Originally Posted by Cynthetiq

I believe in failure.... and this man's essay is testament to that...

Originally Posted by The_Jazz

Hmm, is praise by one kid to another a problem? I see no problem with one teammate supporting another, even if the praise is misplaced. It is, it seems to me, another form of cheering. A bunch of kids standing on the sidelines and telling a player that they're doing well when it's painfully obvious that they're not? Very ok with me. A parent has an entirely different set of motivations, most prominently that they're not on the team.

As I've grown older and become a parent myself, I've come to realize that the baseball league that my brother and I participated in as kids was very special. First, parents were not only expected to remain on the sidelines but they were also expected not to be obnoxious about their kids' accomplishments or lack thereof. Other parents would guide, sometimes physically, those who were too outspoken. Many parents were coaches, and they too were bound by these unwritten rules. The summers that I was 8 and 9, I was on a team with a kid with cerebral palsy. He played in every game and batted, despite the fact that he was on crutches most of the time and in a wheelchair in the later innings and that he was a sure out, even if a kid took it easy on him (and most did). Our first year together, he didn't get a hit or even a walk, but he was the happiest kid on the field. He always cheered loudly for any of his teammates that was at the plate and we all made sure to cheer for him. At the end of our second year, I was on third when he got the only hit of his career (someone else ran for him, but he stood on each base). The amazing thing is that both teams cheered him on (to be honest, the shortstop probably let it through, but it was still a good hit) and most of the parents had tears in their eyes.

There are times when cheering is a good thing.