Parents out of bounds; respect for coaches waning

[JS]

If a parent has concerns with a coach:  (1) Schedule a conference (2) Voice your opinion, and (3)Accept the answers.

Sometimes the hardest thing to do is accept the truth.

the hardest thing to accept for some of us is to watch kids leave their hometown team and go play for another district

[thetragichippy]

If a parent has concerns with a coach:  (1) Schedule a conference (2) Voice your opinion, and (3)Accept the answers.

Sometimes the hardest thing to do is accept the truth.

the hardest thing to accept for some of us is to watch kids leave their hometown team and go play for another district

The kids should listen to the coach..... and the parents(if they want to talk to the coach) should do so in private without the kids knowledge.  I think it's a life lesson with the kids. If he or she is not playing enough, the kid should ask why, correct, and perfrom well enough that the coach notices and the kid EARNS the spot..........IMO

[BLUEDOVE3]

Or do like most present day coaches get your own team to coach, that way you will make sure your kid plays on a regular basis.

[JS]

perhaps I am not being clear---zero to do with playing time or position or any decision on the field---those are completely out of bounds but no one on this earth has been perfect for about 2000 years and if you are in a position of authority the proper thing to do is listen -heck you just might find a different perspective or maybe not but just listen

[thetragichippy]

perhaps I am not being clear---zero to do with playing time or position or any decision on the field---those are completely out of bounds but no one on this earth has been perfect for about 2000 years and if you are in a position of authority the proper thing to do is listen -heck you just might find a different perspective or maybe not but just listen

I do agree with that!

[thetragichippy]

Or do like most present day coaches get your own team to coach, that way you will make sure your kid plays on a regular basis.

yup

[KDOSullivan]

You know, if some of you people cared just a little more of what your kid is going to do in the classroom that the field, you might discover your kid might make one heck of a doctor, or accountant, or engineer. I have been in the education business for 25+ years and so few of the kid I have taught have received an athletic scholarship. I can count on one hand the number who went to the pros on one hand, and they didn't last long, and three of those are now having a hard time earning a living because they always "thought" they would be a pro athlete. They have no degree, no skills to earn one.

Forget that year round crap, take your kid fishing, take a trip to Canada for fun, during school make him take an extra math class. Make him take a third or fourth or Spanish or French. Be serious folks, quit that pie in the sky business.

Quit blaming the coaches. Have them show up to youth games to scout future talent. Do you know how stupid that sounds? These men have lives outside of sports. They have to teach math or history or science, plus coach. These guys days start at 7am and last until 10pm at night.

[thetragichippy]

You know, if some of you people cared just a little more of what your kid is going to do in the classroom that the field, you might discover your kid might make one heck of a doctor, or accountant, or engineer. I have been in the education business for 25+ years and so few of the kid I have taught have received an athletic scholarship. I can count on one hand the number who went to the pros on one hand, and they didn't last long, and three of those are now having a hard time earning a living because they always "thought" they would be a pro athlete. They have no degree, no skills to earn one.

Forget that year round crap, take your kid fishing, take a trip to Canada for fun, during school make him take an extra math class. Make him take a third or fourth or Spanish or French. Be serious folks, quit that pie in the sky business.

Quit blaming the coaches. Have them show up to youth games to scout future talent. Do you know how stupid that sounds? These men have lives outside of sports. They have to teach math or history or science, plus coach. These guys days start at 7am and last until 10pm at night.

I thought this was a sports forum, my mistake!  My kid makes good grades and enjoys sports. I guess he can walk and chew gum!

[EAGLE07]

You know, if some of you people cared just a little more of what your kid is going to do in the classroom that the field, you might discover your kid might make one heck of a doctor, or accountant, or engineer. I have been in the education business for 25+ years and so few of the kid I have taught have received an athletic scholarship. I can count on one hand the number who went to the pros on one hand, and they didn't last long, and three of those are now having a hard time earning a living because they always "thought" they would be a pro athlete. They have no degree, no skills to earn one.

Forget that year round crap, take your kid fishing, take a trip to Canada for fun, during school make him take an extra math class. Make him take a third or fourth or Spanish or French. Be serious folks, quit that pie in the sky business.

Quit blaming the coaches. Have them show up to youth games to scout future talent. Do you know how stupid that sounds? These men have lives outside of sports. They have to teach math or history or science, plus coach. These guys days start at 7am and last until 10pm at night.

I thought this was a sports forum, my mistake!  My kid makes good grades and enjoys sports. I guess he can walk and chew gum!

