This year i signed my child up to play football in Bakersfields NFL Throwback jr league.

The director of the league was very friendly and informative, at first. Once all fees were paid it was a whole new story. Him and his jr executive are not only directors of the league, but they also just happen to be coaches of two seperate teams. The officials are personal friends of theirs and when there aren't enough officials then they are also referees. Here's some insight into how the league is run. The two teams they coach just happen to win the league every year i found out. They also happen to be the two teams with the best equipment, the trickle down effect is fully evident. There are several teams in that league that have kids playing with helmets, shoulder pads and shorts, competing against fully equiped teams. Some children have no jerseys just T-shirts with numbers drawn on them. Two teams i watched last week had children out there that were no bigger then my five year old, yet if you go to the league website they list draft day and trade deadlines, how about sharing the wealth of talent. Every child out there has parents who have paid the same amount, yet the children on the Rams and the Raiders seem to have a little extra. To top that off it is also evident that a minimal amount of the fees paid are being spent on the league. Those two teams, the Rams and the Raiders just happen to be going to a tournament in Las Vegas, boasting that they get to play Snoop Dogs team(whoopie). i wonder where their funding comes from. The league director has injected himself into the officiating of several games he had no connection to, carrying out grudges against other coaches long held since jr high(he sat the bench). The worst part of the games are when the teams of these two top league officials are playing. They both spend much of the game yelling, cussing and have been witnessed to hit or push their young athletes around. The cussing is not just reserved for the children, woe to the parent that questions their authority. When one parent asked why her child was not allowed to play the response she got was basically that the objective was to win and her child was not good enough(i cleaned it up). Needless to say she hasn't come back. When i looked up the league website i noticed very prominently there at the top of the page their declaration" IF we don't like what you are saying or doing, parents and coaches alike we will kick you out". It really doesn't say that but that's the attitude behind the warning there, really go to the site and look it up, big fish little pond syndrone. Finally i have to say that these games take place at the PAL center on Saturdays come see for yourself. The PAL center, say isn't that where kids are suppose to go to learn about competion, teamwork and good sportsmanship. I wonder how long Elroy will be able to get away with that before they shut down his league(for my observations not soon enough for his son, he plays for his dad and he saves the best verbal abuse for him). I won't be back next year, a pledge both my wife and i have made and heard often as we sit there hoping that the childrens experience with this league is both positive and over quickly, Jack Frost, Golden Empire, North of the River, one of you here we come.