I used to do quite a bit of youth and high school fast pitch softball. I quit two years ago because of parents. They're crazy and I'm actually thrilled that my daughter isn't interested in sports at all.
The last straw for me was I was doing a 12U game, I had the plate. Girl hits the first home run over the fence of her life and (rightfully) she and her teammates are over the moon excited. She runs the bases and as she's coming down the 3rd base line two of her teammates give her high fives and pat her on the back maybe 5 feet before she touches the plate. Now, by the strictest interpretation of the rule, she's out for 'assisting the runner'. I didn't even pay attention to it because 1) they're 12 and still learning and 2) I'm not taking that away from that girl.
Game gets over the team that hit the home run won by 6 or 7, so it wasn't close and I walk around the fence to a mother in my face screaming at me about how that girl should have been out and that I cost them the game because that would have changed the momentum. F bombs, nasty insults, threats, the whole deal. Just asinine behavior that we wouldn't let toddlers throwing temper tantrums exhibit.
Another fun fact, there are now state and regional rankings for softball travel teams starting at 8U. You hear parents talking about how the next game is a big one, it's against the #7 team in the Midwest. Its disgraceful that an adult is taking time and trying to put stakes on softball for kids that are just trying to have fun and learn the game. We wonder why high school sports participation is way down and why we can't find officials? We're burning kids out by the time they're 12 and its 100% on parents and anybody else trying to make a quick buck off running tournaments and leagues.
