Perfect example of whats wrong with parents and little kid sports

[crownsy]

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=3553475

because heaven forbid we teach kids to get better, and learn that sometimes you need to work hard to advance instead of having things handed to you, instead, lets ruin a 9 year olds love of a sport because he’s too good to make other kids see that being talented is a curse, not a blessing. That wouldn’t jive with our new PC world view.

This kind of pandering is NOT good for developing younger children IMO, all it promotes is league sponsored quitting when the going gets tough. No ones going to punish someone for working hard and being talented when their older.

The coach who had his team forfeit rather than let this kid pitch against them should be ashamed of himself. What an awesome message to send to 8-10 year olds. “Remember kids, if you run up against adversity in life, just quit and whine about it, don’t even bother trying to get better, that’s a waste of time. Instead, complain that the other person is too good and needs to be taken down a notch”


This is part of a larger national problem with parents and youth sports. When you have dads beating each other to death at hockey games, giving the coach crap for not playing their kid, and heckling other 10 year olds you have a problem. The kids just want to play. When you don't "keep score" at youth soccer its pointless, because the team that's getting killed knows they are getting killed, everyone is keeping score but nobody's talking about it. If thats not a metaphore for the U.S. today I don't know what is.

in both basketball and football last year, neither of my two little brother's teams (8 and 10) kept “score” but the one who played football can tell you they went 8-2  , because every kid on the sideline keeps score anyway.

 

Same with basketball, both boys ended up on good teams, in ones case because he's good, in another, just hapenstance, and both know they were 14-1 respectively. Not keeping score just ment the kids did it, while the parents lied to them and told them "oh, it was a tie."





Disgusting.

[Roy Hobbs]

This is the part that bugs me:

Jericho's coach and parents say the boy is being unfairly targeted because he turned down an invitation to join the defending league champion, which is sponsored by an employer of one of the league's administrators.

Jericho instead joined a team sponsored by Will Power Fitness. The team was 8-0 and on its way to the playoffs when Jericho was banned from pitching.

[crownsy]

This is the part that bugs me:

Jericho's coach and parents say the boy is being unfairly targeted because he turned down an invitation to join the defending league champion, which is sponsored by an employer of one of the league's administrators.

Jericho instead joined a team sponsored by Will Power Fitness. The team was 8-0 and on its way to the playoffs when Jericho was banned from pitching.

I saw that too and was bothered by it roy, and if thats true, this goes beyond disgusting into scumbag territory.

To me, and the reason i'd like to see some discussion on it, is as a older brother, this whole "everybody wins, and anyone good needs to be brought back to the pack" mentaility with regards to sports doesn't help kids develop.

I'd like to think i'm a good older brother when it comes to sports, i push my brothers to take pride in being the best they can be, and leaving everythign they have on the field. I don't tell them "hey, if your too good, dial it back a bit" but at the same time i don't give them speeches like the coach of the evil team in the mighty ducks. I stick to, the clichque prehaps "listen, don't work hard for me, or mom and dad, work hard for you. If you can look in the mirrior after the game and say "thats the most i can give" then, win or lose, you did all you can do" mentality.

but one thing i have never done, nor will i ever do, is perputuate this myth that every game is a tie and the important part is everyone is equal in all things sports. It's a lie i will not take part in. when either boy asks me "hey, did we win" i'll tell them the truth. They deserve it. and lieing to them and tellign them they won when they lost robs them of any desire to get better or to have to develop any sort of competitive spirit.

mabey i'm in the wrong on being outraged on this story, but i don't think so. I belive in a meritocracy, no matter what the age. Yes, the 100% most important thing is to have fun, but its also ok to let kids cope with winning and losing, and working to get better rather than being "protected" from reality.   

[wdleehi]

How fast do most kids that age pitch?


As for the team that forfeited, was it because they didn't want to lose or was it that they were afraid the pitcher could hurt their children?  




There is more to this the this.  This is an instructional league.  There is no money.  

[crownsy]

How fast do most kids that age pitch?


As for the team that forfeited, was it because they didn't want to lose or was it that they were afraid the pitcher could hurt their children?  




There is more to this the this.  This is an instructional league.  There is no money.  

the story says that the pitcher in question is clocked at about 40 MPH, and has never beaned a hitter. The league even goes on to say that while he has excellent control, other parents are concerned that thier kids are intimidated by how fast he throws.

