Youth sports are supposed to be about learning life lessons of teamwork, sportsmanship, and cooperation. Instead, youth sports are mainly a place where adults act like children because they are vicariously living lost lives through their kids. And here we have another not-so-glorious example of this trend: a youth football coach put another coach in a headlock during a game because of football.
What started this fight? According to News9 in Oklahoma City, the answer is fairly standard: one coach wants his son to play more, the other coach says no, we have better kids and suddenly it’s time for a royal rumble:
“The Union third grade football coach who put another coach in a chokehold speaks out. This coach asked to remain anonymous; he says for his own safety and the safety of his family. He admits to instigating the entire situation, and now, he just wants to say he’s sorry.
“I did it,” said the Union Silver coach. “I accept responsibility. I did what I did.”
Emotions ran high at Union’s 3rd grade Silver football game on Saturday. It escalated quickly for a game Union was winning, 31-6.
“I asked the offensive coordinator Coach “A” if he could put some substitutes in and let my son carry the ball,” he said. “He turned around and he said, ‘Your son is slow, and he’s not ever gonna run the ball.’”
These are third graders, who probably shouldn’t even be playing football anyway because of the brain trauma they’re suffering, but in lieu of those concerns, a couple of grown men decided to fight over playing time for nine-year-olds.
In the interest of fairness, the son of the coach in question is autistic, so hearing another coach call your child “slow” with that in mind is certainly reprehensible. But it is not reprehensible enough to put another coach in a chokehold over it and curse in front of third graders.
The coach, who does not want to be identified, has been banned from coaching in the league and will not be volunteering to coach again.
“I would like to tell (the kids, parents and coaches), honestly, that I’m so sorry,” he said. “They didn’t deserve that. And I mean it from the bottom of my heart.”
Youth sports, everyone.