Ditto. I guess some kids can be successful on the field all while the parents are stressing education. Many times the successful high school athletes are the ones who also excell in the classroom. Mine's a lefty so I'll leave out the chewing gum also part.  Excell on the field and get some or most of your college education paid for. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

[BLUEDOVE3]

You know, if some of you people cared just a little more of what your kid is going to do in the classroom that the field, you might discover your kid might make one heck of a doctor, or accountant, or engineer. I have been in the education business for 25+ years and so few of the kid I have taught have received an athletic scholarship. I can count on one hand the number who went to the pros on one hand, and they didn't last long, and three of those are now having a hard time earning a living because they always "thought" they would be a pro athlete. They have no degree, no skills to earn one.

Forget that year round crap, take your kid fishing, take a trip to Canada for fun, during school make him take an extra math class. Make him take a third or fourth or Spanish or French. Be serious folks, quit that pie in the sky business.

Quit blaming the coaches. Have them show up to youth games to scout future talent. Do you know how stupid that sounds? These men have lives outside of sports. They have to teach math or history or science, plus coach. These guys days start at 7am and last until 10pm at night.

Please! Since the beginning of time, people have competed in sports and it's still going strong today. You're right, it's tougher being in sports as you get older but the thoughts and dreams are also fun to have.

[mjones830]

You know, if some of you people cared just a little more of what your kid is going to do in the classroom that the field, you might discover your kid might make one heck of a doctor, or accountant, or engineer. I have been in the education business for 25+ years and so few of the kid I have taught have received an athletic scholarship. I can count on one hand the number who went to the pros on one hand, and they didn't last long, and three of those are now having a hard time earning a living because they always "thought" they would be a pro athlete. They have no degree, no skills to earn one.

Forget that year round crap, take your kid fishing, take a trip to Canada for fun, during school make him take an extra math class. Make him take a third or fourth or Spanish or French. Be serious folks, quit that pie in the sky business.

Quit blaming the coaches. Have them show up to youth games to scout future talent. Do you know how stupid that sounds? These men have lives outside of sports. They have to teach math or history or science, plus coach. These guys days start at 7am and last until 10pm at night.

Well mine does play year around sports and she really enjoys what she does.  I have a boat and we do our fair share of fishing.  Speaking of fishing when she was about 10 years old, she caught a large mouth bass from Rayburn that went over 8 pounds.  Most men and women can't say that they have caught anything that big.  Also, she plays the sports for fun, but her main goal is to be a school teacher or nurse.  She’s been playing select sports for several years and each coach that she has had, has a rule that they have to have passing grades, if you are failing you don’t get to play.   

[JS]

You know, if some of you people cared just a little more of what your kid is going to do in the classroom that the field, you might discover your kid might make one heck of a doctor, or accountant, or engineer. I have been in the education business for 25+ years and so few of the kid I have taught have received an athletic scholarship. I can count on one hand the number who went to the pros on one hand, and they didn't last long, and three of those are now having a hard time earning a living because they always "thought" they would be a pro athlete. They have no degree, no skills to earn one.

Forget that year round crap, take your kid fishing, take a trip to Canada for fun, during school make him take an extra math class. Make him take a third or fourth or Spanish or French. Be serious folks, quit that pie in the sky business.

Quit blaming the coaches. Have them show up to youth games to scout future talent. Do you know how stupid that sounds? These men have lives outside of sports. They have to teach math or history or science, plus coach. These guys days start at 7am and last until 10pm at night.

some of "we people" do have kids that excel in the classroom but also happen to enjoy sports----one of mine loves to hunt and fish and the other could care less but both love sports---tell me were you one of "those people" that wasn't good in the classroom AND the field?

[BearBryant]

You know, if some of you people cared just a little more of what your kid is going to do in the classroom that the field, you might discover your kid might make one heck of a doctor, or accountant, or engineer. I have been in the education business for 25+ years and so few of the kid I have taught have received an athletic scholarship. I can count on one hand the number who went to the pros on one hand, and they didn't last long, and three of those are now having a hard time earning a living because they always "thought" they would be a pro athlete. They have no degree, no skills to earn one.

Forget that year round crap, take your kid fishing, take a trip to Canada for fun, during school make him take an extra math class. Make him take a third or fourth or Spanish or French. Be serious folks, quit that pie in the sky business.

Quit blaming the coaches. Have them show up to youth games to scout future talent. Do you know how stupid that sounds? These men have lives outside of sports. They have to teach math or history or science, plus coach. These guys days start at 7am and last until 10pm at night.

Lots of good advice in this post. 

