# The worst case of helicopter parenting ever **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 23, 2013, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-helicopter-parenting-ever/672008 "2013-10-23T04:18:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-helicopter-parenting-ever/672008/1 "2013-10-23T04:18:51Z")
[Bullying](http://xfinity.comcast.net/articles/news-national/20131023/FBH-High-Score-Bullying-Complaint/) complaint filed by a dad from the losing team in a high school football game. > [@](#): > > Texas high school coach Tim Buchanan benched his starters after only 21 plays, kept to a conservative ground game and even allowed the clock to run uninterrupted after halftime to hasten the final whistle. Still, his Bearcats won 91-0. > > Now the coach is facing formal accusations of bullying. > > The impressive victory for undefeated Aledo High School, a football powerhouse in suburban Fort Worth that has put up similar numbers against other schools, has forced an investigation after a parent from the opposing team filed a bullying complaint. The complaint, which must be investigated under state law, says Buchanan should have done more to prevent the lopsided score. Mods, on second thought, this may belong in the Game Room, sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-helicopter-parenting-ever/672008/2 "2013-10-23T04:35:39Z")
Well, I’ll start off by saying this: do not blame that game on the defense, OK? ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-helicopter-parenting-ever/672008/3 "2013-10-23T14:20:38Z")
I heard about this yesterday and was laughingly shocked to say the least. I like the head coaches response, which was basically “I was putting in subs in the first period. I’m not ever going to tell a student he isn’t supposed to try! I could have put 150 points on the board” \<-- not actual quotes; it’s my paraphrasing. He put in subs after only 20 or so plays. I think the helicopter parent needs to sue his kids school for sending their kids out to slaughter. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-helicopter-parenting-ever/672008/4 "2013-10-23T14:27:00Z")
From everything I’ve heard on the news around here, the Aledo coach did his damnedest to NOT run the score up overly much- took the starters out after 21 plays, kept the ball on the ground, etc… Sometimes the other team folds so completely that even putting in the freshman team offense wouldn’t cause the rout to abate. This looks like one of those situations. About the only thing the coach could have done would have been to play people so far out of position that they literally didn’t know what they were doing. Stuff like lining up your offensive linemen as wide receivers, quarterbacks as tackles, etc… and that’s also likely to get your people hurt. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-helicopter-parenting-ever/672008/5 "2013-10-23T14:39:18Z")
> [@](#): > > Buchanan’s team, which is averaging 69.3 points a game with a 7-0 record, ran just 32 plays but scored on about every third one during Friday’s game If the opposing team is scoring on every third play, maybe the problem is not with them… ---
**Author:** ![hotflungwok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@hotflungwok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hotflungwok)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-helicopter-parenting-ever/672008/6 "2013-10-23T15:48:46Z")
Sounds like they’re harassing the wrong coach. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-helicopter-parenting-ever/672008/7 "2013-10-23T15:55:37Z")
> [@hotflungwok](#): > > Sounds like they’re harassing the wrong coach. +1 Sounds like the Aledo coach did all he could except tell his players to lie down on the field. ---
**Author:** ![jonesj2205](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecc23a/32.png) [@jonesj2205](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jonesj2205)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-helicopter-parenting-ever/672008/8 "2013-10-23T15:57:34Z")
Also sounds like the popular definition of bullying is now “made someone feel bad.” ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-helicopter-parenting-ever/672008/9 "2013-10-23T16:20:57Z")
Do players on the college teams that play Baylor (65 ppg) and Oregon (58 ppg) get the same counseling opportunities? ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-helicopter-parenting-ever/672008/10 "2013-10-23T16:22:45Z")
Story [here](http://www.sfgate.com/news/texas/article/Texas-dad-alleges-bullying-in-91-0-football-game-4916456.php). The charge was against the coach of the winning team. > [@](#): > > the bullying allegation … suggested his coaches “should have made their players ease up and quit playing that hard.” What the coach did do was use 2nd and 3rd string players, let the clock run out when he could have been running plays, and so on. My title on this thread is a bit misleading - I don’t really feel outrage at all, just a kind of shoulder-slumping sadness for the son of this idiot. Also for all the kids who know what real bullying feels like. Roddy ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-helicopter-parenting-ever/672008/11 "2013-10-23T16:24:48Z")
[There’s another thread…](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=705744) ---
