Friday Night Tykes - General Discussion

[Meredith Quill]

Discuss Friday Night Tykes Here!

[scrb]

Esquire Network made some waves last year with Friday Night Tykes.  Now it's season two and really it's more about the adults around the kids than the kids themselves.

 

Not sure if that's restraint on the part of the producers or it's harder to get parents to consent to having their kids followed closely for weeks.

 

Or it could be that the adults provide enough entertainment value -- drama -- to fill up the show.  But it's more about the coaches than the parents, unless the parents are also the coaches.  They do show parents behaving badly in the stands during games but the ones who are regularly featured are the coaches and others who are involved in some capacity with the teams.

 

There are some moments like the ones you hear about, parents fighting in the stands.  In this show, it's more people saying cross things and threatening to fight than actual fights.  So no real Jerry Springer moments.

 

The coaches don't come off well.  One of the S1 coaches was suspended for coaching his player to try to hurt opposing players.  The guy seemed to have nothing going on except for coaching this team of 10 year olds.  Another was in trouble for swearing in front of kids and he starts off saying he has to fix that but then a few minutes later, he's being beeped left and right.

 

Another coach is shown sitting in his car in the driveway.  He's having some time for himself and fellow coaches (talking to them on the phone) before going inside and dealing with family issues.  So coaching is a respite for some of these coaches and the most important thing for others.

 

All par for the course in football-crazy Texas?

 

Well Esquire is also promoting a new show, The Short Game, about child golfers.  Promos show impatient parents belittling their children for not performing well.

 

Not that reality TV shows would reveal any truths about the culture by showing the adults' behavior but one would think the producers have some goals beyond showing bad behavior.

 

[Lemur]

All just say it ... I was totally hate-watching this for the Hurt family.  Now that the Lobos have "fired" (really, fired?  from a youth football team?) the father and banned the rest of the obnoxious family, I'm surprised I'm still watching this.

[Brooklynista]

Is being one of the 50 coaches a volunteer job? Can you really be fired from volunteering??

I do agree that the Hurts wanted their kid to make every damn play.

[Vicky8675309]

I'm not sure why I like this show but I do. I'm not even a football/sports fan.

The final game of season 2 was great!

[topanga]

My kids just introduced me to this show--we've been binge-watching Season 1. I like the profiles on the kids, so I'm sorry that season 2 focuses less on the players themselves. But people take football seriously in Texas, even among 8 or 9 year old kids.

[scrb]

More of the same with S3 E1, parents and coaches topping each other for being horrible people.

Have they no self-awareness of how badly they come off in this show? And the producers, are they continuing with this show to demonstrate how low adults can go when it comes to children's sports? Or are they just trying to milk the show as long as they can?

They give enough to rope to the Hurt family, especially Lori Hurt, the matriarch, who has all her children involved in the football team they start, after being ousted from the other team last season. She's batting her eyes at a boy to try to recruit him for her team, then screaming at the kids for not going along with the jersey presentation event. Later after a minor tiff with the Broncos over the birth certificate of one of her players, she tells her husband and coaches to destroy the Broncos.

She seems to have no idea how badly the things she says and does make her look.

The Predators coach is a vet who is suffering from PTSD. It'll be interesting to see if he handles the kids any better.

The single mom running the Broncos seems like a strange case too. All these parents are too much into this league, as it appears they don't have other interests.

[Vicky8675309]

who did Taydion (sp?) end up with? I worry that some of the higher profile kids are going to be targeted more than others. Wasn't there some other kid last year (mayzel--phonetic spelling since I can't remember how it was spelled) who was also super talented...what happened to him?

 

Was the Snoop Dog they were referring to the music artist in California?

Edited January 21, 2016 by Vicky8675309

[scrb]

Yeah Snoop latches on to winning sports teams. Must have caught this show and took a liking to the Outlaws, who dominated in both seasons.

The parents are ridiculous for shopping Tadion around. Are they really going to get that much money from teams? Not like his previous teams were such big winners with him.

The show covered the head injury and concussions a bit. But there's a larger story with more parents considering not allowing their sons to play football. For instance Lebron James has said his son(s) won't play football -- though with his genes they'll likely go to basketball which is far more lucrative than football.

In a decade or two, football might be like boxing, where most of the participants are minorities from the lower socioeconomic levels. But in football-crazy Texas, they'll keep tykes leagues going. Yet if the show is representative, already most of the players are black.

