Why do men seem to get uncorked and do all kinds of strange things at their childrens ballgames?

There is the loud type who feels he has to bark directions at his Little Leaguer as the boy or girl is at the plate.

And there is the even more aggressive type who is compelled to argue with soccer and basketball referees.

Finally, there is the guy that goes completely overboard, picking fights with fellow parents, umpires, and even league officials, when theyre around.

What do these behaviors have in common and why do they come out during athletic competitions and not when their kids are singing in the glee club?

I believe it all boils down to emotion. Men have emotions but are famous for suppressing them.

But weve been taught and have observed that its okay to show strong emotions in one place: at a sporting venue.

For example, my dad was a mild-mannered gentleman. Universally, people thought he was a nice guy, and I agree with that assessment.

But when hed hit the ballpark, he morphed like a vampire or the wolf man.

Hed bark out encouragement to me in the strangest, guttural voice. I didnt have a problem with it, but I did notice something was askew.

I have always speculated that at some level he was imitating either the guy that sold newspapers on the corner, or someone he saw at old Comiskey Park, in Chicago, where the White Sox played.

Normally, a very controlled guy, he let it rip and let his emotions show at the baseball diamond.

And I believe men who go overboard, unlike dad, believe thats okay because they have no other places where they can permit their aggressions to come out.

By the way, when league officials have cracked down on aggressive cheering and have invoked rules of silence for the sidelines, many men have complained that much of the joy has been removed from kid-sports.