something that has always perplexed me...

I witnessed the following this summer: girl makes a bad baserunning play and is thrown out at third. As if scripted and on que she gets up and lets out this laugh and trots back to the dugout with this engaging smile on her face. We have all seen this repeated multiple times over the years.

As the parent of a baseball player why is it when males display dissapointment with an outcome on the field they are just showing their competative nature? I am not talking about condoning helmet throwing or assasinating the water cooler. But what is wrong with in the scenario described above grabbing a handfull of dirt and throwing it or pounding the dirt with her fist? Why are girls expected to smile when they strike out? Are we applying a gender bias standard from the past to female athletes? Isn't it just a holdover from the days of A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN where the players had to wear skirts and attend manners classes? Are we afraid to embrace REAL equality that title 9 enabled?

Certainly the ability to overcome failure in FP or baseball and move on to the next play is critical to success but thats not what I am talking about here.

Recently heard the following story about Tiger Woods: after playing poorly in a tournament when he was young he displayed his dissatisfaction with his performance. His dad said: "Tiger the game of golf is supposed to be fun". Tiger responded: "Dad I have fun by winning".

Thoughts?

 

It may be because males are indoctrinated from their teens forward that when a female gets mad they stay mad for days--maybe weeks. So we try to keep them from being mad. (just kidding)

But not all players are like that. If you've ever been around Ashley Fowler you know what's going to happen if she doesn't meet her expectations. She makes the guys look tame. And don't put your hand out after Rebecca Foil doesn't hit like she wants to; she'll take your hand off!

 

Women are emotional thinkers. I wouldn't even go there.

 

i applaud those girls for being true to their competative nature rather than molding themselves into something they arent

 

....Dr. Philfish will leave this one to CD.

 

Is it possible that women are simply different then men.

 

Being a woman.....I don't think I would touch this one with a 10 foot pole!!! How can ya'll figure THIS one out with the DD's when most of you can't even figure out your wives??? (Ok, this was a joke.....don't be haten!!)

 

Let me clarify.. I am NOT talking about women acting differently. I am talking about them being held to a different standard as athletes on the ball field.

 

Disappointment..

Shows itself in many ways.. My sons would get up and hussle off the field, not smiling but disappointed. My Duaghter would jump up and yes with a smile ( although uncomfortable and embarrassed) hussle off the field. Out bursts of emotion show immaturity.

We allow to many player on the younger teams give emotional outburst and we do nothing but explian it away as passion or intensity.

Try it as an adult and see what kind of reaction you get.

I like a nice controled smile as a player runs off the field.. its ok to handle disappointment in a controled way.. Teach players to play hard and don't over react to disappointment. If you hit a homerun or get thrown out at third, Act like you have been there before.

I can tell you my proudest day has never been the day one of my kids stepped across the line from passiion for the game to spoiled brat that needed some quiet time.

 

The thing I try to teach the girls is that I don't want you to be satisfied that you were thrown out, struck out, made a bad play, etc... but we cannot change what has already happened. The only thing we can change is what will happen next. If you ask any of ladies that play for me what play we are concerned with, everyone of them will tell you "THE NEXT ONE".

Now we do teach them to learn from that play by evaluating would a slide to a different side of the bag made a difference, did we swing at good pitches or bad ones, could we have charged the ball to catch it on the short hop, etc...?

The other thing about smiling and walking off the field versus showing negative emotion is the opposing team doesn't get that satisfactory feeling of I got you on that one. It's almost like an evil little grin that makes some players wonder what would hapen should that play happen again.

Just my 2 cents worth.