REPORT: Parents Getting Drunk At Little League Baseball Games And Harassing Umpires All Across America Is The Latest Stain On Youth Sports Culture
Giphy Images.(This is actually one of my all time favorite gifs)
In the year of our Lord twenty twenty six, we receive our news and information from all sorts of sources. Keeping that in mind, I would like to report that my "report" is just an anecdotal tweet but judging on responses, this behavior is prevalent across the country.
Here is the report in question:
According to his twitter bio and some googling, this comes from the varsity baseball coach for Southington (CT) High School. He's a former scout for the NY Mets and pitcher who had a cup of coffee in independent minor leagues. I have no earthly idea who is friend is or where this 12U little league tourney was taking place. We can assume it was somewhere in the New England area but we can also assume it could be anywhere in the country.
Coach Swit, I do see a problem.
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Anyone who knows me knows I am not the fun police. What I am, though, is very concerned about the youth sports culture in our country. There are a litany of problems but let's stay focused on tailgating for 12U games in the middle of the day.
I do think there is a time and place when it is acceptable to consume alcohol around kids. I am not about to list out examples because surely there will be people who do not agree with me but I think if the baseline is that you're acting responsibly and within the bounds of the law (not drinking and driving), then there is nothing wrong with consuming alcohol around kids.
Keeping that in mind, the parking lot of a 12U baseball game is NOT one of those places. Especially if you're consuming so much to the point that you cannot control yourself in the game. It's bad enough to be the parent who heckles the 30 year old ump trying to make a little extra scratch but it's even worse if you're hurling obscenities because you've been sucking down vodka in the parking lot at 11am.
You mean to tell me the reason people can't control themselves is because they are inebriated? Color me shocked. Sidenote: one of the funniest things in the burbs is how wild parents act. I have been here just shy of 3 years and I already have enough stories to fill a book. Suburban moms are crazy and not to generalize, but they have no regard for other drivers. I digress.
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Yes, my children are not old enough to be playing sports, much less travel sports. However, are you so selfish that you can't sacrifice a Saturday afternoon without drinking? Do you hear how brutal that sounds? Hey I can't be at home on my couch so I'm going to black out at my son's baseball game instead. Lol what? Ok, Buttermaker.
Honestly, while I think it is completely weird to drink at a 12U game, my problem is more with your impulse control being lowered to the point of harassing the umps and players.
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This reminded me of how my dad and some other dads would responsibly have a few pops during halftime of my football games in high school. Never did any of them ever get so tuned up that they were causing a scene though. Again, I think given the age of the kids playing it is weird, but I guess if you are being responsible it is more acceptable?
For what its worth, the idea of travel sports dominating a family's weekends has very clearly gotten out of hand. My solution that will only exist in my dreams is that all the parents of the next generation of kids all agree to go back to how things were back in the 90s.
Honest question - who do we blame for youth sports as it is today? Yeah, yeah I know it's a confluence of things but we need to blame someone. President Clinton? Can we say the Lewinsky scandal drove kids away from wanting to grow up to be politicians and even further into wanting to be great at sports? That makes no sense but let's run with it for now.
Thanks a lot, Bill.
Giphy Images.