Teen Not Playing School Ball

I would go above his head and complain. He is not able to be objective in this area. He wants his child to be the star of the team. He has waited since he got married and found out his wife was having a boy for this moment. He is not going to be able to be objective.

He wants his son to get scholarships and to be seen as a fantastic athlete. So I would ask that someone with authority watch the practices and games to see if they are truly on the team but not "on" the team. This is unfair to them, they deserve to be seen and watched for potential scholarships and accolades too.

In high school this is really between the coach and player. Your daughter should be advocating for herself, asking why she isn't getting to play more, and what SHE can do to play more.
Now if your daughter doesn't get a definitive answer, or feels that she's being treated unfairly, then she should go to the coach's superior, usually the head of the PE department.
In high school sports (and academics) it's really better for the kids if the parents get involved only as a last resort. Teenagers need to be treated like young adults, not children.

This is one of those sucky situations that you can't do much about. Meeting with the coach or principle won't do a thing except aggravate them and your child will get the bad end of it.
While it's not right and it's not fair - it's also a life lesson. We face this kind of stuff every day - at work, in the neighborhoods, in volunteer organizations we deal with, even in families. Coaches are going to see their own child as more capable - and his friend will come along on the coat-tails.
Your child will get discouraged - but only she can decide if she wants to stick it out. There's always the chance that the coaches kid has an injury and someone is called to step in, etc. So it's nota bad thing to hang in there - event hrough adversity. Watch the movie Rudy with your daughter - see what her response is and use it as an opportunity to talk about the team situation.
If she wants to quit I'd understand and would consider a recreational team so she can stay involved in the sport. But if she wants to stick in there, knowing full well she won't get to play as much as she'd like - by all means encourage her good attitude. She will get to play more in 11th & 12th grade - the coaches kid and friends can't make up the entire team...

Your child needs to deal with this, not you. This is her issue and she is old enough to talk to the coach herself and ask why she isn't getting playing time. Your intervention won't help, and won't give her the chance to deal with her problems on her own.

The AD (athletic director) is the person you would want to speak to. Have your daughter advocate for herself to the coach first. Coach her on what and how to say it respectfully, she's still a child and this guidance is helpful.

See how that goes, is she happy with the response, are the coaches respectful to her? Her asking about playing time and what to do to improve isn't complaining, she has a right to ask and as a contributing athlete on the team SHOULD ask. IF she's unhappy with the response, then I would step in and speak to the coach myself. After that, you would want to speak with the coach's boss...the AD. The AD should hear from you if you're unhappy. After that it's the principal you want to speak to. That's the chain of command.

Don't let her quit over this, she's come too far. Let this be a life lesson on how to deal with issues like this, it will be helpful to her in the future. Good luck, it will all work out!

It's hard to say what I think without knowing all aspects of the situation. The school year is only just beginning. Are the freshmen getting more time off the bench so they can get used to playing high school ball? Are these freshmen exceptionally good? Is your child 'off' their game? I agree with Mamazita though, I think that your child should handle this as best she can. If she can't, or comes up against a brick wall, then step in.

I hear you and feel for you as this happened to my 9 year old during our All Star season. I was fuming mad because the exact same thing happened after all of our time we put in.

My daughter is only 9 so she can't talk for herself and when we addressed the coach didn't really change anything other than to put her in the outfield a little more than he was. Needless to say we were very unhappy and have been vocal about it.

Since they made them sign the contract (unenforceable as it is) I think it is fair to say that no matter who talks to them they are not going to change the they way the set up is and it will only hurt your daughter to bring this up. In my eyes you have 2 choices. She can continue on the team as it is or she can leave and maybe join up on a travel ball league or something.

Good luck, but I really don't think you have any good options.

First as a coach of smaller kids...I always made sure my kid played the same amount of time as everyone else. Most times less!

But, as a coach if you came to me and said "why isn't my kid playing more and yours does?"...it wouldn't change anything. Matter of fact at their level the player should come to the coach. Be honest is your child better than theirs? If so give your child the tools to speak to the coach. Instead of complaining about playing time...ask the coach what can I do to get more playing time? How can I get more?

I also recommend that they not quit once games have started. They made a commitment they should keep it. Don't go back next year.