How bad are athlete's parents?

  • After Iowa State won the Big 12, a Cyclone made a wonderful offer to We Will that now increases our match. Now all gifts up to $400,000 between now and the Final 4 will be matched. Please consider giving at We Will Collective.
    This notice can be dismissed using the upper right corner X button.

IcSyU

Well-Known Member
Nov 27, 2007
27,752
5,939
113
Rochester, MN
There is a private school in my area, had a successful team sport (not want to give too many details since it just occurred) and during the season pressure started building on the coach, whole area heard rumblings about it. Come tournament time coach is gone. Turns out a large donor went in and demanded their kid should start, kid was first in and played a lot but didn’t start. AD told the coach to start the kid or else the donations will end from this person. The coach didn’t start the kid, all of a sudden the coach is canned.
Bishop Garrigan boys basketball last year. Dr. Condoleon was fired and the AD's younger brother (who I believe was either the JV or freshman team coach) took over.

Condoleon pulled his kids from BG and moved them over to Algona if I remember right.

Problem is...they started the same kids at the Well as they did all season according to QuikStats. I'd have to ask my folks who the rumored problem parent was.
 

LindenCy

Kevin Dresser Fan Club
Staff member
Mar 19, 2006
32,232
3,903
113
Chicago, IL
I watched my cousin's son wrestle (and he is... 11? 12?) a few weekends ago.

He wrestled a girl (and I guess they do coed at that age). Pinned her. Had her dead to rights, shoulders and mid-back on the mat, and the ref called it.

Thing was... the ref did not count it off. I am no expert when it comes to wrestling, but it is my understanding that is a courtesy but not required/expected by an official.

The girl's mom lost it. Chewed out the ref for 15 minutes.

When he eventually stopped responding, she went to the announcer and the organizer of the tournament. Kept on chewing and chewing and chewing... like having a few seconds of count would have helped when she was screwed anyways.

I sneaked by and heard a snippet of the exchange...

Organizer... "She's 11, how much does this really matter to the outcome of her life?"
Woman... "If it was your child, you would understand!"

It was around then she finally gave up. They never claimed their second-place award.

What about youth sports makes people go a little crazy?

Because they are trying to live vicariously through their kids' lives because they ended up as disappointing losers?
 

BCClone

Well Seen Member.
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Sep 4, 2011
61,414
55,962
113
Not exactly sure.
Bishop Garrigan boys basketball last year. Dr. Condoleon was fired and the AD's younger brother (who I believe was either the JV or freshman team coach) took over.

Condoleon pulled his kids from BG and moved them over to Algona if I remember right.

Problem is...they started the same kids at the Well as they did all season according to QuikStats. I'd have to ask my folks who the rumored problem parent was.

Since you mentioned it, info I got came from one of the first hand sources. Not all his kids transferred.
 

MuskieCy

Well-Known Member
Nov 4, 2006
3,216
5,101
113
Less than 40% of basketball officials get past year 3, the #1 reason being abusive spectators/coaches. We all start doing kiddie ball and move up with experience.

I survived because I was 48 when I started. I was mentally equipped to deal with the douchery. Kids in their early 20's aren't. My son is the perfect example.
 

BigBake

Well-Known Member
Mar 17, 2006
6,761
617
113
48
U'dale
There are bad parents.

There are bad coaches.

No one is perfect or above selfish motivations.
 

BryceC

Well-Known Member
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Mar 23, 2006
25,689
18,427
113
Had two dads stepping all over the coaches toes at my son’s city league basketball practice. Trying to tell the kids to do stuff that defies what coach was trying to do. All over the court shuffling kids. They’re in second ******* grade. Volunteer coach was doing a great job and came prepared.

Parents are the worst.

I will say this - I live in Ankeny and I was really concerned about parents even for rec leagues. I've had a great experience with parents. Never had one issue. Every year I've been praised universally by parents for coaching baseball and let me assure you I was the worst baseball player on my team every dang year growing up. Some of it is on the coaches too - I communicate exactly what I'm going to be doing every year with our open time. I'll take suggestions and help but that's it. If parents want to directly contradict what I'm trying to do at that point, I'll offer to let them coach the team.
 
  • Like
Reactions: NWICY and GT25Ump

AgronAlum

Well-Known Member
Jul 12, 2014
5,398
7,032
113
I will say this - I live in Ankeny and I was really concerned about parents even for rec leagues. I've had a great experience with parents. Never had one issue. Every year I've been praised universally by parents for coaching baseball and let me assure you I was the worst baseball player on my team every dang year growing up. Some of it is on the coaches too - I communicate exactly what I'm going to be doing every year with our open time. I'll take suggestions and help but that's it. If parents want to directly contradict what I'm trying to do at that point, I'll offer to let them coach the team.

We’ll see what happens. They’ve had two practices and neither of those kids or dads were at practice number two. I can see those two as someone who would pull their kid off a team for a 2nd grade volunteer coach in a league where they were hard up for coaches.
 

mramseyISU

Well-Known Member
Nov 8, 2006
6,327
6,268
113
Waterloo, IA
I've been helping coach travel baseball for a few years now. I think this is the start of year 4 and the only kids we've cut is because their parents are delusional. Granted we're a middle of the road team but it's more fun for the kids when little Enos's dad is constantly yelling at the umpire because his kid can't tell the difference between a ball and a strike after 3 years.
 

Malty Flannel

Well-Known Member
Sep 19, 2019
905
2,294
93
31
Huxley
Am I the only one that would find satisfaction in telling parents to stick their complaints up their own ass and either let me do my job, or transfer their kid to a different school?
 
  • Agree
Reactions: riceville98

Doc

This is it Morty
Aug 6, 2006
37,437
21,962
113
Denver
Athlete's parents are getting a bad rap. Let's be real here -- the majority of parents are ********, whether their kids are athletes or not. They have an evolutionary preference for their own, even if their spawn are dumbshits.
 

simply1

Rec Center HOF
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Jun 10, 2009
36,372
24,332
113
Pdx
If it's all parents, it's " athletes' " parents.
I use Swype, not too concerned about whether it places the apostrophe appropriately.

You can Google your grandkids to find out what Swype is though, if you want.