Youth soccer may be more popular for upper middle class families, even in Texas.

[scrb]

Some of these coaches should not be around kids. Suffering from PTSD, depression, they're screaming at the kids.

[topanga]

Some of these coaches should not be around kids. Suffering from PTSD, depression, they're screaming at the kids.

I totally agree. And I'm always surprised by the amount of profanity that some of these coaches use with their teams. I have nothing against profanity per se, or even coaches using profanity with their players. But yelling expletives at 8 and 9 year old kids over a football game? I know coaches get passionate, and they take the games seriously, but do they forget that they're dealing with little kids? Or do they think it's okay to talk to young kids this way?

[Meliskee1]

My son is a hockey player in Minnesota, the same age as the kids on this show, so sort of similar in the sense that we are CRAZY about youth hockey around here. I don't know what my fellow hockey parents and I would do if our coaches behaved like this, or the parents. Granted, there's a bad egg here or there in every organization, but I would not allow my son to play for or with people who conduct themselves this way. He watches this show with me, and said that if he had coaches as mean as the ones on the show, he would quit, even though he loves hockey.

[scrb]

The vets with the PTSD need therapy of some kind.  Coaching probably takes up a lot of time, in addition to whatever job they may have.

 

So they're probably blowing off any suggestion that they talk to professionals.

 

I mean it's not just about behaving badly or setting a bad example.  It's more about them creating a toxic environment.  The one guy who lost his family because he couldn't cope after his deployments might be particularly bad for kids, making what should be a fun activity into something that makes them miserable.

 

Now, will the parents see this and pull their kids out of the team?  Or will they believe it's some old school type of coaching and military discipline which is good for the kids?

Edited January 29, 2016 by scrb

[ElDosEquis]

I have coached adult softball and kids softball, that said?

 

I'd rather coach a team of 40 kids with ADHD than 9 FN adults.

 

They manage to ruin everything they touch, it you give the kids a ball and a field, they will get something together and play until the sun goes down without any hassles.

 

The "curly haired" bitch on the Jr Broncos team is a total AH.

When their kids are losing, they complain about 'sportsmanship', but when their kids are kicking ass?

She show's her true colors.

[Vicky8675309]

lol, I can't believe they ate tacos a few minutes before the game! I don't blame the kids but the adults.

 

If I were the kids, I'd shut down if the coaches just screamed at me. I don't mind the cussing but the screaming in anger wouldn't work for me. 

[PepperMonkey]

I honestly hate all the women on this show. With the exception of a couple of the moms who say they want their kid to have fun - I can't remember which player/ mom team it was last week, but she said he wanted to play on a certain team even if they aren't quite as good a team, and she was backing him because she wants him to ENJOY the experience.....

 

All the rest of them look like harridans who are trying to live through their kids. I don't much care for the Jr Broncos - is she the president? - lady with the curly hair, but IMHO, she's much less heinous than Lori Hurt.

 

I actually LIKE Justice; I think he's a good little player and he doesn't seem as impressed with himself as his family does with him. I dislike Lori something fierce, though, and Paul's not far behind her, although he has flashes of likeability. I can't stand that oldest daughter of theirs that's helping them run the players, or whatever it is she does. I was actually kind of hoping they were all gone after they got run off the Lobos last season, but, no, of course not; they make for too much good TV, I guess. Ugh.

[Vicky8675309]

I like the kid Justice but I worry that he is going to get hurt. His family is definitely OTT but he seems like a great kid. I hope his dad give accolades to the other players on the team...I wish I heard him give shout outs to some of the other kids (I'm sure he does). The other kids seem to like Justice so it seems like he hasn't got big headed about everything and has good social skills. I find the family interesting--lol, good tv. Same goes for that Marcus Goodloe (sp?) guy who now is on that snoop team....dude who cusses all the time. He is made for reality tv. The kids that they focus on--the talented ones--are great and I enjoy seeing their highlight plays. I bet they get a kick out of seeing it on tv once it airs.

Edited February 18, 2016 by Vicky8675309

[ElDosEquis]

I honestly hate all the women on this show. With the exception of a couple of the moms who say they want their kid to have fun - I can't remember which player/ mom team it was last week, but she said he wanted to play on a certain team even if they aren't quite as good a team, and she was backing him because she wants him to ENJOY the experience.....

