Little
League Base-Brawl
The
other day, I was searching for some stupid headlines for my Stupid Headline Sunday
post, when I ran across this beauty:
Parents
brawl over a 13-year-old umpire's call at Little League game
The
story is here:
I have been
a Little League Parent, a Pop Warner Parent, and a soccer dad. I have seen parents screaming during games, I
have seen them yell at officials, I may have even participated in such behavior
myself.
Seriously,
some of these youth games are pretty important.
There are town championships at stake, bragging rights, and sometimes
the chance to go further in a major tournament.
If an
official misses a call, it could affect your child’s life for oh, maybe...until
the next game. This is important stuff,
so when I saw this headline I understood where these parents were coming
from.
I did think it
was going a bit overboard to be fighting with a 13-year-old umpire. Even if he missed a call or did not
understand a rule, how much experience could this child have as an umpire…less
than 13 years, that’s for sure.
He probably
is paid as much as $15 to umpire. Not
enough to make him fair game for parent’s ire, no matter how important the
game.
Then I read that
the game in question was for 7-year-olds.
Seven-year-olds
for crap sake!
Seven-year-olds
should probably not even be playing baseball.
Hell, only about one in ten kids that age can catch a ball without
flinching. They can barely throw, few can hit the ball even when placed on a
tee, and many run the wrong way when they do hit it.
A home-run
for a seven-year-old is pretty much any ball in play where the hitter does not
stop running!
What call could
a 13-year-old umpire make that would alter the result of such a game, and what
parent who has ever watched a real game of baseball could possibly give a
flying crap?
These parents
didn’t just yell and throw a tantrum, they came to blows. Some people were seriously hurt. There are arrests pending.
All over a
13 YO umpire’s call in a game played by seven-year-olds that stop to pick daisies
while fielding ground balls.
I used to
play baseball when I was nine or ten. We
met other kids at the park. We chose
sides and played until dinner time.
There were
no parents involved.
There was no
umpire. Tie went to the runner, and “One,
two, three shoot” decided all other issues.
If the score was lopsided, team changes were made on the fly to make
things fair. Most scores were usually
about 93-89.
I do not
remember the police ever being called.
Not sure I would have had my then 13 year old be an umpire. I think its a tough job no matter what age one might be.
ReplyDeletebetty
I've heard stories about out-of-control parents at kids games and I think they should be banned. The parents not the games. one tantrum and you leave the grounds. Every time. What kind of example are the setting by yelling and punching? Even at older kids games, parents should not be coming to blows or even being abusive. Disagree in a loud voice, but control yourself.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about football but I do feel that parents should lighten up a bit, in all circumstances. In my day (here I go again!) kids did their own thing and parents did theirs - separately.
ReplyDeleteThat is a video worth watching! The woman praying at the end while recording it, I don't have words for. I thought Colorado folks were a little more classy than that. Sheesh!
ReplyDeleteEven my 13-year-old self is ashamed of that behavior!
ReplyDeleteWhy is everyone so darn angry all the time? We see it in road rage, crazed employees and now in a little league game. We all need a chill pill.
ReplyDeleteOne umpire i heard about insisted that both coaches bring enough lollipops for all of the parents and every parent had to have a sucker in his/her mouth the whole game. Can't say i blame him.
ReplyDeletepeople 's egos have grown more than themselves and they can spoil even the junior games and this is shame indeed
ReplyDeleteI played little league and my mama watched almost every game. It would never have occurred to her to attack an umpire especially one 13-years-old. She might talk badly about the parentage of an adult, but she would probably threaten a kid with something like - You won't be getting any of my apple pies THIS summer mister.
ReplyDeleteMy nephew is in Nebraska right now in a league tournament. So far no parents or police involved. :) - I know what you mean tho. I've been to some of those games where the parents go nutso. It's ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteWas assistant coach for a teeny kids soccer league for a couple years. Found out around mid-season that the parents that i had kicked off the field thrice before banning 'em from games were the first ever kicked out of their own kids games, let alone banned. These parents had been on the edge of getting physical for several years prior, reportedly. the word was that they threatened to do so if they didn't get their way, so they usually got their way. I was the first to call that bluff. Probably a careless move but ......
ReplyDeleteThe league was not happy even though I followed the procedure in their own rules . Those parents were not happy. The team and the coach were ecstatic. The other parents were split 'cause, well, a few of 'em knew they could be next. But we never had a physical confrontation. And you could tell the parents on the other teams knew about me.
The last year our kids were in the league I coached. The league was not ecstatic about it but they pressed me into it but our games had the best-behaved parents in the league on both sides of the field/ And the happiest refs, BTW.
Kids' sports shouldn't be that intense. It should be play, just like you did.
ReplyDelete