Which Youth Sport Has the Worst Parents?
February 19, 2013 5:00 PM
Most people have had the priceless experience of cheering on their kids at youth sporting events like wrestling, football and baseball. Unfortunately, almost all of us have either been involved in or witnessed an altercation with a crazy parent. This week, Deadspin asked the question: Which youth sport produces the most insufferable parents? The author felt the conclusion was simple; baseball wins, hand-down.
“It’s hard to argue with baseball,” said Drew Magary. ’Because it’s a sport that seems to naturally attract overly competitive wackos (see: Clemens, Roger).” The writer rants that baseball is anecdotally known as being the sport with the most crazy people per capita, and it stands to reason that those crazies come from crazy parents.
He says he has proof. Simply Google ’baseball dad arrested,’ you get nearly seven million results. Compare that with hockey, a sport with its own rich history of ‘nut cake’ parents. ’Hockey dad arrested’ turns up fewer than a million results, which is astonishing given that hockey dads have committed assault, blinded opposing goalies with laser pointers, attacked refs, tripped 13-year-old opponents on the ice, and committed outright murder. And yet, baseball apparently has more crazy parents by a mile.“
Here’s Deadspin’s full list, in descending order of insufferability:
1. Baseball
2. Cheerleading
3. Tennis
4. Gymnastics
5. Hockey
6. Figure Skating
7. Football
8. Golf
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