the kids to go HS usually the stupidity subsides a little as they would sound stupid yelling about minor rules that clearly might not apply the older the kids get.

Peace

When our daughter played soccer a lot of parents yelled because they did not know any rules. Since some knew I worked football games they asked me if it was a good call. While I knew some soccer rules I did not know all of them.

I think the problem with youth football parents (and coaches) is that they yell if they think an NFL or NCAA foul should be called. You know ,that wasn't DPI, the pass was uncatchable or that foul is an automatic first down. I call those rules "as seen on TV" since that is where they get them.