Daddy Ball

I’m writing this for the parents and players who have ever found themselves or currently find themselves on a team where “daddy ball” is taking place. If you're a father who is currently coaching your own son, I’m sure you’re different. Please don’t take offense.

Youth Baseball

If you ever find yourself on a pre-high school baseball team, and you’re not happy with the amount of time your son is playing or the position he’s playing due to the fact that a coach's son is playing there, LEAVE. Find a new team because I can promise you one thing: it’s not going to change. I cannot believe the number of parents that I’ve spoken to who bring up this exact topic over and over to me and ask my opinion on what they should say to the coach. The answer is, it doesn't matter what you say to them or how you ask the question; they’ve already given their answer by showing you who’s going to play. The truth is, they’re there to give their own kids the best experience in baseball possible, and they need at least 8 more guys to make that happen. Unless you're one of the coach's friends who also hops on board as a dad coach, I want you to realize you are just one of the 8 that was needed to complete the team for the coach's son's experience.

High School

If you’re in high school and this is happening, and your son is serious about being a ball player, SWITCH SCHOOLS. Yes, it’s going to be tough to leave your friends and go somewhere else, but the fact of the matter is, you’re not going to be able to change anything. If you are able to change something, it’ll likely be too late due to the amount of time a school will take to legitimize your complaints. Parents will make the mistake of hoping for change or hoping that they can change this problem, but in the last 2 decades of being in the game of baseball, I’ve never seen it happen. Remember, if daddy ball is going on, you don’t want to be a part of the program. The two most important things I would look for out of a high school baseball team are winning and player development. If a coach is playing favorites or his own kid when they clearly don’t belong, winning is not a concern, and that’s extremely concerning.

There are plenty of baseball organizations that are looking to help develop ball players and teach them how to win in the game of baseball. If they cost a little more than your local dad ball travel team, I promise you it’s worth it. You’ll be getting so much more value, with the same experience that every little local team has if not better, simply because the drama of it all gets removed. The best 9 players, everyone on the team, starter or not, are getting quality baseball instruction, and the experience is a proper one instead of a constant outpouring of frustration due to the lineup game after game. If your kid isn’t playing on a team where daddy ball isn’t present, your son is most likely not good enough to start. If you have a problem with that, go play rec ball.

Reference:

OpenAI's DALL-E. "Daddy Ball." Generated [March 5th, 2024].