What Is Daddy Ball?

We've all heard about daddy ball and how we should avoid it. But what is daddy ball? In order to avoid it, we have to know what it is and what it looks like.

Some people describe daddy ball as when a dad coaches his son or daughter. This isn't always the case. There are alot of good coaches who also happen to be dads. Others think it's when the dad-coach only focuses on his child. While this is certainly part of it, this isn't the root cause of daddy ball. Daddy ball is actually when the act of coaching is more about the dad than the kids on the team (including his own daughter)

Daddy ball dads coach because they want an ego boost, not to teach and grow the players on the team. While it outwardly may appear as if their daughter is the star of the show, in reality it's the dad that wants the spotlight.

How To Recognize Daddy Ball

Just being a dad-coach doesn't mean daddy ball is at play and in some cases a coach can be just as bad without even having a girl on the team. If you've ever watched a team and noticed the coach more than the players, you might be watching daddy ball.

Here are a few signs to look out for when trying to identify daddy ball.

The coach makes the team about him. Watch what happens when the team loses. This is telling. If a coach berates his team or says how embarrassed he is then it's about him and not his team's growth. Of course a team needs to be held accountable when they have an off game but it should always be for their benefit, not because of how the coach feels or looks.

You can identify his daughter in a practice/tryout. The initial tryout is just as much for the player to tryout the team and coach as it is for the coach to tryout the player. If you can pick out the coach's daughter in the tryout, that could be an indicator of daddy ball. A dad that's overly aggressive or easy on his daughter is acting in a way that puts his feelings before the benefit of the team

He's "too good" to consider other points of view. Of course a head coach should be in charge because the wins and losses stop with him, but a coach that doesn't listen to outside points of view could be an indication that he's afraid of losing his power on the team. Since it's really about his ego, he will see anyone with a different opinion as a threat to him and as someone who should be punished and removed at all costs.

His daughter is the start of the show. This one may seem obvious, but it's not always easy to identify. Sometimes a daddy ball dad will form a team around his daughter so that his daughter is the best on the team. This guarantees no complaints about her play time but in the end it only hurts his daughter and confirms that the coaching is all about him. If he were to swallow his pride and get his "star" player on another team with better players, coaches and competition, she would grow much faster as a player. But daddy ball isn't about his daughter, it's about the dad.

What do you do if you are on a daddy ball team

Run. Seriously though, the first thing you should do is try and talk to the coach. It could be that he is well meaning and isn't aware of what he's doing. Always try talking first in a respectful way. If that doesn't work or your daughter is punished (she may sit the bench the whole next tournament) then the only thing left to do is find a new team. You and your daughter will be better off for it.

Just be sure to keep an eye out for the warning signs above in your next tryouts