Since the collective wisdom of this community is usually correct............ Here's the situation: 10 year old male baseball player is at the ballpark on a night that his team is not playing. With numerous other children (mostly ages 8-14) around, he sneaks up behind a 12 (or so) year old girl and pulls her shorts down to her ankles, leaving her "exposed". Assume that the league board has blanket authority to take whatever disciplinary action they deem necessary and in keeping with the "best interests of the League". What would you do?
I'd kick him out of the league and report the incident to his parents and his school principal. Apparently, "pantsing" is back in vogue, and happens with regularity at my stepdaughter's high school (McCallum). I'm not really sure why the staff doesn't do anything about it. I guess they have their hands full with bigger problems, but it's not appropriate "in public".
I would not kick him out of the league but I would definitely notify the coach and parents. He's 10. Maybe suspend him from games.
I'd report it to his parents and whoever else needs to know. Then I'd bench him for a significant amount of games telling him something along the lines of: "Whatever you do doesn't just affect you, but it affects the whole team." Maybe after a punishment like that, where he can't play, but is required to come to games and practice, he'll learn humility and be remorseful to the point of not doing something so stupid again. That's what I would do, not knowing the situation though.
Board meeting with parents and 10 yr old present. If they decide not to show.....league explusion. Also let girls parents know it might be wise to contact police.
Call the police? This is what is ******* wrong with America today. Give me a break. I fear for my sons' futures in this country.
I wouldn't recommend calling the police, but the girl and her family are well within their rights to do so. He may be 10, but he committed a crime. Tough ****, IMO. As for the league board, I would suspend him for two week's worth of games (however many that is) and notify him that he will be kicked out if it happens again. Then issue a leaguewide statement that anyone that does that on league property will be immediately kicked out for any future occurrences.
Pretty bad, from what I understand. Let's just say that when she make her undergarment of choice that evening, I doubt she planned on it being made known. My thought was actually to suspend him from the Ballpark for a period of time, save and except for directly coming to and from his team's games. The idea being that this was an "off the field" incidnet, and that the goal is to provide a safe and fun enviornment for kids to come to and enjoy. This is a old time "neighborhood" style ballpark. Some board members want to suspend him for the rest of the season alltogether....games, practices, coming to the ballpark. Everything. As for the police, the Board is not going to get involved in that one way or another. Both the alleged victim and offender families have been invited to provide whatever information they feel is necessary before a decision is made. P.S. Although this is the most serious incident involving this kid, let's just say he hasn't been in the running for any sort of "citizenship" award.
No police. That is the young lady and her parents' decision. I would bring the young man and his parents to the meeting. Explain to the young man that what he did was wrong and that it reflects poorly on himself, his family, his team and the league. I would suspend him for X games (he must continue to practice and sit on the bench in uniform), I would have him make a personal apology to the young lady and her parents and I would make him apologize to his team for letting them down. If he fulfills those requirements I would allow him to continue playing. Use this regrettable action as an opportunity to teach the young man responsibility for his actions and the effect his decisions have on those around him. RR
He should be teaching his technique to the other kids; it sounds like he did it properly. Good grief, it's kids having fun. Some of you frighten me.
Yeah, that's the other train of thought I had. I guess I'll follow it now. Earlier I said the family was well within their rights to call the police. Having daughters, what I was really thinking at the time was that if it had been my daughter I can guarantee you that calling the police would be the better of the two options I would consider. Okay, I guess I might try to handle it through the boy's parents. But if they didn't satisfy me with their response then on to the two options I'd go.
Make him go out to the pitcher's mound, when the stands are full, and let the girl pull his pants down and run, leaving him standing there exposed.
Perham, that's got to be one of the dumbest things I've read on this site, and I've seen some dumb ****. Pretty much every sports team I was ever on - soccer, basketball, baseball, football - played the "pants" prank at that age. It's normal behavior.
Yeah, the predator thing is probably over the top. But a 10-year-old boy pulling a 12-year-old girl's pants down is a whole 'nother level than teammates pantsing each other. That should be obvious.
As a HS teacher and coach, I have dealt with situations very similiar to this. I absolutely would not expel the child. This is very likely a stupid childhood prank done by an unthinking 10 year-old. One in which he knows he messed up and in which the behavior won't be repeated, regardless of whichever disciplinary course you choose. Fine. Suppose though, this is a child with more substantial problems. AS a 10 year-old I can't believe he is beyond redemption. When you expel him, you will no longer have contact with him and will not be able to help a child who, if the problems run deeper, needs help and a positive influence/enviroment. As a coach, I have seen countless students whose main positive experience in their lives is sports and the team atmoshphere. It can be incredibly important for some kids. Yes, for the majority, it is motivation and fun, but for the few, it can be almost everything. That's not the way it should be, unfortunately, though, that is the way it is, for some at least. If you suspect this is more than a stupid prank, (and I suspect it is only a stupid prank)do not cut the kid adrift. Suspend him from some number of games, but make him come to practice and still have contact with positive role models. It would be a mistake to suspend him for the whole year IMO.
Having him sit out of games for a week or two would be good punishment. You could also have him pick up trash and help around the park. Is this the first time he has had to be disciplined by the board or by his coach? Not sure how calling the police would help the situation. The girl will still be embarrassed and the police won’t do much. I would suggest calling an emergency meeting and put it to a vote right away. We had a situation at our park last year with a thirteen year old who was making inappropriate comments to women around the park. We quickly suspended him and had him apologize to the people he had offended. After his suspension was served he did it again and he was banned permanently form the park.
First of all, we don't know for sure that they weren't teammates. There were girls on almost all of my teams at that age, including baseball. They could easily be teammates or friends. Second, a ten year old boy does not have an adult's perception of sexuality. This was an innocent prank. Only adults see it in a tawdry context, and should be embarrassed for sexualizing children's play.
