Another youth sports fiasco

[lewisipso]

Coaches and players violently attack youth football referee

In one of the most disturbing youth sports incidents in recent years, coaches of a Sarasota, Fla., youth football team instigated a brawl with a referee which eventually led to the coaching staff and a player violently attacking the referee in question during a massive brawl which embroiled both teams.
As reported by Sarasota Patch, quickly followed by a variety of Tampa Bay news outlets, details of the incident were first gleaned from an amateur video of a game involving the Sarasota Gators and North Port Huskies on Saturday. The video was eventually turned over to the Sarasota Sheriff's office, which has since opened up a full criminal investigation into the proceedings from the game. While it's unknown whether charges will be filed against the coaches and player who attacked the referee, battery against a game official is classified as a felony in the state of Florida.

Coaches and players violently attack youth football referee - Prep Rally - High School*Blog - Yahoo! Sports

There was a time when I used to pull security at youth sports functions. I figured since I had to be there I would try and let my kids have a go at it. I spent a lot of time leaving one game field handling one disturbance to go handle another one. I finally stopped working them all together.
I've arrested coaches and parents for fighting and the like. That and hearing how coaches would talk to some of the kids made me pull mine. It wasn't long after that the head of the parks and recreation division who runs the organizing said I didn't know the half of it and he also refused to allow his own kids to participate.
Anyone else have similar stories?

[Xiphos]

My wife wanted to put our son in football. He will never play it if I have anything to do with it, precisely because parents and coaches take it far, far too seriously. It's not recreational when all the adults want their child to be the next NFL superstar.

[gopherpuckfan]

Fucking animals. No way would I want to ref games these days. I did it when I was a kid. Never again.

[ex401mp]

That North Port team is from the town next to mine. There have been problems with some of those players getting out of hand in games here in our town. Sarasota is even worse, they always hire details at those games because they are so bad, along with the teams from Fort Myers. Lots of straight up thugs playing and coaching some of them.

[MacLean]

We should get our kids involved in sports to teach them... Oh, wait.

[pac201]

I coached 2 years when my son was 7-8, 30 years ago; they wanted me to coach some more and I told them I would if they didn't allow parents at the games.

It was a nightmare then, can't imagine what it would be like now.