 

All the rest of them look like harridans who are trying to live through their kids. I don't much care for the Jr Broncos - is she the president? - lady with the curly hair, but IMHO, she's much less heinous than Lori Hurt.

 

I really despise the smack talk that some of the people on the show use? Yelling at the kids during practice is one thing, but when the parents start in with the "the other team sucks ass/we are better/we beat them last time" shit? 

 

The other part of the show that makes me laugh is the mental breakdowns the coaches have during a game. For fuck's sake, let them play. The idea that one kid is going to become the next 20 million dollar player in the NFL is pretty slim and chances are you are going to burn the kid out or turn them off to playing sports because you are such a hard ass?

[Lemur]

I like the kid Justice but I worry that he is going to get hurt. His family is definitely OTT but he seems like a great kid. I hope his dad give accolades to the other players on the team...I wish I heard him give shout outs to some of the other kids (I'm sure he does). The other kids seem to like Justice so it seems like he hasn't got big headed about everything and has good social skills. I find the family interesting--lol, good tv. Same goes for that Marcus Goodloe (sp?) guy who now is on that snoop team....dude who cusses all the time. He is made for reality tv. The kids that they focus on--the talented ones--are great and I enjoy seeing their highlight plays. I bet they get a kick out of seeing it on tv once it airs.

 

Funny, a couple of the kids on the Predators said Justice talks a lot of trash, but then again, he seemed to back it up.  I think the kid is a good little player.  He definitely has shown more football I.Q. than the rest of the kids (and some of the adults) featured this season.  He seems to actually understand the game.  His mother, on the other hand, is totally in love with her kid in that starry-eyed, enabling way that scares the hell out of me.  God help the University of Nebraska staff if that kid doesn't get a least a look from them, Lori Hurt is going to camp out in their office.

[scrb]

This show did cover the concussions and CTE issue a bit in earlier seasons but seems to have dropped it.

If the Hurts love their kids, maybe they'd reconsider having them play football.

Does Justice really love the game or did he internalize his mothers dream of him playing for Nebraska?

Does the father work at all or is the team his full time job?

It's expected that over time, the more affluent households will keep their kids out of football, gravitate towards other sports which aren't as physically punishing. That is what happened with boxing, which is now the province of poorer communities.

[PepperMonkey]

At first, I was foursquare behind the Yoakum OutlawZ (shudder re: the z) because I thought all the other teams were going to call them rednecks, hayseeds, bumpkins, and so, it would be fun for the "farmer kids" to show them all up on the field.

 

But those coaches are horrible. HORRIBLE. They're encouraging their players, who are clearly larger than almost everyone else in the league, to be bullies and it makes me sick. I hate that smug head coach, who thinks he's so funny, and I hate the way they make fun of the players and the colour of their uniforms?? FFS, grow the hell up and be an adult. Who's supposed to CARE about children.

 

No Hurts this week - yay to that.

 

Also, I've always thought Fred ONLY cares about winning, but is that what Clayton and Marecus were so upset about on the field? I thought Clayton said something about him putting Myzel in over and over. Why didn't Myzel's mom put a stop to it? The parents share most of the blame in this; if their kids get hurt it's on them at this point. They see how the coaches don't give a shit about their kids except for how it advances their egos by them getting a win at any cost.

Edited February 24, 2016 by PepperMonkey

[Vicky8675309]

I thought Marcus and Clayton wanted to protect Myzel and have him not run the play but Fred wanted him in the game (knew he could handle it). I don't think the parent make any calls about who plays and who doesn't play unless they take their kid out of the game. I'm glad the Outlaws won....didn't they win? lol

 

Confusing: 2 different games, one with the Outlaws and one with Outlawz or did I mix it all up

 

I thought the Predators and the Outlawz both were showing poor sportsmanship a couple times the smaller guys started pushing/shoving. The bigger guys had rough tackles but they were during the action and I don't think they were initially being rough but just playing normal and the size discrepancy made it brutal. Maybe they should have been coached to play softer but that seems weak imo. The coach insulting the uniforms of the opposing team (look like dirty rainbows, lol) was during practice and seemed fine for kids--childish insult perfect for kids---better then "rip their fucking heads off". I'm glad the Predators lost.

