Taking a Stand Against Bad Sportsmanship in Little League

We've been freezing our butts off during the first few weeks of high school ball.  So, summer ball is something we are really looking forward to.  No blankets, no winter jackets.  Just a great day at the old ballpark watching our little leaguers have the time of their lives.

However, there is a downside: The parents.

Sports Parents Suck

Being a parent of kids who do both "rec league" and "club ball" or "travel ball" we see the disparity of the two crowds. If you think it's the parents who have paid $400 for their kid's entry into the league (not to mention the added expenses on top of that) would be the ones with the attitude problem, you'd be wrong.  It's the rec leaguers' parents that cause the most drama.

I won't get into specifics here, but if we're having a few beers this summer ask me and I'll tell you about one particular incident that comes to mind when I saw this next story and laughed out loud at the thought of these parents being punished for their rotten behavior.

The Parent Problem

According to ABC, one town in New Jersey is introducing a unique rule to tackle misbehavior after some parents were caught on camera yelling and berating referees and umpires at youth games.

Referees and umpires are often volunteers, and there has been a rise in resignations due to an increase in shouting matches.

An Amazing Solution

To combat this trend, Little League officials have introduced a new solution. If a parent or another spectator gets into a fight with an umpire, they have to volunteer to officiate themselves for at least three upcoming games.

By encouraging parents and spectators to volunteer as umpires, it puts them in the shoes of the volunteers they've been criticizing and helps them understand the difficulties of officiating a game.

Everyone Should Have This Rule

I wish the parents who were rude to my kids last year could have seen the hurt on our kid's faces.  How confusing it must've been to see a supposed adult act so childish. I'd love to see them suit up this year as punishment.

But until then...let's let the kids play ball and be kids while they still can. Although unfortunately, it seems being childish can run deep into your 40s.