The team that forfited did it because they feel he is to talented to be in thier league, and its unfair to all the other kids in the league that he's this good this young.


well guess what, that's not a valid excuse. Going back to my experiance, the "winning" team (because no one kept score, every game was a tie, but this team actually went undeafeted and destroyed teams) in my older brothers pop warner league had a running back who was really, really good. like, this kid was makign cutbacks and throwing stiff arms, and generaly was an excellent 10 year old football player.

should he have been told he couldn't play because he was to talented? Thsi is yet another example of how parent's today feel the need to "protect" thier children from reality as long as possable. Every game this team played, they won. Every team they played knew they won. and yet nearly every parent lied to thier kid and said it was a tie.

Kid's aren't stupid, and you don't promote any kind of attitude other than a "meh, whatever. I'll just get a bailout" mentality when you lie to them about basic things like talent and score in games.

Im not promoting, as i said, some sort of NFL level little kid league, but at the same time, I'll stick to my policy of teaching my little brothers its OK to try hard to beat the other team, and to take pride in doing something well that you've worked hard at. count me out of the crowd that lies to children about sports thinking there to dumb to know which team won, or that some people are more talented than others.

[jgod213]

Yeah i first heard about this story while watching Mike & Mike this morning.  The part that i don't understand is why can't they just have this kid play in one of the older leagues?  I know it might be hard for him to adjust to being around kids that are a couple of years his elder, but this kid has A LOT of talent and should be fine tuning it in leagues that will challenge him to become a better player.  Hell, he'll be doing it soon enough when he's a freshman in high school and the varsity coach comes knocking at his door...

The part that really bothers me though is this...

"He's never hurt any one," Vidro said. "He's on target all the time. How can you punish a kid for being too good?"

The controversy bothers Jericho, who says he misses pitching.

"I feel sad," he said. "I feel like it's all my fault nobody could play."

If i had an 8 year old kid and i knew there was a good chance he might get nailed in the head with a 40-50mph fastball, i might think twice about putting him out there, but from all acounts this kid is very accurate and does not have a reputation that speaks otherwise.  Now the poor kid feels responsible for having an entire game cancled...

i know when i was playing little league, there were pitchers on other teams that no one else wanted to face, they threw REALLY hard and weren't always on target - but guess what, we all went into the batters box (scared or not) and faced pitches.  I remember getting hit in the head once as well as in several other areas, but you walk it off and move on - such is sport and such is life.  This coach and group of parents need to step back, sit in the bleachers, and let their kids figure it all out for themselves.

[wdleehi]

"Facing that kind of speed" is frightening for beginning players, Noble said.

And it doesn't sound like his parents are helping the situation

League officials say Jericho's mother became irate, threatening them and vowing to get the league shut down.

"I have never seen behavior of a parent like the behavior Jericho's mother exhibited Wednesday night," Noble said.

Scott denies threatening any one, but said she did call the police.

It also sounds like the league gave them options

League officials suggested that Jericho play other positions, or pitch against older players or in a different league.

Which is something I have seen in other leagues. 




I am not defending the league, but I really not sure which way to go on this. 

[SportsCapNative]

How fast do most kids that age pitch?


As for the team that forfeited, was it because they didn't want to lose or was it that they were afraid the pitcher could hurt their children?  




There is more to this the this.  This is an instructional league.  There is no money.  

Well the boy was pitching in the mid 40's, so I'm guessing that a normal 9 yr old must be pitching well under 35mph.

The loosing team (from what I've heard) did not leave for safety issues because the child has never hit anyone. They left because they were loosing, and even worse, striking out. The coach that allowed or instructed these kids to just walk off the field like that is wrong. You don't teach kids to be sore losers, or quit.

Your this is an instructional league. But just as you learn how to play the game, you learn life lessons. Loosing is one of those lessons. Now I'm not addressing the whole issue, just the fact that the kids walked off the field like that. As far as the league banning the kid or making him move up, once again, this is an instructional league, if it's not about winning or loosing then why can't the kid learn the game with kids his own age?

[crownsy]

"Facing that kind of speed" is frightening for beginning players, Noble said.

And it doesn't sound like his parents are helping the situation

League officials say Jericho's mother became irate, threatening them and vowing to get the league shut down.

"I have never seen behavior of a parent like the behavior Jericho's mother exhibited Wednesday night," Noble said.

Scott denies threatening any one, but said she did call the police.

It also sounds like the league gave them options

League officials suggested that Jericho play other positions, or pitch against older players or in a different league.

