Playing time based on cheering

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Aug 3, 2018
17
3
I told them I will be putting the best 9 on the field to start and sub everyone in after, I actually encourage them to ask why and what they can do to break the starting line-up.
Yes! I thought it was odd that players are not allowed to ask what they can do to earn more playing time. I will encourage DD to try to find out if there's anything else other than not being loud enough. The nine that were playing were the girls that had been on the team the longest plus the pick up players. A couple girls who did play had been busy with volleyball this season, so batting was rusty, neither had gotten on base on Sat. (both struck out every at bat on Sun). The other quiet player who sat is a strong pitcher that the team really needed. So, I don't think it was the best 9?
If the coach won't have a conversation about how to earn more playing time, you're right & it may be time to run.
 

sluggers

Super Moderator
Staff member
May 26, 2008
7,132
113
Dallas, Texas
Your DD's coach is clueless. Move on.

"Loudness" should have no bearing on playing time. How do you even measure "loudness"?

Guest players should play, but not to the exclusion of the other players.

Players and parents on a TB team where you are "paying to play" have a right to ask about playing time. (Of course, you have to listen and think about the reason.)
 
Aug 27, 2019
640
93
Lakewood CA.
If I pay my money to join this team and you bring in guess players who pay nothing. I am going to have a major problem if they play more than my daughter

So if the guest player plays a position that your DD or anyone else doesn’t/can’t play you still gonna be mad?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Ken Krause

Administrator
Admin
May 7, 2008
3,911
113
Mundelein, IL
I have always hated all that fake rah-rah crap. Coaches yelling at players to make some noise, or forcing everyone to be on the fence.

I would much rather have my players focus their efforts on studying the pitcher, picking signs, looking for weaknesses, understanding which outfielders they can run on, etc. than on yelling out a bunch of nonsense.

Sounds like your coach wants to coach a rec league team. I agree with the others. Move on.
 
Oct 10, 2018
305
63
Loud teams are super annoying and appear immature and poorly coached. They remind me of the days of 10U when inferior teams tried to distract pitchers with their antics. We had one girl on a team recently who was so loud that on gamechanger the opposing team named her "loud". And if you're paying for your DD to sit while guest players play, I'd take it up not only with the coach but the owner of the organization. I'd ask for a pro-rata refund for the rest of the season (which you won't get) but first find a new team to move to - not always easy mid-season maybe the current organization has a team she can transfer to?
 

radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
113
Looking for advice for my DD, she is 13 so will be the one talking to the coach and deciding what to do about the situation. She has been getting progressively less playing time this season, now at about 50% of innings on the bench. Pick up players have been at every game & are playing every inning of every game. Fielding and batting are going great, good attitude, goes to practice, works on her own. At a game last Sun. coach didn't realize she could only play 9 until game time. She had never made a line up of 9 or done DP/flex before so was really flustered. DD ended up on the bench (no fielding or batting). She had been playing & hitting great all weekend so was confused and disappointed (pickup players did play). The coach has a rule that players cannot ask about playing time which is why DD has been hesitant to bring it up. At the beginning of the next practice the coach told the team that DD did not play because she was not cheering loud enough. Secondly, she also did not play because the coach wanted each girl to do a short dance (for fun while waiting) and DD didn't do a dance (she's an introvert & felt super uncomfortable, but had fun laughing & cheering for the girls dancing). DD does have a quiet personality (& voice) , her cheering is clapping, saying nice hit, lets go, etc. The team is LOUD, they do every chant, sing every song at max volume the entire game & warm ups too. I did notice the coach is constantly yelling at them to be louder. DD tries to be loud & felt like she was being loud (for her). Talking to DD, the team hates having to be so loud all the time.
DD's thoughts are she wished the coach would have talked to her before benching her. This past weekend DD was getting over a cold & had lost her voice by Sunday. But even without a cold she just doesn't have a voice that carries. She also doesn't think all the cheering benefits the team, the girls are all tired of yelling for hours, and are only doing it to get playing time.
She is deciding on 2 options:
1. Talk to the coach & let her know that she is trying her best to be loud and will do whatever she can to get playing time, but she is a quieter person with a quiet voice. This is what I think she should do, but I may be biased, because as an introvert it would be a nightmare for me to be told to do a dance or yell & sing for hours.
2. Not talk to the coach, she already told the team why DD didn't play. Try her best to be loud.

Thanks for any advice on this situation!
Some background information about the teams playing experience and coaches experience might help to understand the level of where they are coming from in they're coaching.

Without knowing more about that can only guess'ish

One reason to play the guest players so much is that they're actually evaluating them like a tryout?

The cheering loud thing could be an over compensation for trying to generate energy.
( or cuz the roster is tiny)
Loud seems bigger 🤷‍♀️

14u team (assuming cuz shes 13)
Should have atleast minimum 12-13 on the roster.
even 14-15 is normal. Some have more 16-18 on roster.


That said
getting 50% playing time is not all in itself bad. And could be very average playing time for many players on other teams.

Seems that playing time is not based on cheering. Because the guest players are playing regardless if they've shown their cheering abilities previously. And there's not really players to compete for positions on that team anyway.
 
Last edited:
Apr 20, 2018
4,581
113
SoCal
I have always hated all that fake rah-rah crap. Coaches yelling at players to make some noise, or forcing everyone to be on the fence.

I would much rather have my players focus their efforts on studying the pitcher, picking signs, looking for weaknesses, understanding which outfielders they can run on, etc. than on yelling out a bunch of nonsense.

Sounds like your coach wants to coach a rec league team. I agree with the others. Move on.
Although I agree with you, I still see college teams on TV doing the rah rah crap. I too would rather watch for pitching patterns and looking for weakness in the defense. I will ask the bench, "did anybody see their catchers throw down." It's always the same 2 or 3 players that say yes.. I think cheering is a fake way to appear you are in the game.
Observation: Often the loudest cheerleader is one of the weakest players. Wonder why?
 

radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
113
Lol,
Cheering in itself does not take away from observational skills of paying attention to what's happening on the field.

I was known for leading my team to cheer,
not song cheering,
More like a team shout out

📣WOOP WOOP YEAH!!!
 
Last edited:

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