Parents drinking (Alcohol) at tournaments

[cuzmail]

Did someone just use the term "over served" in a serious statement

 

[Coach Fastpitch]

Maybe I am oblivious, but is this a widespread issue? My wife says I sometimes am oblivious to the world around me, but do a lot of parents on travel ball teams drink alcohol in the stands while watching their dd play?

I know the parents on my team pretty well and some will have a cocktail at dinner after a long day at the ball park. I have never witnessed one drinking during a game.

Now in slow pitch, yeah, we drink beer before, during and after games. But, then it is called a beer league for a reason.

 

[softballmom77]

I personally don't drink at the ball park....but we were there for 14 hours one Saturday and I snuck out with a friend and drank a beer at the car. There I said it...I drank one delicious ice cold beer! I earned it

But normally I enjoy my diet coke and sunflower seeds!

I always keep a coozie in my purse just incase.

 

[PA SB Dad]

Has it occurred to anyone that it is NOT OK to drink at a youth athletic event, and then DRIVE those kids home? Driving impaired out of a parking lot where there are ball players and little kids is NOT OK, whether you are a parent, coach, umpire, or otherwise uninvolved adult. If you are at an overnight tournament, what you do in the hotel afterwards is you own business, as long as you don't get back in a car and drive. If any parents are driving with their kids in the car after they've had a few discrete drinks at the field, someone needs to address it before something terrible happens.

 

[mad hornet]

Parents represent the organization their kid plays for. If the park rules say no alcohol coach should take action to make sure the rule is followed. The last thing you want is for your daughter's team to be shut out of a nice college showcase because their team was banned due to parent drinking the year before. It happens.

Now on the other hand we were playing at a private complex a couple years ago where beer was sold at the concession stand during the event. Not too much I can say about that. (My parents liked that place!)

 

[Cannonball]

Was fortunate to have dd play for a couple of good organizations and fortunately, the same kids rotated and so the same parents. They were known to have brew or two but only after all games were over for the night. Mostly, they did so in the parking lot and believe me, they had ingenious ways of setting that up. Still, in all of the years of my dd playing TB, maybe one or twice did anyone have too many. The wife and I are not old enough yet to drink and so, ... anyway, we fit right in and there was never any pressure to drink. I know that we were spoiled with this group of players and parents.

Having said all of that, it would be embarrassing to have parents drunk in the stands. I can't imagine how the child would feel!

 

[JAD]

I know a couple of parents who have been known to "partake" of alcoholic beverages during a tournament, and while as a coaching staff we do not condone it, we are not going to make a big deal out of it unless someone starts to make an azz out of themselves. Hell, if I wasn't coaching I would probably be out there drinking too!!!! LOL

 

[redhotcoach]

I know some...several...of our parents have or do occasionally drink at games. They are still half as ignorant as most of the team's trashy families we face. At least the cold wet weather has kept the arrests low during tourneys.

 

[SoftSocDad]

Has it occurred to anyone that it is NOT OK to drink at a youth athletic event, and then DRIVE those kids home? Driving impaired out of a parking lot where there are ball players and little kids is NOT OK, whether you are a parent, coach, umpire, or otherwise uninvolved adult. If you are at an overnight tournament, what you do in the hotel afterwards is you own business, as long as you don't get back in a car and drive. If any parents are driving with their kids in the car after they've had a few discrete drinks at the field, someone needs to address it before something terrible happens.

Please don't try to equate drinking and driving with drinking and watching softball. The fact that a person is drinking at a field does not mean he/she is going to be driving. If you do see that, then yes, report it, because now what wasn't previously a problem has become a problem.

 

[RubberBiscuit]

Some of the best times are worn out over-traveled over-spent parents needing to unwind on portable chairs in the hotel parking lot.

In the name of all things good - please don't take that away!!!

But I do draw the line for during the games span of the day. That's my line.