Baseball wants to “let the kids play,” but Danny Kanell and Kirk Herbstreit think things may have gone too far.
A viral video showing a youth baseball (12U, supposedly, though the kid looks older than that) player spiking his bat on the ground and then thumping his chest as he rounded the bases. Incredibly, a cameraman followed the player around the base pads, where he finished his display of prowess by dunking a basketball through a net held by his teammates.
The celebration, which was joined by the entire dugout with the apparent approval of the coaches, did not sit well with former Florida State QB and radio host Danny Kanell, who blamed the parents for the player’s antics.
“The coaches and parents who allow this to go on are the problem. Instead of teaching kids how to play the game the right way and show respect for the opponent, they’re worried about getting viral attention. Embarrassing.”
Kanell’s caption of the video was, in turn, captioned by ESPN lead college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit, who shared a similar sentiment.
“How is this celebrated?!? What the hell is wrong with people?! Where are the coaches? Umpires? What parent in the right mind wouldn’t drag their son off the field if he did that? Pathetic!!”
Not everyone agreed with Kanell and Herbstreit.
“Let the kid celebrate, boomer. Your generation killed sports with participation trophies and now cries when kids show passion. Pathetic gatekeeping,” one X user wrote.
“When it’s done a football field, you see no issue with it. Please explain the difference?” another asked.
“Your comment is why kids aren’t playing the game anymore, and MLB ratings suck. This isn’t the Babe Ruth era. We heard this same complaint about touchdowns and no celebrating. What unwritten dumb rule are you guys protecting?”
Others felt that Herbstreit and Kanell were right on track.
“My dad would disown me. One time, I didn’t run full speed after hitting a routine grounder to 2nd baseman. He didn’t talk to me for a week,” another X user wrote.
Baseball has benefited immensely from allowing players to show more exuberance on the field than before. But clearly, there should be some limits.
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