[Lemur]

I haven't watched this yet, but I know from when my father coached youth football and from my years in various competitive sports, you never, ever, ever, ever teach your kids to play "soft".  You take your starters out and let your second string and younger kids get experience, but you never play "soft".  It's not encouraging kids to be bullies, it's encouraging them to dominate and win.  If it happens off the field, that's one thing, but on the field, that's how it goes.  If you don't like it, I'm sure there's a league somewhere that gives every kid a trophy and doesn't keep score for your kid to play in.  Coaches insulting uniforms, especially in youth league, is common.  And let's all just admit that there are some ugly-ass uniforms in this league.  Also, I refuse to refer to the Yoakum team as anything other than the Yoakum team because I won't dignify that crime against the English language.    

[scrb]

Well the body slam tackles would be flagged in the NFL.

[Lemur]

Well the body slam tackles would be flagged in the NFL.

As long as he's not spearing and it's before the whistle, not likely.  

[ElDosEquis]

Tis kinda hard to figure this one out because someone will do something really wonderful at home, then show what an asshole they are while on the sidelines/stands.

 

Some of the parents show their parenting chops then lose their shit on gameday. The idiots who are yelling and jumping up and down are the worst.

[ElDosEquis]

There are a few kids playing that have the raw football talent that cannot be taught.

 

Just like the kid on the BMX bike, skateboard or does shit out of parkour all day long. It's just some kind of weird gift that one kid out of a million have and will continue to have until they get tired of the game, hurt or make it to play college and maybe pro?

 

Besides health, it's how the kid has his head screwed on.

Look at Ryan Leaf, Todd Marinovich and mabye Johnny Football? They had the table set for them, they just needed to show up with an appetite.

[Lemur]

There are a few kids playing that have the raw football talent that cannot be taught.

 

Just like the kid on the BMX bike, skateboard or does shit out of parkour all day long. It's just some kind of weird gift that one kid out of a million have and will continue to have until they get tired of the game, hurt or make it to play college and maybe pro?

 

Besides health, it's how the kid has his head screwed on.

Look at Ryan Leaf, Todd Marinovich and mabye Johnny Football? They had the table set for them, they just needed to show up with an appetite.

 

Yes and no.  It's actually really difficult to tell at this age.  A kid can have a ton of raw talent, but if he tops at 5 foot nothing and gets wide instead, it will all be for naught.  That's one of the things that makes the Yoakum team interesting.  They have a lot of kids who've hit a growth spurt and are a foot taller than the other team.  That's not to say they'll always be the tallest kinds.  My father coached and 7th and 8th grade team that was like that - bigger, heavier, faster and stronger than every other team in the league and won the championship handily.  By the time they'd hit senior year in high school, what would have been an even match-up became a mismatch as some kids had topped out, some had gotten heavy and slow, some never quite developed the smarts to play at a higher level, and a lot of the kids who had the smarts and the heart simply were just not gifted enough physically to be more than a grinder.

[Lemur]

Yeah, this is a tough one.  I'd love to say Lori Hurt, but for as cloying and pie-in-the-sky in love with her own kid, she's not malicious toward any of the kids.  Her husband is also lacking in malice even if his head if firmly up his own ass.  His older kids annoy the living hell out of me, especially the teenage chick walking around in her black-on-black snap-back like she's in the cast in Straight Outta Compton.  (We call her Gangsta Lite in my house.)  

 

The Outlaws coaches are the Outlaws coaches.  What more can be said on that topic?  I wish they would watch their language a bit, but there are worse sins committed in this league.

 

The adult I dislike the most is the guy coaching the Predators, but again, he's not really malicious and he seems like a genuinely good guy off the field; he's a bit stern but he clearly loves his wife and son and has no problem with them taking the mickey out of him. (Also, I think it's hysterical that he declared this the year of smash-mouth football and the result has apparently been his team getting smashed in the metaphorical mouth repeatedly.)  I guess you could say I dislike his coaching style but otherwise, he's an all right guy.  Same thing with the Seahawks coach, though he needs to learn when yelling has zero effect and it's just washing over a kid instead of motivating them.    

 

I think Charles Chevarria is still the worst, just because he's not only dirty, he's skeevy too.  The way he was creeping around the scrimmages and went from team to team looking for a position (keep in mind, a non-paid volunteer position) just creeps me out.  

 

Also, Tadion Lott's mother who shopped her kid around from team to team.