**Author:** ![brad\_d](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@brad\_d](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brad_d)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-helicopter-parenting-ever/672008/12 "2013-10-23T16:38:04Z")
I’m seriously wondering if somebody half-jokingly (or drunkenly) filed the complaint on the district’s website and accidentally set the investigation process inexorably in motion. As the article says, state law would seem to prohibit dismissing a formal complaint out of hand (a good policy, given school authorities’ collective spotty history of turning a blind eye to bullying). Interestingly, it appears to be the principal of the winning school (the accused bully’s boss) who is responsible for writing the report: > [@news story in OP](#): > > Aledo Principal Dan Peterson said his report on the bullying complaint should be completed this week. It will be given to the father who filed the complaint and the staff at Western Hills. That should make interesting reading if it’s ever made public (although it may well be forever kept confidential to protect the “victim’s” identity). ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-helicopter-parenting-ever/672008/13 "2013-10-23T16:41:26Z")
I wonder how many girls the filer’s son has raped, and photographed it and put it on social media. (No, I’m not kidding.) ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-helicopter-parenting-ever/672008/14 "2013-10-23T16:42:19Z")
Apropos of nothing really, but my state high school activities association has what it called the [Mercy Rule](http://www.sdhsaa.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=CbVWgnqqOQg%3D&tabid=141) (PDF, on third page under “Review SDHSAA Football Rules”). ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-helicopter-parenting-ever/672008/15 "2013-10-23T16:43:21Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > (No, I’m not kidding.) You should be. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-helicopter-parenting-ever/672008/16 "2013-10-23T16:44:12Z")
The parent is bullying the coach for winning. There should be a mercy rule. Note that badminton players from three nations were disqualified when they did not play hard in the London Olympics. They were not playing hard so as to be placed against easier players in the next round, thereby giving them a better chance to make it to the finals.) I submit that in competition, players should play hard, and the rules should be set both to encourage hard play and to provide mercy, rather than to discourage hard play during competition. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-helicopter-parenting-ever/672008/17 "2013-10-23T17:09:16Z")
Years ago, sportswriter Rick Telander was a defensive back for the Northwestern Wildcats. DUring their best season, in the late Sixties, they had a shot at a major bowl game. Then they played a game against USC, who beat them 49-0. Remembering that game, Telander said, “Did we resent USC for running up the score. No- in the end, that score struck us as about right. USC was about 49 points better than us.” Same principle here- sometimes, the other team is about 91 points better than you. Now, in my youth, I ws a terrible athlete. I was precisely the kind of kid that well-meaning adults have in mind when they make up rules about not running up the score, or when they start sports leagues where teams don’t keep score. That’s how I know: the weaker kids KNOW exactly what the score is. Kids who suck at sports KNOW they suck, and there’s no way to hide it from them, even if you give them ALL trophies. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-helicopter-parenting-ever/672008/18 "2013-10-23T17:19:11Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > Apropos of nothing really, but my state high school activities association has what it called the [Mercy Rule](http://www.sdhsaa.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=CbVWgnqqOQg%3D&tabid=141) (PDF, on third page under “Review SDHSAA Football Rules”). Yeah, we don’t have that here in Texas. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-helicopter-parenting-ever/672008/19 "2013-10-23T17:19:16Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > That’s how I know: the weaker kids KNOW exactly what the score is. Kids who suck at sports KNOW they suck, and there’s no way to hide it from them, even if you give them ALL trophies. Exactly. > [@](#): > > Western Hills Coach John Naylor said he disagrees with the allegations that his team was bullied. > > “I think the game was handled fine,” Naylor said. “They’re No. 1 for a reason, and I know coach Buchanan. We’re fighting a real uphill battle right now.” > > Naylor, whose roster had around 30 players Friday night, said there was only so much Aledo could do to stop scoring. > > “We just ran into a buzzsaw, you know,” Naylor said. “[Aledo] just plays hard. And they’re good sports, and they don’t talk at all. They get after it, and that’s the way football is supposed to be played in Texas.” From here: [http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/10/21/5264501/was-aledos-91-0-football-win-last.html#storylink=cpy](http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/10/21/5264501/was-aledos-91-0-football-win-last.html#storylink=cpy) ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-helicopter-parenting-ever/672008/20 "2013-10-23T17:29:24Z")
> [@](#): > > Naylor, whose roster had around 30 players Friday night, said there was only so much Aledo could do to stop scoring.] This is the part that ain’t right. These teams have no business playing each other. [Aledo’s roster](http://pbstats.pointstreak.com/roster-team.html?teamid=10012) has twice that many players. Western Hills probably shouldn’t be a 4A team if they can’t field 60 kids. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-helicopter-parenting-ever/672008.md?page=2)