[JS]

You know, if some of you people cared just a little more of what your kid is going to do in the classroom that the field, you might discover your kid might make one heck of a doctor, or accountant, or engineer. I have been in the education business for 25+ years and so few of the kid I have taught have received an athletic scholarship. I can count on one hand the number who went to the pros on one hand, and they didn't last long, and three of those are now having a hard time earning a living because they always "thought" they would be a pro athlete. They have no degree, no skills to earn one.

Forget that year round crap, take your kid fishing, take a trip to Canada for fun, during school make him take an extra math class. Make him take a third or fourth or Spanish or French. Be serious folks, quit that pie in the sky business.

Quit blaming the coaches. Have them show up to youth games to scout future talent. Do you know how stupid that sounds? These men have lives outside of sports. They have to teach math or history or science, plus coach. These guys days start at 7am and last until 10pm at night.

Lots of good advice in this post. 

real good advice---tell a kid to quit chasing his dream and go fishing---may as well tell him to live in a van down by the river

[elhector1]

I think the point is that sometimes, it's more a parent's dream than a kid's dream for sport's glory.  My middle son played baseball for 12 years, and every year, I asked him if he still wanted to play.  It was his decision.  While I think every kid has "major league dreams" the reality is that after high school or college, there are few that go on to the majors.  We have seen from those that are in the know about how much scholarship money there is in baseball, that the reasoning that you are spending money for a baseball scholarship falls flat.  So what is left?  Education...education...education.  My oldest was not a "sports star" by any means, yet he was a National Hispanic Scholar ($2500 scholarship per semester @ UT, 4 years), and graduated Summa Cum Laude from UT Austin with a Master's in Accounting.

So what does this have to do with baseball, and crazy parents, and respect?  Basically, I put things in perspective.  I enjoyed my oldest's football and tennis years, I enjoyed my middle son's baseball years, and I respected both the boys' coaches.  I dealt with a lot of Little League baseball, as an adminstrator, coach, and umpire.  There is where I learned the most important lessons of all...that it has to be a kid's game, and not a parent's stomping grounds.

Maybe, and this is not scientific by any means, maybe the advent of uber organized sports has contributed to the obesity of our kids...remember our childhoods?  Remember, regardless of your talent, or lack thereof, you would have a glove, a bat, and a ball, and everyone got together and played?  You may have been the last one picked, you may have gotten your glasses broken in half by that blazing line drive (been there, done that!), but EVERYONE played.  Now, not only are you rejected by your "peers" you're rejected by their parents as well, all in the name of "dreams".  So what do you do if you are a kid?  You go home, get on the Wii, or Playstation, or XBox, and forget about doing anything physical.  Us parents have a lot to do with that as well...we snicker and whisper at kid's games about how little talent a kid may have...but to that kid, IT'S STILL A GAME!...Maybe, just maybe, all of us should keep that in mind...   

[westend1]

Maybe there is too much pressure on the coaches to win.  I see too many kids who are not having fun playing high school sports(even starters---so don't think this is a poor Johnny post).  It's a shame, really.  I have nothing but fond memories of my high school coach, including practice.  Some coaches haven't yet figured out that you can teach kids to play, and still have fun with them.  This goes for little league/select as well. 

[BLUEDOVE3]

I think the point is that sometimes, it's more a parent's dream than a kid's dream for sport's glory.  My middle son played baseball for 12 years, and every year, I asked him if he still wanted to play.  It was his decision.  While I think every kid has "major league dreams" the reality is that after high school or college, there are few that go on to the majors.  We have seen from those that are in the know about how much scholarship money there is in baseball, that the reasoning that you are spending money for a baseball scholarship falls flat.  So what is left?  Education...education...education.  My oldest was not a "sports star" by any means, yet he was a National Hispanic Scholar ($2500 scholarship per semester @ UT, 4 years), and graduated Summa Cum Laude from UT Austin with a Master's in Accounting.

So what does this have to do with baseball, and crazy parents, and respect?  Basically, I put things in perspective.  I enjoyed my oldest's football and tennis years, I enjoyed my middle son's baseball years, and I respected both the boys' coaches.  I dealt with a lot of Little League baseball, as an adminstrator, coach, and umpire.  There is where I learned the most important lessons of all...that it has to be a kid's game, and not a parent's stomping grounds.

Maybe, and this is not scientific by any means, maybe the advent of uber organized sports has contributed to the obesity of our kids...remember our childhoods?  Remember, regardless of your talent, or lack thereof, you would have a glove, a bat, and a ball, and everyone got together and played?  You may have been the last one picked, you may have gotten your glasses broken in half by that blazing line drive (been there, done that!), but EVERYONE played.  Now, not only are you rejected by your "peers" you're rejected by their parents as well, all in the name of "dreams".  So what do you do if you are a kid?  You go home, get on the Wii, or Playstation, or XBox, and forget about doing anything physical.  Us parents have a lot to do with that as well...we snicker and whisper at kid's games about how little talent a kid may have...but to that kid, IT'S STILL A GAME!...Maybe, just maybe, all of us should keep that in mind...   

