Whether you have a child playing baseball, soccer, football or lacrosse, this time of year usually entails some sort of Play-Off experience, ultimately ending with the Championship team walking away with a trophy. Below is an article I wrote for the local little league, but many of the principles involved apply to any sports team. Please read it and continue to help me promote mindful and conscious playing out on the ball field/s.
Lisa
"Sometimes a hitter gets a hit, sometimes I strike them out, but in neither case does anyone die." ~ Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez
Anyone walking by the ball field, you can sense the pressure or anxiety that our kids feel during play-off season. Some of it is of their own doing, and some is from the adults! How can we insure that our kids can be kids and just play ball?
Perhaps we have to go back to that old-fashioned Parent Pledge that was created at the Little League National Level. Here it is:
I will teach all children to play fair and do their best.
I will positively support all managers, coaches and players.
I will respect the decisions of the umpires.
I will praise a good effort despite the outcome of the game.
Here's our chance to put into practice what other communities take to heart. Why? Because we want our kids to WANT to return to this beloved sport next year. And... we don't want to have a story like they did in Port Lucie, FL where their local headline read:
"Spectator Bites off Man’s Ear at Youth Baseball Game.”
Why did this happen? The story discussed how a losing ball player began to yell obnoxiously. A fan on the opposing team hit him, and ball player's dad attacked that fan. In doing so, the dad bit the fan's ear! During this event, a nine month old was knocked out of her mother's arms!
Is this what we want our baseball community to be about? I ask because it's happening all around us. Have you ever witnessed a parent getting a little loud? A little too critical?
There was a 1995 report that said 5% of a crowd of parents would become problematic during a sporting event. The percentage increased to 15% five years later! (taken from Nat'l Alliance for Youth Sports). Things are getting a bit out of hand, shall we say! It's only until we realize that when the kids are noticing our behavior, and modeling themselves after what they see, can we begin to make change/s for ourselves...for the better. Let's have our Hermosa sports' community be of the 5%, and not the 15%!
Just for today...let's be thankful that we have an umpire who is willing to call the game, coaches that volunteer their time, and lollipops to use if we can't find anything positive to say!
