Being a parent to a committed athlete in any sport is exhausting. The constant travel and booking of flights and hotels takes a lot of effort from a dad. It is no wonder why dads have mood swings during tournaments. Dads give up so much energy to get you to the tournament that, in return, they expect you to play well – or, at least, most dads do.
The dad who forces his child to drink weird hydration drinks: You see this type of dad in seven different supermarkets, while browsing countless different websites and trying to find a drink that will provide the child with “Michael Jordan” superpowers. They will get cases of infused water and Propel, but their kid will still cramp up mid-game. This will lead the dad to make his own hydration drink and force his child to drink water with a mix of 15 different powders and flavors, resulting in their child still cramping.
The dad who is nonchalant when his son is playing well: You love but hate to see this dad at one of your games. His silence and calm stature during the game when you’re playing well is frightening. This dad will never speak his mind during the game, keeping all of his thoughts and feelings to himself. No matter how you play, his physical expression will never change. He will only have a conversation with you after the game, explaining to you what you did right or wrong. As an athlete son to a dad who is “nonchalant” at his son’s games, it is scary because you wonder if he is proud or mad at you for your performance.
The dad who leaves the game early as soon as his son is playing bad: As an athlete, no one has the greater ability to tell you that you’re not at your best than your dad who’s leaving the game. It starts with your dad throwing his hat and pacing around the sidelines in pain and discomfort after watching his son throw his seventh turnover. The extreme embarrassment and frustration forces him to leave the game. Maybe even the facility. If you thought you may start playing better now that he’s gone, you’re wrong. You’ll throw two more turnovers, get dunked on, and then be subbed out for the rest of the game.
The dad who gets excited on the sideline: Picture your dad being more excited to see you play than you are to actually play. Well, as an athlete who has an extremely excited dad during games, I can tell you that he always gets me hyped. Sometimes you won’t even be able to tell if he’s going to run on the court to celebrate with the team or if he’s going to jump around with the parents on the sideline instead. His passion for his kid doing well is his number one priority. When his kid is succeeding, he is in very high spirits.
The dad who talks to college coaches to recruit his son – “he’s not getting recruited”: Your partner in crime, or so they say. While you play your butt off during the game, your dad is trying to get you recruited. He spends countless hours before each game finding out which college coaches will attend and which coaches he can send your film to after the tournament is over. As the game progresses, he snoops his way through the coaches lounge and begins to talk to them in hopes of them recognizing your talent. Most of the time he is extremely unsuccessful, but it’s the thought that ultimately counts.
The dad who gets thrown out of the game: This type of dad will throw a so-called fit for anything that doesn’t go his way. Although he is not in the game, he will act like every bad call is the end of the world. Echoes of “Are you kidding me ref? What was the call? Are you frickin’ blind? Don’t you see that was a foul?” bounces off the gym. These are the phrases that are ingrained in his head; he yells them at the top of his lungs, eventually getting ejected. This dad will never learn his lesson, getting thrown out of games until the world ends.
The dad who sleeps during the games because “he couldn’t care less”: If this is your dad, don’t be surprised if he is asleep for half the game. This father has no faith in his child at all and knows for sure that his child won’t be playing sports in college; he also gets a bit of shut-eye because he doesn’t care what happens during the game. If the coach comes up to him to talk about the game, he will make up an excuse to avoid this dreadful task that he does not care any bit about.
The dad who is screaming at the refs the whole game: If there was a competition on who could scream and complain at the refs during the game the most, you’d know which dad would get the gold medal. This dad is the most feared of them all because of his constant shouts and obscenities targeted towards the refs. No one would sit with this type of dad during the game because of his continuous complaining and rambling about every little thing that happens on the court.
The dad who plays defense from the sideline: You know this dad comes ready with basketball shoes, shorts, and a tank top, ready to play the game from the sideline. They’re slapping the floor, screaming, and pointing all around the court. While this dad may appear to run on the court at times, he will significantly impact the game. He provides energy for the team, proving that defense can be fun.
The dad who records everything: You see a gigantic tripod and wonder, “Why would a dad need that to film his kids’ game?” Every move, word, and shot his kid takes will be on film and ready to be posted on YouTube or sent to coaches. You hate this dad and love this dad at the same time – he provides you with highlights but the gigantic tripod becomes annoying and distracting while playing, especially to the fans sitting behind it. This dad will be front and center, sometimes even standing up, running with the play to get the best angle possible. If this is your dad, you’re in for a long film session that night as he will be reviewing every single aspect of the game you just played.