Edited February 29, 2016 by Lemur

[ElDosEquis]

Yes and no.  It's actually really difficult to tell at this age.  A kid can have a ton of raw talent, but if he tops at 5 foot nothing and gets wide instead, it will all be for naught.  That's one of the things that makes the Yoakum team interesting.  They have a lot of kids who've hit a growth spurt and are a foot taller than the other team.  That's not to say they'll always be the tallest kinds.  My father coached and 7th and 8th grade team that was like that - bigger, heavier, faster and stronger than every other team in the league and won the championship handily.  By the time they'd hit senior year in high school, what would have been an even match-up became a mismatch as some kids had topped out, some had gotten heavy and slow, some never quite developed the smarts to play at a higher level, and a lot of the kids who had the smarts and the heart simply were just not gifted enough physically to be more than a grinder.

Understood.

 

There are the kids that make it LOOK easy, but the kids with the understanding and love of the game are the ones that stand out on the field. They don't need too much coaching, they just need a chance?

[JoannKB]

The episode spent a lot of time on the Broncos controversy that ended up with the two parents getting kicked off the Board, but I still doesn't understand. The coach was enforcing a league rule, and the coach (and his wife) are the ones who get kicked off the team? I don't understand what happened there.

 

Also, does the wife leaving her role as Broncos team manager mean she is also off this show? Since that actually comes with a bit of salary that might be a bigger deal.

[Vicky8675309]

sounds like the league was placating a parent and wanted the coach to say sorry for not handling the rule enforcement better (touch him or some other BS). I thought it was BS pandering to a parent to keep them happy and to keep the kid on the team (being diplomatic). However I do understand a parent wanting to check on their kid but on the other hand I wouldn't want parents and crowds running into the field willy nilly. It sounds like the black shirts can waive the rule (at their discretion) but it wasn't waived in this case so the coach was doing the correct thing. I guess the parent didn't like the tone or whatever (it's not like the coach made up the rule). 

 

Usually I root for the underdogs but I enjoyed watching them getting creamed by the Yokum (sp?) team with the big kids. Same goes for last week when they beat the Predators. I don't want to see any kid get hurt but at the same time I don't mind watching a good tackle. LOL @ the kid in the car saying he wasn't hit in the back and the dad saying the opposite. I think the kid would know. Dad/coach was trying to lie and I loved how the kid blew it for him (then dad got all pissy).

 

It's funny, I live in San Antonio, don't have kids (we just have dogs) and I have no interest in actually watching an entire game but I like the show and the highlight versions of the game. The parents and coaches can be annoying but the kids with talent make it entertaining imo.

 

Watching them shoot guns and bows seemed so normal but I can see the rest of the country getting all up in arms about it. I'm assuming they taught gun safety and they didn't show enough to really be able to know/see. These most likely aren't going to be the kids/guns you need to worry about.

[ElDosEquis]

The hit on the Broncos kid wasn't even a hit, It was a shove and the player was still in bounds when it happened, No penalty should have been called.

 

The 'curly haired one' and her husband leaving the team was just them having a hissy fit about having to apologize to the asshole that wanted on the field. I would have told the league that IF I WAS going to apologize, I wanted the parent, or all the parents, to sign a promise/contract that they wouldn't run on to the field for any reason and IF THEY DID, they would release us (team) from any liability from those actions...

 

Curly acting like she couldn't participate with the team organization and pouting on the sidelines during practice showed that it was about her, she still could have passed out orange slices, helped water the kids........throwing the duffle bag on the ground, grunting and walking away showed how mature she was?

[Lemur]

I liked the point that the one Yoakum parent made at their big, big kid.  If he was to tackle a kid, meaning wrap them, drive his legs and take them down by driving his shoulder into their midsection and thus into the ground, that would be 280 pounds at least falling on a kid.  Consider that a lot of these kids are 100 pounds are so.  So with that in mind, I think a lot of these parents need to calm down about their kids getting thrown.  I'd rather see him throw a kid than see him take a kid down full force.  And that was a clean shove on that Broncos kid.  It'd be nice if the refs just flat-out admitted they were targeting 74 if only for the safety of the other kids.  Because if that's the case, I wouldn't play him on defense except on 3rd/4th downs or red zone situations, and I'd run him between the tackles on offense all freaking day long.  

