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Post being replied to

It depends what you mean by "this behavior" by shawno3

I don't think anybody would attempt to justify the fistfight that is the backdrop of that article - or any behavior even close to it. But across the spectrum of parent behaviors in youth sports I suspect that my filter lets more stuff through as "acceptable" and I just typically try to avoid getting worked up about the stuff that isn't acceptable. I certainly don't aggregate the unacceptable stuff and let it ruin my own or my kids' enjoyment of the sport.

It's competition. It's supposed to get one's adrenaline and "competitive juices" flowing. From time-to-time, one of my kid's teams will be getting blown out by 20+ points in an AAU hoops game and it will start to piss me off that the opposing parents are wildly cheering every basket like it's a tied championship game. But I catch myself and think "The problem isn't them; it's that you're being sensitive. They're excited about their kid." So I try to practice what I preach. Do I think it's better to "act like you've been there before" and tone it down when your team is up by 20? Absolutely. But I'm not going to let myself get worked up if another parent doesn't. And especially not bitch about it long afterward or let it affect my (or my kid's) enjoyment of the game generally.