Posted on August 13, 2010: What are the legal ramifications of a player getting hurt?
A Responsible Sports Fan suggested the following Scenario Question:
I have a U 12 girls fastpitch softball team that plays in our city rec league. My team is mostly 5th graders who have never played the sport. They have done very well. The city allowed two U14 teams to play in the under 12 league, under the guise that these 14 year old teams were girls who also had never played and were learning the game. The problem is that one of the U14 teams pulls girls from a local travel team when they don't have enough players. My issue falls in the saftey of my young 11 yo girls. What are the legal ramifications if a team knowingly plays a girl with much greater skill against my players and someone gets hurt?
Dear Shelly,
A Responsible Coach’s number one goal is keeping her players safe. I applaud you for taking action when you felt your players were in danger. It sounds like your actions were not well received by the other team, but this is where what PCA calls “moral courage” comes into play. Taking this action to protect your players may not have been popular, but it was the right decision.
As I do not come from a background in law, I cannot be sure how to answer the legal part of your question. However, I can tell you that youth sports organizations separate players into age divisions (and sometimes even weight divisions) for many reasons, one of which is safety. Although these league leaders may have had the right idea in mind when they let these U14 teams play in the younger division (because of their lack of experience playing the sport), unforeseen challenges like the one you address can arise, and then it’s time for the league to review their decision/policy. The only way they can make informed decisions is to have all of the information, so make sure to communicate your experience to them as soon as possible.
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