 

As for the Broncos parents, Curly and her husband, I can completely see and agree with why Curly's husband didn't let the father on the field.  And I think the Broncos board was playing fast and loose with the definition of "emergency" to appease the QB's parents.  As for Curly's hissy fit, not at all surprising.  I can see them pulling their youngest from the Broncos program next year and going to another one in town (apparently a very common occurrence).  And I agree, her husband could have just sucked it up for the sake of the kids, said, I'm sorry I touched you, I was interpreting the rules as XYZ.  Apology given, move on.  The parents already signed a contract but there is a loop hole regarding them going on the field "in case of emergency", which is apparently not defined.  But, then again, there is the principle of the thing.  But I also agree, it was about her and her position with the organization.  She's been featured every season so far, and has been the main focus on the Broncos since Charles's suspension.  Has her son ever really been a featured player?  I don't think so.  

 

Next week looks very, very interesting.  Lotsa Hurt family drama, my favorite mother to be annoyed by.

[scrb]

Hmm the Outlaws coaches are on film cheating, though it doesn't seem like knowing their plays made that big a difference.

Looks like the Hurts had an older son who played in TYFA but didn't go much further so he helps out with the team. Maybe they have too much expectations of their son.

Meanwhile viewers can see if Pennsylvanian parents and coaches are any better with the "Steel Country" spinoff.

[Lemur]

I don't think the Outlaws having the play cards made much difference, they didn't have the time to really switch up personnel as they were waiting on the quarterback's audibles anyway.  That said, yeah, would have been nice if they'd handed them over to the ref and asked that they were returned.  Sure, take a nice, long look but give 'em back.

 

The Hurt's older son is on Taft High's 108 man roster, but doesn't seem to be a starter or very high on their depth chart.  He seemed to have a busted up arm last season and had it in some sort of contraption when he and his family got the boot from the Lobos. Also, he'd played for the Predators in the Juniors before moving on to another team.  Don't know if he aged out of TYFA or what, and quite frankly, I'm not up to creeping this family all over the internet.

 

As much as I despise Lori Hurt (especially when she was hectoring Justice before the game - Jesus, lady, shut up about freaking Nebraska and let the kid prepare mentally), she was right, her husband's play calling was terrible.  Then again, he doesn't seem to have the line to run the ball up the middle.  I was also very, very bothered by the seeming lack of concussion protocol after Justice took that hit.  No sit down for three minutes, inspection by a trainer; just your brother waving fingers in front of your face.  Very, very worrysome.

 

I'm very interested in seeing the Western PA teams.  I went to a prominent football school in PA that drew heavily from the area. 

Edited March 15, 2016 by Lemur

[ElDosEquis]

I was wondering if they had some kind of agreement with the NFL to knock off the Lombardi trophy, If not, that is pretty ballsy considering that you can't even use the term Super Bohl without their permission?

 

A few years ago MLB went after the kiddie leagues for using the logos/names and ended up with some kind of agreement - I seem to remember Little League having to make some kind of monetary payment to them?

[Lemur]

I remember that case, you can use the names like "Yankees", "Angels", "Cardinals" as they're pretty much common words and you can't copyright them, but you can't use the logos without permission.  

 

As for the Lombardi trophy, could be they simply haven't see the show yet and sicked their lawyers on them.  But I agree, very ballsy.

 

Also, I was amused to see Yoakum knocked down a beg.  They got handled.  So now the only San Antonio team left standing is the Outlaws in the SYFLA and we get to watch Mission's quarterback get berated by his father constantly.  I'm glad this season is wrapping up after this week.  I'm finding fewer and fewer compelling storylines to keep me watching.  I think the jump to Western PA will do them well.

[scrb]

The Mustangs coach comes off the best. He's not a poor example and he's teaching smart football to the kids.

The Yokum coaches and parents took the loss well all things considered.

But the Mustangs coach who's the father of the QB is the stereotypical stage father who's probably going to wring the joy out of the game for his sons.

[Lemur]

But the Mustangs coach who's the father of the QB is the stereotypical stage father who's probably going to wring the joy out of the game for his sons.

 

Oh my God, yes.  I'm not the overly emotional type, but I was getting upset for that kid every time is obnoxious, loud-mouthed, knuckle-dragging father started berating him for being an 11 year old boy.  "JEREMY!  WHY ARE YOU DOING [insert slight technique issue here]!!!"  I have the distinct impression that the day is coming when he answers "Because *&^% you, dad.  That's why."  Also, I can't wait until that kid gets into high school and his father can't "train" him.  Ugh.  Hopefully he doesn't go all Todd Marinovich.