Maybe we should divide the convo into parent's with positive vs not so positive experiences. I use to think it was wrong to dream to have a dream of playing professional sports. You know what? There isn't anything wrong with it, as long as you balance out and define realities versus dreams. I'm a witness that dreams do come through with hard work and focus. The same qualities you take on any non-sports related job.

[EAGLE07]

You know, if some of you people cared just a little more of what your kid is going to do in the classroom that the field, you might discover your kid might make one heck of a doctor, or accountant, or engineer. I have been in the education business for 25+ years and so few of the kid I have taught have received an athletic scholarship. I can count on one hand the number who went to the pros on one hand, and they didn't last long, and three of those are now having a hard time earning a living because they always "thought" they would be a pro athlete. They have no degree, no skills to earn one.

Forget that year round crap, take your kid fishing, take a trip to Canada for fun, during school make him take an extra math class. Make him take a third or fourth or Spanish or French. Be serious folks, quit that pie in the sky business.

Quit blaming the coaches. Have them show up to youth games to scout future talent. Do you know how stupid that sounds? These men have lives outside of sports. They have to teach math or history or science, plus coach. These guys days start at 7am and last until 10pm at night.

Lots of good advice in this post. 

real good advice---tell a kid to quit chasing his dream and go fishing---may as well tell him to live in a van down by the river

LOL.

[elhector1]

I think the point is that sometimes, it's more a parent's dream than a kid's dream for sport's glory.  My middle son played baseball for 12 years, and every year, I asked him if he still wanted to play.  It was his decision.  While I think every kid has "major league dreams" the reality is that after high school or college, there are few that go on to the majors.  We have seen from those that are in the know about how much scholarship money there is in baseball, that the reasoning that you are spending money for a baseball scholarship falls flat.  So what is left?  Education...education...education.  My oldest was not a "sports star" by any means, yet he was a National Hispanic Scholar ($2500 scholarship per semester @ UT, 4 years), and graduated Summa Cum Laude from UT Austin with a Master's in Accounting.

So what does this have to do with baseball, and crazy parents, and respect?  Basically, I put things in perspective.  I enjoyed my oldest's football and tennis years, I enjoyed my middle son's baseball years, and I respected both the boys' coaches.  I dealt with a lot of Little League baseball, as an adminstrator, coach, and umpire.  There is where I learned the most important lessons of all...that it has to be a kid's game, and not a parent's stomping grounds.

Maybe, and this is not scientific by any means, maybe the advent of uber organized sports has contributed to the obesity of our kids...remember our childhoods?  Remember, regardless of your talent, or lack thereof, you would have a glove, a bat, and a ball, and everyone got together and played?  You may have been the last one picked, you may have gotten your glasses broken in half by that blazing line drive (been there, done that!), but EVERYONE played.  Now, not only are you rejected by your "peers" you're rejected by their parents as well, all in the name of "dreams".  So what do you do if you are a kid?  You go home, get on the Wii, or Playstation, or XBox, and forget about doing anything physical.  Us parents have a lot to do with that as well...we snicker and whisper at kid's games about how little talent a kid may have...but to that kid, IT'S STILL A GAME!...Maybe, just maybe, all of us should keep that in mind...   

Maybe we should divide the convo into parent's with positive vs not so positive experiences. I use to think it was wrong to dream to have a dream of playing professional sports. You know what? There isn't anything wrong with it, as long as you balance out and define realities versus dreams. I'm a witness that dreams do come through with hard work and focus. The same qualities you take on any non-sports related job.

I don't think I have had a negative experience...either as a kid playing sandlot ball, or as a dad watching my son play.  Dreams are not a problem...but like everything else, you have to balance the dream with the potential drawbacks.  You CAN dream, you can work hard to achieve it, but it seems that we lost sight of the game, and how every kid wanted to participate to play, but today's "game" is organized so much, that we no longer let that "so-so" kid come out to play for the fun of it.  It's not only a "field of dreams", but a field of fun as well.  That's where the balance comes in...

[EAGLE07]

I think the point is that sometimes, it's more a parent's dream than a kid's dream for sport's glory.  My middle son played baseball for 12 years, and every year, I asked him if he still wanted to play.  It was his decision.  While I think every kid has "major league dreams" the reality is that after high school or college, there are few that go on to the majors.  We have seen from those that are in the know about how much scholarship money there is in baseball, that the reasoning that you are spending money for a baseball scholarship falls flat.  So what is left?  Education...education...education.  My oldest was not a "sports star" by any means, yet he was a National Hispanic Scholar ($2500 scholarship per semester @ UT, 4 years), and graduated Summa Cum Laude from UT Austin with a Master's in Accounting.

