Dad pulls gun on 7-year old's FB coach!

[spnited]

Now this is truly insane

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061023/us_nm/crime_football_dc_1

 

[Ace]

I don't know. Flag football, sure. But if this was a tackle league, dad may have been justified. Never know when those NFL scouts are watching.

 

[Idaho]

Congrats, dad. Little Billy just got all of his playing time taken away.

but what's with the headline?? Upset U.S. dad pulls gun ...

 

[Oz]

but what's with the headline?? Upset U.S. dad pulls gun ...

Maybe with "football" in the headline they wanted to distinguish between it and soccer for non-American readers.

 

[spnited]

Congrats, dad. Little Billy just got all of his playing time taken away.

but what's with the headline?? Upset U.S. dad pulls gun ...

It's a Reuters story...
there's nothing wrong with the head, unless you're saying Philly isn't part of the US anymore

 

[Idaho]

Spnited,

I know the headline is accurate and maybe it was initially written for a non-American reader, but the folks at Yahoo should be able to rewrite the head for their audience which is primarily U.S. I was just using my copyediting hat for the moment, not trying to infer any anti-American sentiments with Reuters.

Seriously, though. As much as I love sports and it's what I do for a job, I read these kinds of stories and want to never sign my kids up for team sports. I'm inclined to get them involved in stuff like swimming, track, cycling or similar things but leave baseball, basketball, soccer and football off the list. Too many nutjob parents out there and I'd probably be one of them.

 

[spnited]

My best guess Modaho is Yahoo does very little editing.

And I agree, get your kids into track and/or swimming... inidividual sports, more fun, less pressure, fewer lunatic parents

 

[Ace]

One good thing about high school and college sports -- the more power the coaches have, the less crazy the parents are.

Even when high school coaches are being absolute pricks, parents are usually afraid to say anything to hurt little Billy's playing time.

 

[JR]

If it's a Reuters story, doesn't it originate from England? And if that's the case, then the headline makes sense.

 

[Idaho]

My best guess Modaho is Yahoo does very little editing.

And I agree, get your kids into track and/or swimming... inidividual sports, more fun, less pressure, fewer lunatic parents

I'm sure Yahoo, Google, AOL and many others just cut and paste the suggested headline without a second thought. Probably an automated computer program, in fact.

another benefit to the individual sports is fewer injuries. They can still happen, of course, but when's the last time you heard of a kid blowing out his/her knee in the 100m butterfly?

 

[Beef03]

Times like these I'm glad my parents didn't make it out to most of my hockey games and practices.

 

[shotglass]

Too many nutjob parents out there and I'd probably be one of them.

No. The fact that you can see this means you would never be one of the crazy ones.

 

[JR]

Speaking of nutbar parents here's a recent piece by Lois Kalchman who covers minor hockey for the Star. Readers can write in with questions about hockey and she provides an answer/opinion.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Question: Have you noticed a change in the attitude of parents in GTHL rinks over the past few years?
Longtime GTHL Warrior, Mississauga


Answer: If you truly are a longtime warrior, you know the answer is yes. When yours and my boys played, we were grateful for the time volunteers gave to the teams. Thankfully, some of them are left but that is dwindling as more and more coaches are asking and expecting to be paid.

It is now a big investment of thousands of dollars, and minor hockey is caught in a twilight zone between a recreation for the masses and a business. Parents are demanding more and more "frills",’ including extra ice at heavy costs.

A couple of AA general managers have informed me they have been asked to actually sign a "contract" from the parents.
In one case,
1) The parent wanted permission for their child to skate with AAA clubs while playing for their AA team.

2) If a AAA team wanted their son before November 15, the GTHL release deadline, the family wanted an instant release.

3) They also wanted a prorated refund.

4) Finally, they wanted an automatic release on April 15, 2007. The answer was succinct and to the point by the GM of the club: "I don’t do prenups (prenuptial agreements)."
---------------------------------------------------------------------

One of the great lines of all time. "I don't do prenups"

 

[poindexter]

More nutjob parents:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/10/22/MNGTILTVRT1.DTL

 

[JR]

Wow, that's awful.
Poin may have won the "I found the biggest jerk parents" of all time.