 

On another note, the Steel Country show was interesting in it's own right.  While it's thematically similar (coaches fighting among themselves, fathers coaching their sons), the cultural differences are interesting.  Fewer military men in this one, as there isn't a base in Beaver County, also, it's intensely Rust Belt and like something out of a Cimino movie at times.

[ElDosEquis]

Oh my God, yes.  I'm not the overly emotional type, but I was getting upset for that kid every time is obnoxious, loud-mouthed, knuckle-dragging father started berating him for being an 11 year old boy.  "JEREMY!  WHY ARE YOU DOING [insert slight technique issue here]!!!"  I have the distinct impression that the day is coming when he answers "Because *&^% you, dad.  That's why."  Also, I can't wait until that kid gets into high school and his father can't "train" him.  Ugh.  Hopefully he doesn't go all Todd Marinovich.

 

On another note, the Steel Country show was interesting in it's own right.  While it's thematically similar (coaches fighting among themselves, fathers coaching their sons), the cultural differences are interesting.  Fewer military men in this one, as there isn't a base in Beaver County, also, it's intensely Rust Belt and like something out of a Cimino movie at times.

 

 

Todd Marinovich or Like Eric and Lyle Menendez?

 

I found the 'Fuck California' comments in front of the kids funny. You go to someone's house and insult them? I love football, have smoked pot and listened to tons of music - but the idea of some pot-smoking knucklehead 'musician' as the sponsor of a youth football team leaves me a little amused.

 

One thing that I really appreciated about the clips of the trip to Cali was the behavior of kids. I have been in a hotel where there have been school team/groups and they have acted like fucking animals. I was also glad to see that they arranged to have plates of breakfast for them and not let them run 'free range' getting their food together.

 

Steel Country?

 

Texas football may be religion, but PA football looks like it's life or death.

 

Pulling guns at a kid football game? Here is the funniest part about hearing that at the beginning of the show?

 

I'd thought it would have happened at a game in Texas - not to say it HASN'T happened at a YFB league game there? It was just a little shocking to hear about it happening in PA in the first 15 minutes of the show.

 

The kid and the father (Bennie? the kid that kept running laps...) Glad to see that the argument was resolved .  Where are the team moms or are they relegated to the sidelines?

[scrb]

The first episode makes the coaches in PA look better.  They're having the kids do drills, study film, quiz them on it.

 

Coaches do yell and swear but not as much as those in Texas it seems.

 

The TX kids are probably more physically talented and they get by with just sheer talent, not just better Xs and Os.  The Mustangs coach is smart with plays, it appears, but the QB they have is probably physically better than most of the opponents.

 

Arizona Cardinals coach Bruce Arians made some waves this week by saying parents who don't let their sons play football out of concern about head injuries are "damn fools."  Well he's a lifer in football so of course he's going to say that.  Jerry Jones also dismissed head injury concerns but he's got to be careful, because if he acknowledges it, the NFL could be liable for a lot of money.

 

Certainly parents who hear about all the post NFL problems many players have are thinking twice about football for their sons.  But when I watch these shows, football is too much a part of the culture of these small communities.  And it might be that these poorer families bank on football as a way to better lives for their sons.  So like boxing, football may become relegated to working-class families, especially black families.

 

Though who knows, maybe in a couple of seasons, some of these parents on these shows will acknowledge that they're putting their sons in danger.  Probably not at the youth football level though, as the real punishing physicality starts more at the high school level.  The Outlaws had to play games on two consecutive days.  At the higher levels, this couldn't happen because the players need time to recover.

 

The Hurts seem to have means (though the husband seems to spend most of his time on the team so you wonder how they earn their living).  So they might emphasize education for their kids, instead of the long shot of athletics.  And even if they were to choose athletics, they'd realize that other sports like baseball, basketball and golf are more lucrative and not as detrimental to the long-term health of their kids.  But Lori Hurt dreams of her son being the QB of the Nebraska Huskers.  Justice likes playing at this level but you wonder if he wouldn't burn out and eventually realize he's living out her dream, not his.

[ElDosEquis]

I have to laugh because I forgot to mention this......Lori Hurt?

 

She is the woman who drives the Escalade with the Nebraska logo on the side window, Nebraska alum license plate frame, she pays for her purchases with the Nebraska Visa card she pulls out of her Nebraska wallet. She has Nebraska hand towels and 17 Nebraska T-shirts and Nebraska flip-flops. She also has a Nebraska bikini-line tattoo that she can cover with her Nebraska thong.......

