It was a washed royal rumble, and it was all caught on tape.
A youth baseball game in Colorado between a group of 7-year-old kids degenerated into an all-out brawl with parents throwing and connecting on haymakers, others sprinting for cover and a woman even jumping on someone’s back in a blindsided attack.
The scene is inexplicable and another red flag to everyone concerning the direction that youth sports are headed in. It also highlights the amount of unnecessary aggression, emotional instability and out of control involvement that parents have brought into the culture.
Fights between parents at youth sports activities are nothing new. It is, however, becoming more frequent and the reasons more ludicrous.
The reason for the brawl: a parent didn’t like the calls being made by a 13-year-old umpire during Saturday’s game, according to the Lakewood Police Department. They then stormed the field and began punching each other as the 7-year-old players looked on, probably wondering why a game that’s supposed to be fun causes so much angst for their caretakers.
The fight jumped off at Westgate Elementary School in Lakewood, Colorado, a suburb southwest of Denver, on Saturday at about noon as 15 to 20 adults got into a violent tussle, according to Lakewood police. The brawl was still ongoing as Lakewood police arrived at the scene.
“We were disgusted, quite frankly,” Lakewood Police spokesman John Romero told HLN on Wednesday. “Baseball and 7-year-old kids, it’s the parents that need to grow up here. That’s the saddest part.”
Four people were cited for disorderly conduct and a manhunt has ensued for a man in a white shirt shown in the film connecting with punches and sucker punching someone. There’s also been a tip-line set up for anyone with information on how to locate the perpetrator.
Out of control adults, helicopter parents and parent-coaches that refuse to let their kids grow and experience non-controlled environments as they prepare for real life, have stained youth sports in recent years.
The scene is another red flag to everyone concerning the direction that youth sports are headed in. It also highlights the amount of unnecessary aggression, emotional instability and out of control involvement that parents have brought into the culture.
Youth baseball has become a game driven by those who can spend the most money on training, equipment, coaches, travel teams and tournaments.
We have a generation of parents trying to control and design a destiny for their kids that are filled with unreasonable goals. The appeal of riches has caused parents to look at youth sports as a way of acquiring college scholarships and wealth for their kids but sparing the priceless life lessons that can be learned in competition.
Failure and dealing with setbacks are the foundation pillars that are fortified through the repetition of competitive youth sports. Let’s not run from the chores that prepare our kids for their inevitable journey into adulthood.
