Fellow Sports Dad Danny Kanell Is So Wrong About Banning Early Morning Games And If We're Coming Up With Laws For Youth Sports, I Have Some Ideas
Danny Kannell took to social media early Sunday morning to fire off a few takes on being a youth sports dad.
The former Florida State star looks like he was at one of those youth volleyball tournaments that take over one of the indoor facilities near me here in Massachusetts. I've seen those. A lot of energy. Like, A LOT. And yeah, 7:40 AM is early, especially when we lost an hour of sleep thanks to spring forward/daylight savings.
I appreciate Kanell jumping into the sports dad conversation. As a fellow sports dad, I feel his pain. He actually had a lot of support in the replies.
But I have to say, could not disagree more with his two suggestions.
1. No games before 9 AM
Kanell is dead wrong about this. I love the early games. You plan ahead the night before. Map out a schedule. Get up and out of the house. Big thermos of coffee. I want all the games early. Because the alternative...well, I'll get to that below. But I love the early slate, and I'm guessing many other parents do too.
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There can be some trying moments getting the kids out of bed, but it's worth it. And I've found that if you bribe them with a stop at Dunkin' Donuts on the way to the game, all of a sudden it's a lot easier to get out of the house.
Giphy Images.2. No games on Sunday
Just a complete non-starter. Fantasy Land shit. Unless we're taking the kids out of school to play on weekdays? Are we doing that, Danny? Because unless we are, we're playing on Sundays. As a sports dad, that's what you're signing up for. Our house is just a few weeks away from baseball tournament season, which is usually Saturday & Sunday. I have not had the courage to look at the schedules yet. It will be painful. There will be much complaining, but there will be games on Sunday.
And look, if we're really going to enact some Youth Sports Laws, Danny, I have a few ideas-
No Games on Weekends after 5 PM
Games in the middle of the day or at night are MUCH worse than the early slate. Just complete day-wreckers, sitting there on the calendar all day, staring at you. Just looming over any plans you might have or want to have. I would say play all the games early, like before noon, but that would be another Fantasy Land idea. And I can already see the comments saying the middle-of-the-day games are worse. We agree! But again, when else are you going to play them?
The weekend night games are fun because you're either eating dinner at 4 PM or 9 PM. Awesome! No more weekend night games.
League Websites and apps that are useful
Best places to park. Recent scores. Updated standings. If the parents are going to pay a league fee and then make the time to get the kids to practices and games, the least you can do is provide some useful info on the app or website.
Standings and keeping score for anything, once you get out on the instructional leagues
Just got done with a basketball season for teenagers that did not update the standings until the last week of the season. We never got updated scores. Again, I get this for the Learn to Play level, but these kids are in 7th and 8th grade.
No tournaments on holiday weekends
We'd like to occasionally spend some time away from the field/court/turf. Knock it off.
No turning the team chat into your own personal Instagram
Someone needs a ride? Game time changed? Good meet-up restaurant for after the game? Awesome. Pictures of you and your family on vacation? We're good. Post that right to IG.
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Working, free WiFi at every venue
This one is nonnegotiable. Tough for outdoor venues, I get it. But if you have those Live Barn cameras set up, you can make the WiFi happen; it's 2026.
Speaking of Live Barn (it's basically where you can watch the game remotely if you can't make it live, for a monthly fee, of course), Dante wrote a blog about private equity taking over youth sports.
This is some scary shit, including being told you can't videotape your kids' games. Have not run into this one yet, but sounds awful. I want some actual laws about that, not pretend ones.
Early games, booked weekends, and terrible Wi-Fi are just part of the deal of being a sports dad. Or sports mom. The alternative is my kids glued to YouTube and Xbox. I'll take these inconveniences over that any day of the week, even on Sundays. But seriously, working Wi-Fi everywhere.
Oh, also a Parents Penalty Box, where you have to go stand if you're acting like an asshole and yelling at the kids or an official or an umpire. I'm sure I missed some, and you can fire off your own in the comments.