[ElDosEquis]

I forgot who it was but the dad talking to his son and telling him that  - to paraphrase his words - this was the start of his journey came off as a good parent. His emphasizing that no success comes without hard work made me want to jump up and go hit someone...

[RemoteControlFreak]

This series isn't about football.  It's about parenting.

 

And with "Steel Country," it's about changing economics in America and the probably fuite struggle to hold on to a by-gone way of life.

 

It's also a pretty clear example of the obesity epidemic in America. There are some teams in which it seems that all the adults are obese.

[Lemur]

This series isn't about football.  It's about parenting.

 

And with "Steel Country," it's about changing economics in America and the probably fuite struggle to hold on to a by-gone way of life.

 

It's also a pretty clear example of the obesity epidemic in America. There are some teams in which it seems that all the adults are obese.

 

Did you catch the preview on the Monaca Indians?  Holy schnikies, was that depressing.  One of the oldest youth programs in the state, they had all their gear stolen, they high school was consolidated with Central Valley, and the head coach looks like he's just a bitter, angry, depressed young guy.  

 

 

 

Arizona Cardinals coach Bruce Arians made some waves this week by saying parents who don't let their sons play football out of concern about head injuries are "damn fools."  Well he's a lifer in football so of course he's going to say that.  Jerry Jones also dismissed head injury concerns but he's got to be careful, because if he acknowledges it, the NFL could be liable for a lot of money.

Certainly parents who hear about all the post NFL problems many players have are thinking twice about football for their sons.  But when I watch these shows, football is too much a part of the culture of these small communities.  And it might be that these poorer families bank on football as a way to better lives for their sons.  So like boxing, football may become relegated to working-class families, especially black families.

 

They acknowledged the connection between football and CTE earlier this month.  I'm sure there will be parents who think twice, there already are some.  And I'm sure there are people who will point out the fact that the guys who had CTE played in an era before safety was not really a priority and will allow their kids to play or will point out the advancements in helmet technology (no really, this is a thing - if you saw the Bike Air helmets from the late 80's compared to the Schutt helmets most of these kids are wearing it's pretty astounding).  I don't think it will ever be relegated like boxing though, way too many NCAA programs and Lori Hurts in this country for this to ever happen.  I can see major changes in how the game is taught though, at the youngest levels, and I can I see kids not playing full contact until they're older.  The one thing I did notice this year on both the FNT: Original Recipe and Steel Country was they were conspicuously showing coaches telling these kids not to lead with the head when tackling.  I personally would love to see them teach the Hawk Tackle (ugh, that name ..), which is really just a rugby tackle in which the tackler puts his shoulder into the chest, not his chin, and wraps his arms around the waist or legs and drives. 

[Lemur]

I forgot who it was but the dad talking to his son and telling him that  - to paraphrase his words - this was the start of his journey came off as a good parent. His emphasizing that no success comes without hard work made me want to jump up and go hit someone...

 

Yeah, if only he hadn't spent so much time nitpicking the hell out of the kid on every little thing.  Maybe the Mustangs coach is right and he does respond well to it, but how long do you think that'll last?  How many more years before he looks at his father and tells him to eff off?

[MyFavShows]

I find the Steel Country version of this show facinating. I'm already emotionally invested in almost every one of these teams and individuals. Great show.

[Lemur]

I find the Steel Country version of this show facinating. I'm already emotionally invested in almost every one of these teams and individuals. Great show.

 

I lost two hours of my life to it last night, actually a bit more with the preview for next week.  I really enjoy this particular version even if I want to strangle the head coach for Monaca and I think Aliquippa has too many coaches.  I just seems more relatable to me.  No parents going out and "buying" a team so their son can play quarterback and long standing community rivalries that start young and run through high school.  

[lauralu]

I love this show.  I'm completely hooked on the Steel Country version.  I watched all of the current episodes On Demand to get caught up.  I wish the comments here were more active. Wow some of these parents & coaches are ROUGH!  My son plays youth football and my husband coaches.  Parents are usually the worst part of youth sports.  I feel bad for the Monaca team, for the kids.  The coach is a moron.  I think his intentions are good but he's a moron nevertheless and most likely the reason that the program is failing.  This show is the down and dirty and like you said Lemur, none of this buying a team shit.