Little League Sign Calls Out Parents In The Best Way
Little League games are (at least in theory) all fun and, well, games. There’s not much cuter than a bunch of kids running around a field attempting to play baseball with varying degrees of success. But as a parent, sometimes it can be hard to remember that Little League isn’t the beginning of every child’s brilliant professional sports career. That’s why one town created this amazing sign.
Sign on Little League ball field in Wisconsin. Should be required on every youth baseball fence. pic.twitter.com/wrGcHUG7Rg
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) April 24, 2017
The signs actually aren’t new, but they’ve been getting international attention since ESPN reporter Darren Rovell tweeted a picture of one earlier this week. The sign offers parents who might get a little too fired up a quick reminder that appropriate behavior is required on and off the field—by children and parents alike.
“Each year, there were parents who would lose control during games, yelling at umpires, at coaches, at other parents and even at children playing the game,” Glendale Little League president and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter John Diedrich wrote in an article published in USA Today. “The sign was our attempt to tamp down that vocal minority of parents who take the outcome of a youth baseball game too seriously.”
The sign is a good, light-hearted reminder for spectators at Little League games. And parents are appreciative of it, too.
“I’m kind of surprised it’s gone viral,” parent Chad Roulette told WTAE Pittsburgh. “It’s just a good idea to remind parents and players, everybody involved that no one’s really going pro here. It’s about values.”
The Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA), an organization that seeks to shine a spotlight on character development in young athletes also weighed in.
“The Glendale Little League sign is a great reminder to parents and all other spectators to keep youth sports in perspective,” PCA spokesman David Jacobson said.
I think we can all agree–fewer screaming parents at children’s sporting events can only be a good thing. Unless they’re screaming with delight over a home run. In that case, carry on, mom and dad!