Washington high school football team threatens one-year ban for parents who confront coach

Some parents can’t help but offer their two cents to coaches, whether it be on the topic of their kid’s playing time or an in-game decision they disagreed with.

Parents of the Black Hills (Wa.) football team will want to think twice before challenging the coach, however. 

The team issued a statement Wednesday saying any parent who confronts head coach Garrett Baldwin within 24 hours of games will receive a 12 month ban from future games.

It’s unclear what preceded the creation of the new rule, but clearly there was a serious issue with parents complaining to coaches. 

Parents often let their emotions get the best of them at games, as they berate umpires from the bleachers. It's become such a widespread issue that officials are turning away from sports in droves. 

They can cause trouble for coaches, too, and this isn't the first time a coach has enforced a 24-hour policy. The boys soccer team at Fort Defiance (Va.) uses a similar rule to avoid parents confronting head coach Marcel Ciascai. 

Some coaches aren't able to keep parents in order, and they shouldn't be asked to do so. The verbal abuse from parents at Cardinal Spellman (Mass.) was so serious that football coach Kahn Chace resigned last week. 

“There are some parents who just go way overboard,” Audra Blasberg, mother of a junior at Cardinal Spellman told Boston 25 News. “There’s absolutely no excuse. This is just a game. You know and we’re supposed to be teaching our kids good sportsmanship.”