Disgusting "adult" behavior in sports

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I slept on this and woke this morning still troubled by what I witnessed yesterday.


I stuck around at a basketball tournament yesterday to watch a championship game that I (and my children) thought would be a very good game. I was alerted to the fact of the one participating team's relation to a certain softball organization when, prior to the championship game, there was a moment of silence held for a player that recently passed away. She used to play for that basketball team. I was touched and my DD looked up afterwards and mentioned we were going to play in the memorial softball tournament this summer.


The point of this post is because that was the very last moment I was touched during that game. I'm extremely disappointed to say we witnessed probably THE WORST parent behavior we have ever seen in athletics. EVER. I didn't even have any skin in that game and I was mortified by the behavior of so many adults! There was even one moment when an official stopped the game, ran over to the stands and threatened to throw a few of them out of the gym if another word was yelled! People, this was a 6th grade game. That was the moment I picked up my family and left the building. I'm still disgusted.


The reason I'm still thinking about this is because many of those "adults" I'm talking about were wearing sweatshirts with that softball organization's name on the front. Their behavior was so awful that I'm now concerned what my DD and her young 10u team will see when they participate in a tournament from an organization where that type of behavior is obviously permitted. Youth athletes should never have to participate in a violent atmosphere. Yet that is exactly what we witnessed from many of the parents in which I have to assume belong to that organization.


I feel that the tournament we are planning to play in is for such a worthy cause and we have felt very good all along about supporting it. But I'm curious if playing in that tournament is still wise? I mean, what type of environment could we be leading our team into?


Curious what you would do? Maybe we should ask if there will be a zero tolerance policy on poor sportsmanship and, if so, will the parents in that organization also be held accountable? After what I witnessed yesterday, I feel that they at least owe it to all teams participating to assure all coaches, athletes & parents traveling to their tournament to support their player's memorial that they will deliver a good, healthy playing environment.

Thoughts from this forum?

 

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Quite honestly, no one would know this if it weren't for you saying so on here. Emotions run high during Championship games and sometimes pool play (don't understand it). I've learned that the only behavior or attitude you can control is your own. Teach your dd that no matter how someone else is acting you should act "this" way. It's a life lesson. In no way, should you punish a tournament that is going to benefit the family of a young girl that was taken prematurely based on the behavior you saw at a basketball game. You can't shield your daughter from everything, so you need to show her and teach her how to act as a young lady and as an adult. Afterall, you are the example that she will look up to more than some stranger.

 

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Don't let few ''bad apples' ruin the cause... Some people can't help but to be A-holes.

remeber why you signed up to play in that tournament.

 

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Catch22 I am not sure what it is that you witnessed, but it sounds like a great parenting moment. Unless there was graphic violence, sometimes it is best to let your child witness adults behaving completely out of line and use the time to teach them an important lesson. That being said, I am having trouble connecting the dots from inappropriately behaving adults wearing sweatshirts at a basketball game, back to a softball organization who "obviously permits" bad behavior. I'm not sure if that really follows? If the organization took the time to put together a memorial tournament to honor this young player and her family, I think that speaks more for them then some random idiot causing trouble at a 6th grade basketball game. Pathetic as what you and your child witnessed may have been, I totally agree with John and Blue Ice. I would opt to honor the player and her family by leaving my team in the tournament, rather than using that particular event as an opportunity to protest.

 

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If you steered away from tournaments where parental bad behavior was possible, you would be limited to nary a few events this summer. My daughter witnessed bad jeering behavior last summer from the other teams COACHES... so... skin grows thick in this awesome game that our daughters play...

 

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From the beginning of time competitive sports have brought the best and worst out in people. You'll have people cheering like crazy for your kid on one side and people ripping, cat calling and worse on the other side. doesn't mean its right its just the way it is. I've coached for decades and have seen the best and the worse in people.

 

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Some parents are jack as***..... unfortunately that's how it is sometimes. Remember why you are playing in that tourney, that reason alone is a lot more important than letting some loudmouth parents who probably don't know there a** from a hole in the ground when it comes to the game deter you from it. Take your girls to that tourney and enjoy it.

 

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This happened a long time ago. I had never been to Oak Harbor. We got there real early one morning and we were looking around for the high school. There were these big neon pink signs hanging up all over town that said "TOOL SHOW" in big black letters, they had an arrow on them pointing you in the right direction. My son said "If we follow the signs to the tool show we will find the tournament. Tournaments are full of tools..." :lmao: