I think that has a lot to do with it. Parents invest a ton of money with the expectation of a partial scholarship.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Softball vs Soccer people.
- Thread starter JumboJack
- Start date
Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch
Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.
I think that has a lot to do with it. Parents invest a ton of money with the expectation of a partial scholarship.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Know any Hockey parents?
I understand they can be pretty nuts.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
- Dec 11, 2010
- 4,721
- 113
I had the big Facebook fastpitch page on mute for six months. It just came off mute, oh my gosh what a bunch of knuckleheads. It got worse in six months. Unfollowed.
Know any Hockey parents?
My son played travel hockey up until age 19. He also played in college. My softball playing daughter decided she wanted to start playing hockey at 15 years old. Didn’t work out too good. Not a lot of places or opportunities for a inexperienced girl who is just learning the game to play. Most girls who play at that age are way more advanced. I thought about getting her some skating/hockey lessons but the cost and the time she would have to put in wouldn’t have worked well with her softball and school schedule. It’s a shame. She developed a love for ice hockey. Now all the rinks around PA are closed anyway.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It's a great game. I grew up in Philly, right by the stadiums and played as a kid at Rizzo rink in south philly. Went on to play 2 years in college. By the third year I couldn't balance my coursework (engineering). But I love the game. One of DDs travel teamates from 12u began to gravitate towards hockey. She's legit.. goalie... I imagine she will play in college and she is also from PA.
I think in any continuous action sport (soccer, hockey, basketball, lacrosse, etc.) it's easier for the parents to get riled up. Something is happening almost every single second, and there is a lot more direct contact between players, both on and away from the ball.
Softball has bursts of action followed by long periods of nothing. In a typical play very few of the players will be in close proximity to each other - maybe three of four at most - and it won't always be the same players. Unlike the continuous action sports where the kids often match up one-on-one or within zones.
On the other hand, with softball things can build up over time. Plenty of time for people to simmer over what happened in the second inning, and the fourth, so by the time the sixth comes around they're ready to boil over. So they may get more extreme when it finally happens.
My advice to every parent who wants to learn how to enjoy watching the game in any sport is go watch a game where you don't know anyone playing. Pay attention to the parents on the sideline. Listen to how ridiculous they sound getting all worked up over things you couldn't care less about it as a casual observer. Then don't be like those parents when you are watching a game you care about.
Softball has bursts of action followed by long periods of nothing. In a typical play very few of the players will be in close proximity to each other - maybe three of four at most - and it won't always be the same players. Unlike the continuous action sports where the kids often match up one-on-one or within zones.
On the other hand, with softball things can build up over time. Plenty of time for people to simmer over what happened in the second inning, and the fourth, so by the time the sixth comes around they're ready to boil over. So they may get more extreme when it finally happens.
My advice to every parent who wants to learn how to enjoy watching the game in any sport is go watch a game where you don't know anyone playing. Pay attention to the parents on the sideline. Listen to how ridiculous they sound getting all worked up over things you couldn't care less about it as a casual observer. Then don't be like those parents when you are watching a game you care about.
- Jul 2, 2013
- 383
- 43
I have a couple of friends who both have daughters who play high level club soccer. I thought travel softball was expensive. Their costs are nuts. I think the cost drives some of this. It eliminates all but the select few who can afford it and then those people expect little Susie to be a star for the amount of money they are paying.
Here's my take on level of craziness in club sports. DS played almost 2 years of travel baseball. Baseball moms are CRAZY! I've been around basketball enough to see that it can get crazy. I think that is because people are in close quarters. Tempers tend to flare and things escalate quickly when you're all shut in a gym. I know nothing about hockey.
Softball has level of craziness for sure. The first TB tournament I attended I watched a man and woman almost get in a fist fight. These two were parents of girls on the same team. One made a comment about the others daughter's pants having an hole in them and the next thing you know it's yelling an people holding them back.
Here's my take on level of craziness in club sports. DS played almost 2 years of travel baseball. Baseball moms are CRAZY! I've been around basketball enough to see that it can get crazy. I think that is because people are in close quarters. Tempers tend to flare and things escalate quickly when you're all shut in a gym. I know nothing about hockey.
Softball has level of craziness for sure. The first TB tournament I attended I watched a man and woman almost get in a fist fight. These two were parents of girls on the same team. One made a comment about the others daughter's pants having an hole in them and the next thing you know it's yelling an people holding them back.
My daughter had a brief stint in AAU basketball in fifth and sixth grades. I have NEVER seen such abhorrent behavior from parents. Jeering the 12U players, "in your face" gestures to parents from the other team, and cheering when girls went down crying (which seemed to happen to every player on the team at least once per game). Elbows to the nose and face, blatant shoving. I know basketball is a physical game, but some of those (supposed) 11 and 12 year old girls looked like they could have had kids of their own. Softball is a virtual cotillion ball as compared to that.
- Jul 2, 2013
- 383
- 43
Having two DDs has taught me that girls basketball is 10x more violent and mean than boys. I'm not sure why but girls will just destroy each other.