Which is something I have seen in other leagues. 




I am not defending the league, but I really not sure which way to go on this. 

but why should he have to not pitch anymore, something he says he loves doing, or hurt his own confidance and enjoyment of the game by going up to a level where he can be equally shelled as other pitchers? And why should he have to leave his teamates and friends to go play with kids 3-5 years older than him that he probley won't be able to realate to? (the league runs till 10, he's 8, so minimum your talking putting him in an 11-12 year old league)

It would be one thing if he was wild. i can see that, but he's not. he's just talented.

in my mind, talent shouldn't be held down so others can feel good about themselves. you think thats going to serve these kids well when they get to be teenagers and play where the score counts? or later on in life when someone is more talented than them?

do you think a kid who's been lied to from an early age about how equal everyone is in sports and how its wrong to be better than others will work hard to improve? or will they expect a hand out?

again, not to beat a dead horse, but i've seen this in real life. Kids who's parent's (like mine) that won't lie to them about how everyone's equal consitantly work harder to get better. Kid's that are assured everythigns a tie and everythign is equal don't. and why should they? even if they get better, everyone gets a trophy.

[oldmanspeaks]

I think that most of the bloggers aren't getting the point. This is an instructional league, not a competitive one. There is no one more competitive than me but I know the difference between coaching in a development league and a competitive league. I have coached both beginning and older kids and there are a zillion kids that get turned off sports because of the "be your best" mentality. That is fine for older kids but getting destroyed before you understand the game is destructive to under 10 kids. I once had a young kid in football who couldn't have crushed a grape. However in a couple of years I saw him stand a guard up in the hole and his teammates destroy the running back.
What would have happened if I allowed him to be destroyed when he was a wimp?
If a kid is dominating, he shouldn't be in an instructional league. Particularly as a pitcher when there are kids who are just learning to hold a bat. Some 9 year olds would be too frightened to even get into the batters box with a 40mph pitch coming in. I got hit in the head by a pitch not much faster than that in pony league and it isn't much fun. The difference is that I was old enough not to be frightened the next time I went to bat.

Instruction leagues teach kids mechanics, the rules and the right way to play. The competition angle is only a sideline. It is moronic rah-rah super competitive coaches that should be banned from being around young kids. They do far more damage than good. The competitive juices will come naturally when they are older as they grow to love the game. I had some wimps/poor players get to be pretty good in a few years because I didn't let them get discouraged. What is a shame is I have seen some really good athletes not want to be near sports because of what happened when they were 8 and 9.  

[wdleehi]

How fast do most kids that age pitch?


As for the team that forfeited, was it because they didn't want to lose or was it that they were afraid the pitcher could hurt their children?  




There is more to this the this.  This is an instructional league.  There is no money.  

Well the boy was pitching in the mid 40's, so I'm guessing that a normal 9 yr old must be pitching well under 35mph.

The loosing team (from what I've heard) did not leave for safety issues because the child has never hit anyone. They left because they were loosing, and even worse, striking out. The coach that allowed or instructed these kids to just walk off the field like that is wrong. You don't teach kids to be sore losers, or quit.

Your this is an instructional league. But just as you learn how to play the game, you learn life lessons. Loosing is one of those lessons. Now I'm not addressing the whole issue, just the fact that the kids walked off the field like that. As far as the league banning the kid or making him move up, once again, this is an instructional league, if it's not about winning or loosing then why can't the kid learn the game with kids his own age?

All it says is the walked off when he took the mound.  Doesn't say if they were winning and losing.  




Again, are the parents afraid of this pitcher hurting their children?  I don't care how much control he has shown, we have seen the best MLB pitchers throw a wild pitch.  

[Timbaland7]

I think this one is pretty simple... advance this kid to the next level league.  

He's not learning anything by striking everybody out.  He will only get better by facing tougher talent.  I remember when I started in little league, I struck out 14 out of 15 kids in my first game.  A couple of weeks later, they promoted me from "minors" to "majors".  In the next league I wasn't even close to dominant, and got hit pretty hard a couple of times.  But it made me a better pitcher, because I had to learn how to get guys out rather than strike them out all day.

A lot of arguments are very good ones, but if this kid or his parents want him to get better, then place him in a higher skilled league.

[cordobes]

This is the part that bugs me:

Jericho's coach and parents say the boy is being unfairly targeted because he turned down an invitation to join the defending league champion, which is sponsored by an employer of one of the league's administrators.

