Nothing says youth sports like belligerent parents smashing things and berating referees.
Accompanying the Team Carolina Under-14 team to a hockey tournament in Pennsylvania, one dad took offense to the officiating after a player fell on the ice and immediately makes his way over to the glass as if his voice wasn’t amplified enough for everyone to hear him already.
With one well-placed right, he takes out an entire section of the rink glass. While other parents react in horror, he doesn’t miss a beat and continues to shout and point at the referee, likely suggesting that the two will meet at a later time in a parking lot.
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As with every terrible sports dad, his kid got the worst of it. The team had to forfeit the game and his son was asked to leave the team, according to ABC Charleston.
“That kind of acting at a game is just not tolerated at all,” York Ice Arena General Manager Mike Cleveland told the station. “Youth sports needs to be what it is, and that’s an outlet for these kids who have a lot of stresses on their lives.”
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You may be wondering, what kind of stresses 12-year-old kids have in their lives. Watching the video, I can think of one kid with plenty of reason to be chronically anxious.
More, per ABC:
Cleveland said the man will pay for the glass, which will cost about $500, and has to meet with the league’s disciplinary committee. He also cost his child’s team the tournament — because the team was forced to forfeit.
The video upset other parents.
“Parents should take control of themselves. They’re grown people,” said one woman.
Another woman said the man was setting a bad example for both his children and the others that happened to be on the ice at the time.
Besides, “it’s just a game,” said Cleveland.
