iStockphoto
A fight broke out between an umpire and coach during an 11U youth baseball game in Oklahoma. The ugly scene has sparked a viral reaction on social media.
Neither side was in the right. Both parties refused to back down. The plot was lost. The kids were not the focus.
Instead, the moment illustrated a power struggle of two men meant to stay out of the spotlight. The players were ultimately the ones punished.
Ugly fight mars Oklahoma youth baseball game
In the video, a coach is seen confronting the umpire over what he deemed a bad call. “You need to learn the dang rules,” he’s heard saying in the audio.
It landed a quick ejection, though the argument was far from through. It would soon get physical.
The coach proceeded to get into the face of the official before bumping his chest. The blue responded by slapping his counterpart across the head.
That act led to a series of punches and wrestling style takedown. It was not pretty.
Players were removed from the field. The game was likely called. The opposing staff did its best to pull the coach away from the umpire. By that time, the damage had already been done.
Kids are no longer the focus.
The coach was out of line in his overreaction. You can say the umpire acted in self-defense, though it’s hard to justify either party’s response.
Both sides had the opportunity to de-escalate the situation. Instead, they cranked it up to 10. They disregarded their audience. It was the poorest possible example to set for 10- and 11-year-old kids competing in youth sports.
Unfortunately, it’s something that’s becoming all too common. In the last week alone, there have been multiple instances of these types of disagreements.
In Mississippi, a brawl erupted between a coach and umpire during a 14U Tournament game. The coach’s son later got involved by throwing haymakers.
In Ohio, a fight broke out at a high school baseball game that left one fan with a severe head injury and trip to the hospital.
The unfortunate part is that the parents, coaches, and officials are the ones creating the chaos. The negative attention is stealing the spotlight from the very players they are supposed to be mentoring.
The kids are no longer the focus, and that’s sad. Luckily, there are still moments of incredible sportsmanship which highlight the positive aspects of competitive sports.
Unfortunately, they seem to be far outnumbered by ugly scenes like this.