Each week Sports Illustrated features its "Sign of the Apocalypse", which typically involves some type of outlandish happening in the realm of sports—a bizarre superstition or incredible feat, for instance.
The general idea is that someone has gone too far, hence the impending apocalypse.
The May 26th issue did not disappoint. In fact, the latest issue ousted each "Sign of the Apocalypse" before it and raised the bar or, perhaps, lowered it. Either way, It's safe to say the Antichrist is knocking at our door.
In Freetown, Massachusetts, a seven year-old boy was benched at a Little League baseball game because—get this—his mother was a no-show at the concession stand.
The boy's mother, Jodi Hooper, said she failed to fulfill her duties because she couldn't get time off from work.
Sounds like a reasonable excuse, right? Right?
Well, not for the head of the Freetown Youth Athletic Association, Dave Brouillette. He stated that concession stand revenues are necessary to fund the league's programs and, well, rules are rules.
Parents are required to show up for their concession stand assignment or risk the suspension of their children. Brouillette said that he was unable to see his own son play because he had to cover the shift for Hooper.
It seems parents have found a new way to shatter their children's Little League dreams with their own discrepancies. At least this one didn't come to blows like so many before it. Perhaps it takes time to evolve from verbal confrontations to physical beatings, which are a YouTube staple.
Of course, all this is pretty surprising, but is it shocking?
Let's see: a dash of thick-headed parental figures, mixed with a money-driven society and an ultra-competitive and ever-serious sports climate.
Nope, not shocking at all. Quite standard, in fact.
Of course, there has to be a slight scapegoat to bring to the forefront of a suddenly brash sports society.
ESPN personalities, such Woody Paige and Jay Mariotti, raise their voices to new decibels and all but slash each other's throats as they incoherently debate a spring training baseball game between the Orioles and Royals, as well as other sports-related topics that carry no relevance whatsoever.
Not enough proof that the pizazz has been snatched from the modern sporting world? Okay, fine.
Author Buzz Bissinger recently appeared opposite Deadspin.com Editor Will Leitch on an episode of HBO's Costas Now. The topic was contemporary sports media, and Bissinger lit into Leitch almost to the point of cardiac arrest.
Bissinger went on a 20-minute tirade conveying his objection to blog profanity by utilizing a series of f-bombs.
Maybe the last two tangents were a bit of a stretch in relation to a kid getting unfairly snubbed at a Little League game. But it certainly fits right in with the growing seriousness of our sports culture.
Does it really matter who's to blame? I hate to sound like a walking, talking public service announcement, but aren't the children the losers in this mess? Wasn't little Jimmy Hooper (or whatever his name is) the one who got cheated out of—what could've been—a memorable experience?
And what did he gain?
Absolutely nothing, except a piss-poor example of petty, money-grubbing "adult" problems, which he somehow paid for in the end.
I understand that in order for Little Leaguers to participate there has to be no shortage of funds, but how about directing the punishment toward someone over the age of seven? Impose a harsh fine or send out a nasty letter.
Heck, slap Jodi Hooper's hand till it turns bright red.
Or how about getting really crazy and coming up with new means of revenue? Obviously, some creative soul came up with the ingenious concession stand idea. Maybe they're brimming with more methods of piling up the dough.
The Freetown Youth Athletic Association is in need of some serious rule changes. Let me be the first to propose a rule in which the kids don't get the shaft as a result of an empty concession stand.
It'd be nice to get through an issue of SI—or any sports publication—without stumbling across something pertaining to an over-the-edge sports incident.
Maybe the heart-warming, good-natured, yet entertaining stories are the rarest of all nowadays.
But if you discover one buried deep beneath the disheartening and discouraging, consider it a sign of the apocalypse.
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4 months ago
Well written piece.
Perhaps we could also hang the sign around Hollywood's action heroes. Anyone who knows Arnold Schwartzenegger, Steven Segal and Jean Claude Van Damme; knows that to get to them you have to threaten their kids. Maybe there's a deeper story there. The mom is actually a government agent whose cover was blown by the evil head of the Athletic Association, who's been using Little League as a money laundering operation.
