Overheard at yesterday's ball game

[pat]

Yesterday was J's first game in the "major leagues" -- the highest division in his age group in our local Little League. They are a lot stricter enforcing the rules at this level, one of them being that players are forbidden to wear any jewelry except religious items.

One boy had what looked like a braided cloth ring around his neck. It did not have a religious medal on it, so the umpire ordered it off. I don't know why the boy was wearing it, but it was clearly something that could not be simply slipped off -- it was smaller than his head. It could not be removed without destroying it. The child was adamant that he was not going to remove it.

After much argument -- with the coach supporting his player -- the umpire let it go. One parent behind me remarked they should simply cut the thing off and then said (and I am not making this up) "They have to teach the kids to obey the rules. It's a matter of professionalism."

I was so stunned at this comment that I was unable to speak. I realize -- or at least hope -- that the woman may not have thought about exactly what she said, but still....

Sheesh. Those Little League scandals that crop up now and then don't seem so unbelievable.

Comments

[ame-chan.livejournal.com]

Ok well here's my $.02 for what it's worth, which is probably less than the two cents... it's a long two cents, too, sorry :-)

I coach soccer. I am well acquainted with psycho sports parents. The reason I started coaching soccer is because I wanted my kids to have someone SANE out there on the field with them, who had a little common sense, who wasn't wrapped up in winning. I have always allowed "my" kids (the whole team) to be the funny little individuals they are - bottom line for me being that we're having fun and my job is to teach them about more than just kicking a ball. Consequently we don't always win games but we have a great time. I've coached for 5 years now. I love it.

We have a rule in AYSO about jewelry too, and that is NO jewelry. It is for very legitimate safety reasons. I think I am a very good, very relaxed coach and I am certainly not one of those whacked out sports parents you read about. And, I would have made the kid take his necklace off if at all possible. If it would not come off I would have asked his parents to find some kind of resolution to the problem before next game. I'd bench him for wearing it if it weren't off by the next game, too.

To be fair though, I personally would have addressed the issue at practice with the child and with the parents, waaaaayyyy before the games began, while we were starting the season. I have gone toe to toe with mothers about piercing studs many times and yes, I have drawn the line that either the studs come out or the kid doesn't play. The ONLY jewelry I allow on my players is Med-Alert bracelets or medallions because that is league rules. Personally, I'd rather have the battle at practice than on the field.

I think expecting young kids to be "professional" is insane and crazy and that woman you were sitting behind needs to be smacked hard with a cluestick. But I also think that rules on the field need to apply to everyone equally, and that's all the rules, all the time. Because there are good rules and stupid rules but they all to be applied fairly to everyone if you are going to apply them. I think that allowing one player to break the rules, even a little tiny silly rule you might not agree with is a bad idea in a team sport, because the kids need to know that it all applies equally and nobody is more special than anyone else. They are *all* on the same ground, all special, all on the team.

Does that make sense at all? For me it all goes back to fair play and fair treatment of everyone on the field.