Like many of America’s youth, I spent quite a considerable amount of time playing youth sports. My parents were keen on the idea of me being an active, well-rounded child, so sports seemed like my best option!
I found a passion for being active at a young age because of our busy sports schedule; although, where there is clean, quality fun for children, usually party pooper parents come to follow.
The purpose of recreational sports is to encourage children to exercise good sportsmanship, make friends and, most importantly, have fun!
Based off of personal experiences, though, parents seem to think that 12 and under baseball is the MLB.
I’ve seen multiple accounts of full-on cursing and screaming matches between an umpire and a parent, usually resulting in that parent being excused from the game.
Not to mention, this is mostly mortifying for the children playing. One can imagine how morale is shot after your dad is screaming “BALL!” for every strike you throw.
This is a phenomenon that my peers have also related to; several of their dads have had to be escorted out for being “unsportsmanlike” to say the least.
I’d like to see an initiative to stop this form of bullying. It’s simply unhealthy and uncouth.
Public service announcement to all sports parents: sit back, relax and keep your mouths shut!
Hannah's Hangout 