CHICAGO — When a friendly game of T-ball descends into name-calling and fight-picking — and that’s just the parents — one Buffalo Grove, Ill., park is offering a little “self-check.”
The Buffalo Grove Park District this week installed a half-dozen metal “adult behaviour” signs that try to encourage parents — in friendly, thought-provoking terms — to get a little perspective.
The permanent signs at Emmerich Park on Raupp Boulevard, read in part: “Of the hundreds of thousands of children who have ever played youth sports in Buffalo Grove, very few have gone on to play professionally. It is highly unlikely that any college recruiters or professional scouts are watching these games; so let’s keep it all about having fun and being pressure-free.”
Another point: “If they win or lose every game of the season, it will not impact what college they attend or their future income potential.”
The signs were suggested by Mike Terson, a park district public relations official and village trustee who had seen similar signs elsewhere, including in Hoffman Estates. As a parent and youth sports coach, Terson himself has had to intervene when things have gotten ugly on the ball field. He hopes the signs will encourage other adults to speak up, too.
“It’s definitely not meant to offend anyone or call anyone out specifically, but the intent is to give people something to think about,” he said.
He also noted that while most people are familiar with the overeager “helicopter” mom or the hot-heated dad who gets in the umpire’s face, sometimes such behavior isn’t just inappropriate — it’s bullying.
“This is a very common issue in the country and definitely in the Chicago suburbs,” Terson said. “[This sign] gives it some buzz. That’s not a bad thing. It gets people talking. That’s not a bad thing. The end result can be a little change in behaviour, even subtlety.”
The most important part of the sign, to Terson’s mind, is the line that urges parents to respect game officials: “No one shouts at you in front of other people when you make a mistake, so please don’t yell at them. We do not have video replay; so, we will go with their calls.”
The park district plans to put the signs up where youth sports competitions are played, which Terson estimated would be in less than half of the village’s 51 public parks. Terson said the sign costs were nominal.
“You win some. You lose some. That’s just how it is,” he said.
