For many athletes, you start playing at a young age. For most, it’s the sport you stick with for the rest of your youth. Unfortunately, in Brunswick County, softball is one of the sports where parents can quickly get over-involved, and it becomes the parents living through the player. 

As a former player, I have seen how parents react to their child not wanting to play first-hand, and trust me when I say, it’s not pretty. The parents don’t always understand the signs of their player wishing to quit. 

“My step-dad took me to everything,” said sophomore Peyton Workman. “I was trying to get out of it because of work and stuff, slowly, and they just kept asking me when I was going back.” 

By the time they reach the high school level of softball, most players have already been playing 8+ years. Since about the 6th grade (sometimes earlier), most players have been playing year-round and for multiple teams at once. This means numerous coaches and multiple practices a week and tournaments have been thrown into the mix; for a teenager, that can be a lot.

“I quit because I got a job,” said Workman. “I had been playing softball five or six days a week: practices, tournaments, school ball. I literally couldn’t fit it into my schedule.” 

Parents are often the main reason players commit to more than one team at once. They want their player to succeed as much as they possibly can in their sport. Most girls say they’ve played on at least three different teams at once when asked.

“I think that most teens quit because they get pushed too hard,” said junior Kasey Pigott. “They kinda lose their spark and their passion to play.”