Jericho instead joined a team sponsored by Will Power Fitness. The team was 8-0 and on its way to the playoffs when Jericho was banned from pitching.

Yeah, me too.

If that's true, it's a shame.

If it's the league that is speaking the truth, then they are right. The boy should be playing in another league.

It is moronic rah-rah super competitive coaches that should be banned from being around young kids. They do far more damage than good.

Very true,  oldmanspeaks. TP for you.

[crownsy]

How fast do most kids that age pitch?


As for the team that forfeited, was it because they didn't want to lose or was it that they were afraid the pitcher could hurt their children?  




There is more to this the this.  This is an instructional league.  There is no money.  

Well the boy was pitching in the mid 40's, so I'm guessing that a normal 9 yr old must be pitching well under 35mph.

The loosing team (from what I've heard) did not leave for safety issues because the child has never hit anyone. They left because they were loosing, and even worse, striking out. The coach that allowed or instructed these kids to just walk off the field like that is wrong. You don't teach kids to be sore losers, or quit.

Your this is an instructional league. But just as you learn how to play the game, you learn life lessons. Loosing is one of those lessons. Now I'm not addressing the whole issue, just the fact that the kids walked off the field like that. As far as the league banning the kid or making him move up, once again, this is an instructional league, if it's not about winning or loosing then why can't the kid learn the game with kids his own age?

All it says is the walked off when he took the mound.  Doesn't say if they were winning and losing.  




Again, are the parents afraid of this pitcher hurting their children?  I don't care how much control he has shown, we have seen the best MLB pitchers throw a wild pitch.  

again, we disagree on that being a valid excuse. Should a kid in a football game be banned because he hits to hard according to others? a hockey player because he shoots to hard? a basketball player because he's too big? where does it stop?

again, with the walking off the field, what an awesome message to send to kids.

"remeber kids, if somethings going to be difficult, just quit. I mean, why try to do somethign your not the best at or might take work, thats for suckers. When someone in life gets a higher test score than you, its because they cheated. a better job? you got it, not your fault. got into a better school? probley cheated on his SAT's.

Hard work is for losers, medicrtiy is the way to go"

[crownsy]

I think that most of the bloggers aren't getting the point. This is an instructional league, not a competitive one. There is no one more competitive than me but I know the difference between coaching in a development league and a competitive league. I have coached both beginning and older kids and there are a zillion kids that get turned off sports because of the "be your best" mentality. That is fine for older kids but getting destroyed before you understand the game is destructive to under 10 kids. I once had a young kid in football who couldn't have crushed a grape. However in a couple of years I saw him stand a guard up in the hole and his teammates destroy the running back.
What would have happened if I allowed him to be destroyed when he was a wimp?
If a kid is dominating, he shouldn't be in an instructional league. Particularly as a pitcher when there are kids who are just learning to hold a bat. Some 9 year olds would be too frightened to even get into the batters box with a 40mph pitch coming in. I got hit in the head by a pitch not much faster than that in pony league and it isn't much fun. The difference is that I was old enough not to be frightened the next time I went to bat.

Instruction leagues teach kids mechanics, the rules and the right way to play. The competition angle is only a sideline. It is moronic rah-rah super competitive coaches that should be banned from being around young kids. They do far more damage than good. The competitive juices will come naturally when they are older as they grow to love the game. I had some wimps/poor players get to be pretty good in a few years because I didn't let them get discouraged. What is a shame is I have seen some really good athletes not want to be near sports because of what happened when they were 8 and 9.  

really? then why have a championship and playoffs as the article mentions they do, and extend this kid an offer to join the "best team" as they did?

on teh cape, instructional leagues like the one my brothers play in for baseball don't keep score.

and what instruction is being given when if your good, your banned. the instruction there is "don't try. your already good. show it and we'll make you quit"

and count me out as seeing being scared as an excuse. you think kids aren't scarred of being the victim of a big hit in football or hockey at that age? my little brother is, and we talk about it all the time. He gets nervous (he's not the biggest kid around), we talk about how he's got pads on, and that he'll be fine, and that he's gettign to be a vetran at age 10 and the other times he got through it ok. and he goes out there, nervous, but overcomes it and after (ussaly after one tackle) the game comes over with a big smile on his face and tells us how fun it was.

but, by this logic, my parents and I should tell him that he's right to be afraid, and refuse to let him tackle kids that are bigger than him (of which there are alot. as i said, he plays linebacker, but he's ussualy smaller than the kid he's going after)