And here's the centre of it all:

Maybe not, but the swashbuckling judge -- who pilots a 32-foot gunboat as a "homeland security maritime specialist" for the Alameda County Sheriff's Department -- is certainly deeply involved. Goodman was an assistant coach for the junior varsity team two years ago whose daughter, a guard, will be a senior this season. Although they are careful not to accuse him directly, almost all of Nibarger's supporters believe Goodman spearheaded the protests.

I think the coach should either quit or sue the parents.

 

[broadway joe]

Spnited,

I know the headline is accurate and maybe it was initially written for a non-American reader, but the folks at Yahoo should be able to rewrite the head for their audience which is primarily U.S. I was just using my copyediting hat for the moment, not trying to infer any anti-American sentiments with Reuters.

Seriously, though. As much as I love sports and it's what I do for a job, I read these kinds of stories and want to never sign my kids up for team sports. I'm inclined to get them involved in stuff like swimming, track, cycling or similar things but leave baseball, basketball, soccer and football off the list. Too many nutjob parents out there and I'd probably be one of them.

Sadly, I've seen as many nutjob parents in the individual sports as in the team ones. There's no team to worry about in swimming, tennis, skating, etc, so the kid becomes the sole focus of attention for the parents. You end up with crazed parents and unbelievably spoiled kids, in a lot of cases. I guess the moral of the story is if a mom or dad is a nutcase, they'll be a nutcase no matter what the sport.

 

[Idaho]

good point joe.

I guess I'd just as soon not be the nutjob that ruins the team for other kids, parents and coaches. I'm afraid I'm the knd of dad that's a little too demanding sometimes and expects too much. I know perfection is not realistic, but I'm afraid I ride my kids too much to practice their piano the right way (no silly hammering on the keys) or do their homework (and do it right!) before playing and watching TV. My mother was a psycho parent at sporting events (but mostly in a good way, just screaming really loud and sometimes screamming at the refs) and now that I am a sportsjournalist, I don't ever want to be obnxious in a way we here at SportsJournalists.com like to frown on.

all I really want is for my kids to try their best. Which reminds me, time to do my daily online check of the 7th grader's report card. The district here has an online system where I can see exactly how she did every day on every test or assignment. She's got four A's and three B's.

 

[hondo]

My best guess Modaho is Yahoo does very little editing.

And I agree, get your kids into track and/or swimming... inidividual sports, more fun, less pressure, fewer lunatic parents

Trust me...there are lunatic parents in swimming.

 

[Ace]

good point joe.

I guess I'd just as soon not be the nutjob that ruins the team for other kids, parents and coaches. I'm afraid I'm the knd of dad that's a little too demanding sometimes and expects too much. I know perfection is not realistic, but I'm afraid I ride my kids too much to practice their piano the right way (no silly hammering on the keys) or do their homework (and do it right!) before playing and watching TV. My mother as a psycho parent at sporting events (but mostly in a good way, just screaming really loud and sometimes screamming at the refs) and now that I am a sportsjournalist, I don't ever want to be obnxious in a way we here at SportsJournalists.com like to frown on.

all I really want is for my kids to try their best. Which reminds me, time to do my daily online check of the 7th grader's report card. The district here has an online system where I can see exactly how she did every day on every test or assignment. She's got four A's and three B's.

Man, that's great. We have a web page for the school and each teacher, but it always seems the ones most anal about kids turning in stuff a certain way are the worst about putting useful or timely information on their web sites.

 

[mike311gd]

Good.

When children are that age, they should all get the same amount of playing time. That way, they can all feel like winners. They can all player really, really hard. And maybe, just maybe, their pictures can be in every page of the paper. Because the kids would really appreciate it. And just the kids.

All sideline-bound parents should sit down and up.