4 months ago
Let's get a grip... Apocalypse?? The FYAA is neither a money-grubbing organization or a group who is shattering little league dreams. They are a group of dedicated parents & volunteers who spend countless hours working for an organization that provides beautiful fields and a great baseball organization that helps hundreds of kids enjoy the games of baseball and softball. The fact that the whole country now knows where Freetown, MA even is is because this mother decided - after knowing the rules and signing off of them - that she didn't like them when she broke them. We're all busy. People find replacements and switch shifts all of the time. This mother was just a no-show... she did not even attempt to call her coach to find a replacement when she couldn't make her night. This should not even be a LOCAL news story - never mind a national one. Nobody asked Mrs. Hooper to quit her job or get fired over the concession stand - they only asked that she be considerate enough to pick up the phone to let someone know the circumstances and ATTEMPT to find a replacement. Not too much to ask given the hours that some of these people put into this organization each season. And no - I'm not on the board and I have nothing to do with the running of the organization. I am just a mom who mans the shack when she's asked to. And if I coudn't one night because of an emergency? Guess what? I'd explain to my child that I made a mistake and that, unfortunately, there are consequences. I would not be calling the media... How ridiculous. With all of the tragedy and important issues going on in the world, why is this even news???
4 months ago
wow the first person who wrote is very ignorent. first of all you probobly have never heard of freetown and have no clue how the leauge is run. theres no one taking money for themselves. second of all that lady is most likely not a government agent i mean c'mon. theres so many rumors about this crap and im getting sick of it i agree with the guy before me this shouldnt of even made local news. this is so ridiculus and shows me how stupid people really are!!!!!
4 months ago
"Let me be the first to propose a rule in which the kids don't get the shaft as a result of an empty concession stand." This is an inaccurate statement. The kid did not "get the shaft" because of an empty concession stand. The kid got the shaft because his mother failed to complete her scheduled volunteer time to the league - that she had signed off on - and because his mother failed to follow protocol and find a replacement for herself. This child is being benched for only one reason - because his mother is irresponsible. Instead of begging for media exposure, his VERY busy mother should spend some time apologizing to her son, explaining her failure to him, memorizing the proper phone numbers to call when she can't complete her volunteer duty and putting in the hours at the concession stand that she contracted to fulfill.
from 4 months ago
Um, let's see: the concession stand was empty until Brouillette filled in - no denying that. And, as a result, the kid was benched. So, that all sounds pretty accurate to me. What am I missing?
The last 3 comments are all very quick to shake a finger at Jodi Hooper and praise the FYAA, but NONE of you solved the central problem here, which is WHY WOULD YOU BENCH A KID FOR A PARENTS MISTAKES?! Tell me what's hard about changing the current rule to a harsh fine? Seriously, let's think this through before we comment.
2nd comment: When you consider we just carried on a national dialogue about dead horses and signal stealing, it's not at all surprising that this is news. This is America where anything and everything is news. Get used to it. And, no, this story isn't actually a sign of the apocalypse, although SI thought it was. Regardless, you can rest easy, the world isn't ending.
3rd comment: I stopped reading your comment when you spelled ignorant wrong. Kinda lost all credibility for me. Sorry.
Anyway, waving a fine in front of her face would be far more logical and rational. I never referred to Hooper as a model parent. Yes, there are some things she should've done to avoid this ridiculous situation, but maybe she didn't believe her son would actually be BENCHED, I don't know. That's not the point.
The point is, out of all the punishments they could've come up with, they somehow landed on a punishment in which a 7-year-old pays the price, not the person responsible. Obviously, it pained Hooper to see her son sitting on the bench, which is part of the reason it became national news.
Still, the short end of the stick landed in the kid's lap. There's no good reason for that. Let's go back to the root of the problem and start there.
All I'm saying is just take the 7-year-old out of the equation. That's it. It's not that hard.
4 months ago
You know what? I bet if that kid was an incredible hitter with blinding speed, I bet that he never would have been benched. The coach was probably looking for an excuse to bench him, due to the whole "everybody plays" rule. Okay, sorry for the sarcasm. Here's my real point:
This is a clear sign of the apocalypse, because once again, the blame is not going to the person who didn't show up for her volunteer hours, but to the league for enforcing its rules that parents sign off on by entering their child into the league. So please everyone, let's focus on the real victim in all of this: the kid who didn't get to play. Not the mother. Every kid who plays Little League baseball deserves a chance to play, and to be punished for his mother's ineptitude is foolish. So, to recap, here's my easy to read breakdown:
"Victim" who shouldn't be: Mom
Real Victim: 7 year old kid
Unfairly Assailed Organization: FYAA
from 4 months ago
Well put, Jim. Thanks for the comment. You hit the nail on the head.
4 months ago
what ever happened to playing sports for fun? Parents these days are insane. When did winning become number 1? I always wanted to win when i played little league but it wasn't like this. People need to realize that they are only kids.
from 4 months ago
Exactly.
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