So what does this have to do with baseball, and crazy parents, and respect?  Basically, I put things in perspective.  I enjoyed my oldest's football and tennis years, I enjoyed my middle son's baseball years, and I respected both the boys' coaches.  I dealt with a lot of Little League baseball, as an adminstrator, coach, and umpire.  There is where I learned the most important lessons of all...that it has to be a kid's game, and not a parent's stomping grounds.

Maybe, and this is not scientific by any means, maybe the advent of uber organized sports has contributed to the obesity of our kids...remember our childhoods?  Remember, regardless of your talent, or lack thereof, you would have a glove, a bat, and a ball, and everyone got together and played?  You may have been the last one picked, you may have gotten your glasses broken in half by that blazing line drive (been there, done that!), but EVERYONE played.  Now, not only are you rejected by your "peers" you're rejected by their parents as well, all in the name of "dreams".  So what do you do if you are a kid?  You go home, get on the Wii, or Playstation, or XBox, and forget about doing anything physical.  Us parents have a lot to do with that as well...we snicker and whisper at kid's games about how little talent a kid may have...but to that kid, IT'S STILL A GAME!...Maybe, just maybe, all of us should keep that in mind...   

Maybe we should divide the convo into parent's with positive vs not so positive experiences. I use to think it was wrong to dream to have a dream of playing professional sports. You know what? There isn't anything wrong with it, as long as you balance out and define realities versus dreams. I'm a witness that dreams do come through with hard work and focus. The same qualities you take on any non-sports related job.

Now that makes more sense to me. There are kids still around who have a passion about sports or a sport.............and their education. There are still parents out there who enforce..." if you don't take care of your grades and classwork, you don't play. Even the UIL does it these days. My son's passion for baseball made my job as a parent easy. If knew if he got in trouble, partied all the time, or didn't take care of his grades that it would affect his baseball. Guess what......he doesn't get in trouble, party, and takes care of his grades. Too many times on this forum someone comes around with the "Little Johnny theories" and the "parent pushes the kid too hard...they have to enjoy it theories" ....really that's not always the case. My son would kill me in my sleep if I took baseball away.

And for the ealier post that started this tangent.....I played football, basketball, baseball, and ran track growing up and in high school. My parents supported me and were at most of my games. I was to slow and short to play in college. Guess what ???  I'm an accountant....how did that happen if I was busy playing sports  ??? ??? ???

[elhector1]

I think the point is that sometimes, it's more a parent's dream than a kid's dream for sport's glory.  My middle son played baseball for 12 years, and every year, I asked him if he still wanted to play.  It was his decision.  While I think every kid has "major league dreams" the reality is that after high school or college, there are few that go on to the majors.  We have seen from those that are in the know about how much scholarship money there is in baseball, that the reasoning that you are spending money for a baseball scholarship falls flat.  So what is left?  Education...education...education.  My oldest was not a "sports star" by any means, yet he was a National Hispanic Scholar ($2500 scholarship per semester @ UT, 4 years), and graduated Summa Cum Laude from UT Austin with a Master's in Accounting.

So what does this have to do with baseball, and crazy parents, and respect?  Basically, I put things in perspective.  I enjoyed my oldest's football and tennis years, I enjoyed my middle son's baseball years, and I respected both the boys' coaches.  I dealt with a lot of Little League baseball, as an adminstrator, coach, and umpire.  There is where I learned the most important lessons of all...that it has to be a kid's game, and not a parent's stomping grounds.

Maybe, and this is not scientific by any means, maybe the advent of uber organized sports has contributed to the obesity of our kids...remember our childhoods?  Remember, regardless of your talent, or lack thereof, you would have a glove, a bat, and a ball, and everyone got together and played?  You may have been the last one picked, you may have gotten your glasses broken in half by that blazing line drive (been there, done that!), but EVERYONE played.  Now, not only are you rejected by your "peers" you're rejected by their parents as well, all in the name of "dreams".  So what do you do if you are a kid?  You go home, get on the Wii, or Playstation, or XBox, and forget about doing anything physical.  Us parents have a lot to do with that as well...we snicker and whisper at kid's games about how little talent a kid may have...but to that kid, IT'S STILL A GAME!...Maybe, just maybe, all of us should keep that in mind...   

