Daddy Ball

[play-more/talk-less]

Every coaches favorite saying "I do not play daddy ball"let me give you my definition because I don't think all coaches understand it. If any one has a better one feel free to add.

Daddy Ball - "Having a player on your team/on the field playing for any reason other than she gives you the best chance to win or makes your team a better team"

Seems pretty simple to me maybe I'm just crazy to expect so much.

[NumeroUno]

The problem is those darn sports goggles, sort of like beer goggles but theses only work when your kid is playing a sport. I have heard it a hundred times from coaches how I do not play daddy ball and 20 minutes latter daddy ball is at its finest. When I coach my kids I am harder on them than any kid on the field which isn't fair to them and I tell them that, but that's just how it is. Some parents see things that no one else sees and they block out the things that they don't want to see. Why isn't my dd play short, well she has no arm, she is slow to the ball and she made 4 errors last 3 times I had her there. Parents response "I don't remember seeing that" or "I don't think that is true, you are harder on her than the other girls".. As long as dads and moms are coaching their kids daddy ball will always be there. I have seen very few coaches over the years that play no daddy ball but this will never change.

What about coaches that have no kids on the team and play daddy ball, might have a favorite kid, might have a player on the team that is the coaches drinking buddy or might have a kid on the team that has a single mom who drinks a lot and wears daisy duke shorts to all the games and practices.

[Sam]

Daddy Ball - Occurs any time a coach has a daughter on the team. It is perceived solely by the non-coaching parents of players who suck. These parents are so myopic that they will never accept that their kid hasn't earned the playing time they think she deserves. The parents will invariably blame the coach for playing his/her own kid in front of theirs and claim that their kid is the superior player. Even when confronted with statistical proof that their DD sucks, the parents will cling to their 8U all-star memories of little Susie Suckdom's bunt for a home run. The daughters of these parents will end their softball "careers" with an enviable selection of uniforms. The parents will carry their bitterness through their DD's high school experience...changing their approach from Daddy Ball to "Stupid HS Coach Won't Play My Stud Freshman Daughter."

Any questions?

[NumeroUno]

[dustyshoes]

What about coaches that have no kids on the team and play daddy ball, might have a favorite kid, might have a player on the team that is the coaches drinking buddy or might have a kid on the team that has a single mom who drinks a lot and wears daisy duke shorts to all the games and practices.

Even a 5-tool stud isn't going to be very effective when playing with a hangover, particularly at 12u.

[play-more/talk-less]

I figured this would turn comic pretty fast Sam's post was hilarious. I am seriously sick of it this has nothing to do with my dd or coaches dd it has to do with coaches not letting weak players go for other reasons, then saying they don't play daddy ball I seriously think they believe as long as their dd is good or dosen't play alot otherwise they do not play daddy ball.

[dittoz]

Daddy-ball can also involve just the opposite, when a coach does NOT play his/her DD for fear that parents may perceive a case of daddy-ball.

We did just leave a team where that "favorites" business was going on and a couple of players who were downright bad kept being offered roster spots and playing over others that were far better (my daughter not included). Coach had no kid on the team, but still had that allegiance to a core 3 or 4 who never missed an inning and pretty much had attitudes that wound up being toxic to the entire team. Ironic thing was, the coach emailed us (!) to say DD had been cut even though we had already left. In retrospect, it was the Mgr's DD who really had nowhere to play, so two kids who were clearly better defensively were cut to free up a position for her to play.

In our area, it's also pretty tough to avoid the whole daddy-ball concept in that it seems every time a daddy gets mad over things, he leaves and forms his own team. We have X number of teams in our area and each one only has but 2 or 3 quality players. We see the quality over-all continually watered down as more teams form and manage to take one more quality player with them.

Tough deal...

[Sam]

Daddy-ball can also involve just the opposite, when a coach does NOT play his/her DD for fear that parents may perceive a case of daddy-ball.

We did just leave a team where that "favorites" business was going on and a couple of players who were downright bad kept being offered roster spots and playing over others that were far better (my daughter not included). Coach had no kid on the team, but still had that allegiance to a core 3 or 4 who never missed an inning and pretty much had attitudes that wound up being toxic to the entire team. Ironic thing was, the coach emailed us (!) to say DD had been cut even though we had already left. In retrospect, it was the Mgr's DD who really had nowhere to play, so two kids who were clearly better defensively were cut to free up a position for her to play.

In our area, it's also pretty tough to avoid the whole daddy-ball concept in that it seems every time a daddy gets mad over things, he leaves and forms his own team. We have X number of teams in our area and each one only has but 2 or 3 quality players. We see the quality over-all continually watered down as more teams form and manage to take one more quality player with them.

Tough deal...

So you think the guy should put in all that time and energy into coaching....but not play his own daughter....

[Joe]

Let's hear it for all those daddys who grab their kid from a PC, cell phone or other... and actually participate in their daughter's life. This game (and all others) started because of, and not in spite of, Daddy Ball!

If you don't like one daddy's version of the team HE put together, start your own team with your over-rated, over-paid, former college player...who has yet to secure a real job.

Cheers to the Daddys!!!

[MrSanDiego]

IMHO, it's fairly simple, ALL coaches should adhere to this policy in all ages:

Play everyone on the roster equally from September through May (aren't all coaches trying to improve their entire roster anyway?) when not a single game or tournament means anything (showcases obviously fall into this, when all players should be played).

When June and July rolls around, play the best 9 at all times to win.

Parents would then evaluate where their daughter is at the end of Nationals (Westerns) and if they aren't in the top 9 at the end of the season, they could then tryout for another team for the following season.

I know, way too simplistic.