although i agree with alot of what you say. isn't it a bit harsh on those parents who willingly volunteer to be a manager,do stats or scoretable duties and do it because they are genuinely helpful and want to be involved rather than trying to push their child.

there are parents who take their child from club to club to club wanting them to be in div 1 or in the starting five. there are also the parents who well after their children have stopped playing who have continued to help the clubs they belong too.

i've witnessed parents chase refs out the stadium. i've witnesses parents berating their children for not playing well.

but on the whole i think that these types are a minority.

and don't forget on a bad day its possible for all of us to come across as grumpy

Please don't take what I'm saying here the wrong way, the majority of parents I have met are fantastic,do the right thing and are genuine contributors!
I have formed many wonderful friendships with my involvement in sport.
What I have bought up here is about the minority, and I am curious about other peoples experiences with this minority!

not to mention the parents that raise their kids blaming the umpires for each loss they get

(if that made sense =\ )

yeh i hear ya.
The parents who try to put the other kids down when they 'outplay' their own child, even if the other kid is in the same team. I was often the 'other' kid in a situation like this in u12->u14s.
The family has moved clubs so there's no problem for me anymore, just the people in the childs team now!

How about the parents who actually coach the team their kid/s play in. I've been in a team like that a few times, the kid either gets shafted although they have talent, or they get sh*tloads of courtime.

a no win situation for both parent and child

if they play them alot its because they favour them if they often don't play them so they don't seem to be playing favourites.

but sometimes parents have to coach their kids because nobody else is available or the child and coach are good enough to be at the same level.

i have one for ya. we were at the port a-gutter tournament afew seasons bak. the torn isnt very big, just some practice games for the div 1 and div 2 team before the real stuff.anyway, cutting a long one short, the div1 and div2 sides both payed off against eachother in the final. the div 1 team where this player was, was on a rotation system to get everyone into the game fairly. after the final at the presentation the MVP of the torn was awarded to one of the players in the div2 team as they were not on a rotation system, but he still deserved the award because he played well. in the car park after the formalities were over and dome with, the father and mother of this player, had the coach backed up against his crying that his son didnt get the MVP award. this continued in the car park for about an hour in the middle of summer in pt agutter and it wasnt cold.the real big thing about this is that the father was threatening to leave the club etc etc. after a 3 hours convorsation on the following monday or tuesday, the issue was resolved and the player stayed. he eventually left the club as the coach gave up with his fathers and the childs antics, which was one of the best thing that ever happened to the group that he was playing in. nowhe is stinking it up for a different club which is fine by us!

if u read that last post.

a couple of mistakes i need to clear up

-dome is ment to be done.
-the coach was backed up against his car.

the annoying thing to me is when a "crazy parent" succeeds in manipulating the system.

then others see it and they all go wayward !

one thing you must remember that early on it is not the child who is committed to the game it is the parents.

parents part with the money. they get the child to training traipse all over the city to games.

parents give up their time to paint stadiums, cook bbqs, be managers etc etc etc

some are pains in the butt, some are painful only once in their lifes. some need to be banished forever.

but on the whole the majority of parents are welcome additions to the game - but the good parents just make the bad ones look worse.

but it doesn't stop in juniors isn't there at least one senior player moving clubs because daddy says so?

You're right in that it isn't just juniors, but that is where the problem oftem begins.

When kids are told from day one that they are Gods gift to the basketball court, make the odd state team and then hit a Seniors coach who they can't wrap around their finger, they quit.

In this instance the parents who have boosted this kids ego so much that they believe their own publicity, the parents do have something to answer for 15 years down the track.

I've had a parent threaten to spit on my face. Very classy.

Obviously some people dont get the concept of a GAME.

I hate it when the arrogance of the parent wins.

I have seen a situation where the child/teenager (over years) is overrated and frustrating to watch, she is lazy, slow and a ball hog, and due to the hogging scores about 8 points a game. However, when she is dragged, taken off for any reason, the parents crack up.

over the years through juniors, this girl gets away with not running offense just because the coach can't be bothered or is scared of dealing with the loud mother and arrogant father.

This situation was extremely frustrating to watch, I am glad that my son/daughters were not involved in that age group.

The sooner parents realise they are
a) transport
b) a source of cash
c) nothing else

the better

I used to play with a kid whose parents paid her for each point she got. She was the hugest ball-hog, and probably still is. I don't think this is the right way of encouraging your kid...

Relating this one to Alf's- i was aboused by a parent of an not very liked club physically in under 16's whilst waiting for my dad to come pick me up.
I have also been abused by many a parent whilst refereeing and threatened to be assaulted and other various things.
I have also been apart of teams where there are certain parents who were pains.
But i have also seen parents who are well mannered, and give up effortless amounts of time and energy just to benefit their kids.
Education and the factor of ignorance plays a big part.
Just an idea would be to have all parents of all age groups attend a session or 2 about coaching and refereeing(have to be carefully planned to allow time for babysitters, work etc) in order to increase awareness etc. That way the communication and understanding barrier could be decreased and or eliminated.

Parents should be sat in the back of the stadium, away from the action to avoid too much communication during the game.
My nephew is 11yrs old, and loved playing the game. He was nagged and 'encouraged' by one of the other mothers on hs team to take up tennis or something else, because he is small, and according to the other mother from hell, he was 'holding back the team from winning'!!!
Pity I wasn't at the game. Reckon I would've showed her where she can shove her basketball!!
What happened to encouraging young kids just to have a go, and have some fun?