Maybe we should divide the convo into parent's with positive vs not so positive experiences. I use to think it was wrong to dream to have a dream of playing professional sports. You know what? There isn't anything wrong with it, as long as you balance out and define realities versus dreams. I'm a witness that dreams do come through with hard work and focus. The same qualities you take on any non-sports related job.

Now that makes more sense to me. There are kids still around who have a passion about sports or a sport.............and their education. There are still parents out there who enforce..." if you don't take care of your grades and classwork, you don't play. Even the UIL does it these days. My son's passion for baseball made my job as a parent easy. If knew if he got in trouble, partied all the time, or didn't take care of his grades that it would affect his baseball. Guess what......he doesn't get in trouble, party, and takes care of his grades. Too many times on this forum someone comes around with the "Little Johnny theories" and the "parent pushes the kid too hard...they have to enjoy it theories" ....really that's not always the case. My son would kill me in my sleep if I took baseball away.

And for the ealier post that started this tangent.....I played football, basketball, baseball, and ran track growing up and in high school. My parents supported me and were at most of my games. I was to slow and short to play in college. Guess what ???  I'm an accountant....how did that happen if I was busy playing sports  ??? ??? ???

It's not the playing of sports that's the problem...I think every kid has experienced playing to a certain extent...and enjoying the heck out of it, regardless of their skill level...

The problem is that we have taken those sports that were fun, and yes life learning experiences, and in some cases, made them either financially inaccessible or inaccessible because someone felt that a kid didn't have enough "drive" or "want"...if you didn't qualify for their "league", you didn't play, and while this is not a problem in big cities, in small towns it makes for a lonely time if you're a kid wanting to just have a good time playing ball.  In some cases, we have let the slobbering idiot with major league obsession drive the kid's leagues, resulting in a league that stinks and is not a teaching or playing league.  There seems to be, at least today, an adult need to see how much hardware they can get as "coach" and "Johnny's dad" than there is with the teaching aspects of the sport. 

Earlier in this thread, it spoke about the parent everyone knows who complains about his kid's playing time...but there is also the bore that always talks about his kid's "blue chip" talent, and how it's "his" kid that makes the team shine, and how the team would be struggling without "his" kid...the same way we know about the kid with little talent, is the same way we know about the kid with "inflated" talent...

It's time to let the kids have the sport back...it's time we stepped off and let coaches be coaches...it's time we stepped back and not do to sports what we, as adults did to Beanie Babies, Barbies, GI Joes, and baseball cards...stealing all the fun out of things, just so we could say we had this or that...sports belong to the kids who play them, not to the parents who obsess over them...

[strosbros]

very well said, Elhector.

[BLUEDOVE3]

I think the point is that sometimes, it's more a parent's dream than a kid's dream for sport's glory.  My middle son played baseball for 12 years, and every year, I asked him if he still wanted to play.  It was his decision.  While I think every kid has "major league dreams" the reality is that after high school or college, there are few that go on to the majors.  We have seen from those that are in the know about how much scholarship money there is in baseball, that the reasoning that you are spending money for a baseball scholarship falls flat.  So what is left?  Education...education...education.  My oldest was not a "sports star" by any means, yet he was a National Hispanic Scholar ($2500 scholarship per semester @ UT, 4 years), and graduated Summa Cum Laude from UT Austin with a Master's in Accounting.

So what does this have to do with baseball, and crazy parents, and respect?  Basically, I put things in perspective.  I enjoyed my oldest's football and tennis years, I enjoyed my middle son's baseball years, and I respected both the boys' coaches.  I dealt with a lot of Little League baseball, as an adminstrator, coach, and umpire.  There is where I learned the most important lessons of all...that it has to be a kid's game, and not a parent's stomping grounds.

Maybe, and this is not scientific by any means, maybe the advent of uber organized sports has contributed to the obesity of our kids...remember our childhoods?  Remember, regardless of your talent, or lack thereof, you would have a glove, a bat, and a ball, and everyone got together and played?  You may have been the last one picked, you may have gotten your glasses broken in half by that blazing line drive (been there, done that!), but EVERYONE played.  Now, not only are you rejected by your "peers" you're rejected by their parents as well, all in the name of "dreams".  So what do you do if you are a kid?  You go home, get on the Wii, or Playstation, or XBox, and forget about doing anything physical.  Us parents have a lot to do with that as well...we snicker and whisper at kid's games about how little talent a kid may have...but to that kid, IT'S STILL A GAME!...Maybe, just maybe, all of us should keep that in mind...   

Maybe we should divide the convo into parent's with positive vs not so positive experiences. I use to think it was wrong to dream to have a dream of playing professional sports. You know what? There isn't anything wrong with it, as long as you balance out and define realities versus dreams. I'm a witness that dreams do come through with hard work and focus. The same qualities you take on any non-sports related job.

