How’s Your Softball Team KARMA?

In the softball world, a lot of bad things happen to good folks. From where we sit, we often hear from the parents who have been mistreated, or who feel their daughter has been treated unfairly. Of course, we also realize that many of us feel like we were done wrong for one reason or another because when our kids are involved we tend to take EVERYTHING personally.

We remember vividly a year or so ago, when a very competitive team in our area won a USSSA berth after working extremely hard all season, and then was quickly bought by one of the Elite teams in our area (for the berth) who instantly replaced all but 3 players on the original team. They literally terminated the girls who had worked to earn the berth with no notice., no explanation, no apology. A very harsh lesson for a team of teenagers.

Just last week, we heard of a 9-year-old child cut from the team the day before the teams first tournament, despite having worked hard at practice for the last 3-4 months straight. The politics and complicated webs of lies and deception, when combined with the innate desire of parents to protect children, often stages at the gates of every dugout causing anger, resentment, hurt, and emotional upset.

Sometimes you have to wonder how these adults that head up these teams sleep at night. How do you feel good about yourself as a human being when it is young girls that feel the harshest wrath of the fallouts that occur in softball?

We at Softball is For Girls however believe in karma.

When we get hurt in the softball world, one of the worst things we can do is sit around and just will, hope, wish and pray that the team that hurt us will suffer. Because for one thing taking on that position, makes us just as bad. When you hope for a TEAM to lose, or a team to do poorly – and take comfort when a TEAM suffers, you are basically jumping on the ‘lets punish the kids’ bandwagon – when the reality is it is the ADULTS that we typically have the problems with.

Eventually and ALWAYS – the leader of a team, the awful parents etc. comes in contact with the karma that they have created for themselves. Sometimes it doesn’t happen as quickly as we would like, but it ALWAYS comes full circle. Eventually, poorly led teams and selfish spiteful coaches and parents earn a reputation for themselves and suffer for their actions.

The good news is that by just handing things over to karma – you decide NOT to ENGAGE in the negativity.

By forgiving, and letting go, and MOVING FORWARD with the attitude that there is something much better awaiting you and your daughter – you allow yourself to grow, and you STAY open to opportunity.

And, you SHOW YOUR DAUGHTER HOW TO BEHAVE IN TOUGH SITUATIONS. You turn CANNOTS into CANS, and more importantly you teach your daughter that she really is in control over her future, and has control over how SHE REACTS! While we cannot control what others do, and what goes on around us – WE ARE ALWAYS in control of OUR REACTIONS.

When you believe in karma, what comes around goes around – you can feel safe to set your anger (over whatever your angry about) ASIDE before it becomes a cancer that infects YOU.

In life, much like in softball – we have to avoid being spectators to what everyone else is doing and how. We have to be fully present in what we are doing in the NOW, be satisfied with where we are as parents and players, and focus on ourselves rather than others. Let karma do it’s job, and have faith that it will. Chances are the team/coach/parents that slighted you – did you a REALLY big favor in the long run. Break up with your integrity in tact.

Things happen. In the scope of things, the bad things we experience at the hands of competitive softball, don’t have to be life defining, or have long-term negative effects on our family. Karma has your back!