Now that makes more sense to me. There are kids still around who have a passion about sports or a sport.............and their education. There are still parents out there who enforce..." if you don't take care of your grades and classwork, you don't play. Even the UIL does it these days. My son's passion for baseball made my job as a parent easy. If knew if he got in trouble, partied all the time, or didn't take care of his grades that it would affect his baseball. Guess what......he doesn't get in trouble, party, and takes care of his grades. Too many times on this forum someone comes around with the "Little Johnny theories" and the "parent pushes the kid too hard...they have to enjoy it theories" ....really that's not always the case. My son would kill me in my sleep if I took baseball away.

And for the ealier post that started this tangent.....I played football, basketball, baseball, and ran track growing up and in high school. My parents supported me and were at most of my games. I was to slow and short to play in college. Guess what ???  I'm an accountant....how did that happen if I was busy playing sports  ??? ??? ???

It's not the playing of sports that's the problem...I think every kid has experienced playing to a certain extent...and enjoying the heck out of it, regardless of their skill level...

The problem is that we have taken those sports that were fun, and yes life learning experiences, and in some cases, made them either financially inaccessible or inaccessible because someone felt that a kid didn't have enough "drive" or "want"...if you didn't qualify for their "league", you didn't play, and while this is not a problem in big cities, in small towns it makes for a lonely time if you're a kid wanting to just have a good time playing ball.  In some cases, we have let the slobbering idiot with major league obsession drive the kid's leagues, resulting in a league that stinks and is not a teaching or playing league.  There seems to be, at least today, an adult need to see how much hardware they can get as "coach" and "Johnny's dad" than there is with the teaching aspects of the sport. 

Earlier in this thread, it spoke about the parent everyone knows who complains about his kid's playing time...but there is also the bore that always talks about his kid's "blue chip" talent, and how it's "his" kid that makes the team shine, and how the team would be struggling without "his" kid...the same way we know about the kid with little talent, is the same way we know about the kid with "inflated" talent...

It's time to let the kids have the sport back...it's time we stepped off and let coaches be coaches...it's time we stepped back and not do to sports what we, as adults did to Beanie Babies, Barbies, GI Joes, and baseball cards...stealing all the fun out of things, just so we could say we had this or that...sports belong to the kids who play them, not to the parents who obsess over them...

It's too late   But seriously it may be difficult to bring those old values back. Kids today are being put into a sport where they have to specialize, or at least in our (parents) mind. Actually, this has been going on a long time. It's just now catching up to other sports. Tennis was the first sport and this was back in the 80's when I witnessed it; kids had personal coaches travelling with them to tournaments. Kids practice sessions running 4-5 hours a day. Oh, and let us not forget gymnastics and their dedication to the sports. I've only begun to notice within the past 5-6 years the culture of team sports changing towards personal training, etc. I talked to a parent the other day and he told me his kid works out in the gym (basketball) everyday. Sorry guys, my kids play basketball but we're all facing the same challenges. And I see the Ford Park batting cage parking lot full of cars. The culture  is driving parents to ( not the player) try and maintain an edge on the competition.

[elhector1]

I think the point is that sometimes, it's more a parent's dream than a kid's dream for sport's glory.  My middle son played baseball for 12 years, and every year, I asked him if he still wanted to play.  It was his decision.  While I think every kid has "major league dreams" the reality is that after high school or college, there are few that go on to the majors.  We have seen from those that are in the know about how much scholarship money there is in baseball, that the reasoning that you are spending money for a baseball scholarship falls flat.  So what is left?  Education...education...education.  My oldest was not a "sports star" by any means, yet he was a National Hispanic Scholar ($2500 scholarship per semester @ UT, 4 years), and graduated Summa Cum Laude from UT Austin with a Master's in Accounting.

So what does this have to do with baseball, and crazy parents, and respect?  Basically, I put things in perspective.  I enjoyed my oldest's football and tennis years, I enjoyed my middle son's baseball years, and I respected both the boys' coaches.  I dealt with a lot of Little League baseball, as an adminstrator, coach, and umpire.  There is where I learned the most important lessons of all...that it has to be a kid's game, and not a parent's stomping grounds.

Maybe, and this is not scientific by any means, maybe the advent of uber organized sports has contributed to the obesity of our kids...remember our childhoods?  Remember, regardless of your talent, or lack thereof, you would have a glove, a bat, and a ball, and everyone got together and played?  You may have been the last one picked, you may have gotten your glasses broken in half by that blazing line drive (been there, done that!), but EVERYONE played.  Now, not only are you rejected by your "peers" you're rejected by their parents as well, all in the name of "dreams".  So what do you do if you are a kid?  You go home, get on the Wii, or Playstation, or XBox, and forget about doing anything physical.  Us parents have a lot to do with that as well...we snicker and whisper at kid's games about how little talent a kid may have...but to that kid, IT'S STILL A GAME!...Maybe, just maybe, all of us should keep that in mind...   

Maybe we should divide the convo into parent's with positive vs not so positive experiences. I use to think it was wrong to dream to have a dream of playing professional sports. You know what? There isn't anything wrong with it, as long as you balance out and define realities versus dreams. I'm a witness that dreams do come through with hard work and focus. The same qualities you take on any non-sports related job.

Now that makes more sense to me. There are kids still around who have a passion about sports or a sport.............and their education. There are still parents out there who enforce..." if you don't take care of your grades and classwork, you don't play. Even the UIL does it these days. My son's passion for baseball made my job as a parent easy. If knew if he got in trouble, partied all the time, or didn't take care of his grades that it would affect his baseball. Guess what......he doesn't get in trouble, party, and takes care of his grades. Too many times on this forum someone comes around with the "Little Johnny theories" and the "parent pushes the kid too hard...they have to enjoy it theories" ....really that's not always the case. My son would kill me in my sleep if I took baseball away.

And for the ealier post that started this tangent.....I played football, basketball, baseball, and ran track growing up and in high school. My parents supported me and were at most of my games. I was to slow and short to play in college. Guess what ???  I'm an accountant....how did that happen if I was busy playing sports  ??? ??? ???

It's not the playing of sports that's the problem...I think every kid has experienced playing to a certain extent...and enjoying the heck out of it, regardless of their skill level...

The problem is that we have taken those sports that were fun, and yes life learning experiences, and in some cases, made them either financially inaccessible or inaccessible because someone felt that a kid didn't have enough "drive" or "want"...if you didn't qualify for their "league", you didn't play, and while this is not a problem in big cities, in small towns it makes for a lonely time if you're a kid wanting to just have a good time playing ball.  In some cases, we have let the slobbering idiot with major league obsession drive the kid's leagues, resulting in a league that stinks and is not a teaching or playing league.  There seems to be, at least today, an adult need to see how much hardware they can get as "coach" and "Johnny's dad" than there is with the teaching aspects of the sport. 

Earlier in this thread, it spoke about the parent everyone knows who complains about his kid's playing time...but there is also the bore that always talks about his kid's "blue chip" talent, and how it's "his" kid that makes the team shine, and how the team would be struggling without "his" kid...the same way we know about the kid with little talent, is the same way we know about the kid with "inflated" talent...

It's time to let the kids have the sport back...it's time we stepped off and let coaches be coaches...it's time we stepped back and not do to sports what we, as adults did to Beanie Babies, Barbies, GI Joes, and baseball cards...stealing all the fun out of things, just so we could say we had this or that...sports belong to the kids who play them, not to the parents who obsess over them...

It's too late   But seriously it may be difficult to bring those old values back. Kids today are being put into a sport where they have to specialize, or at least in our (parents) mind. Actually, this has been going on a long time. It's just now catching up to other sports. Tennis was the first sport and this was back in the 80's when I witnessed it; kids had personal coaches travelling with them to tournaments. Kids practice sessions running 4-5 hours a day. Oh, and let us not forget gymnastics and their dedication to the sports. I've only begun to notice within the past 5-6 years the culture of team sports changing towards personal training, etc. I talked to a parent the other day and he told me his kid works out in the gym (basketball) everyday. Sorry guys, my kids play basketball but we're all facing the same challenges. And I see the Ford Park batting cage parking lot full of cars. The culture  is driving parents to ( not the player) try and maintain an edge on the competition.

True...those are the parents I have a problem with...the ones that are doing it for themselves and the pats on the back THEY get for their kids accomplishments...it's no different than the "stage mom" we used to make fun of...a "diamond dad?"...lol

You're right, though...these crazies are the same ones that will give their 15-16 yo daughter money for plastic surgery..."to help her fit in better", when the kid has nothing wrong other than she's growing up maybe a little slower than the others...

In the same way, these parents justify anything using their kids...but it's all about them...(the parents)

[KDOSullivan]

Once again, very few kids get athletic scholarships. Academic walks are given all the time.

Dream all you want. Come sit in my shoes. Very few of the kids in athletics are going to receive athletic scholarships. There are just not that many, and seriously doubt your kid is that good. I really do.

If you really want to dream, dream your kid in medical school, or law school, or some other professional school.