#and 'certain players cannot go in certain parts of the... pitch? field? court.'

[whitestopper]

Heartstopper deleted scene: Elle embarrassing herself during her first game of netball at Higgs because she's used to playing basketball at Truham.

[bit-of-a-fuqboi]

Title: Running the bases

Steve was both shocked and annoyed when it was announced Billy had quit the basketball team to join the baseball team. Steve admits, reluctantly, that his annoyance has as much to do with not being able to creep on him anymore, as it has to do with the fact that their best chance of a championship is with him on their team. His shock was simply because, well, Billy had the kind of skills that made other guys envious. He was an amazing player. The kind to win championships. Real scholarship material. It just confused Steve to no end why he would throw that away.

It turned out he didn't. Word got around quickly that Billy's skill on the field was as good, if not better, as it was on the court. And Steve, well, Steve felt his annoyance only grow. Is there anything he can't do! Steve found himself silently fuming as he angrily chewed on his sandwich. 

The sudden sound of laughter, and many stomping feet, interrupted his brooding. He looks up and sees Billy for the first time since he quit—and he’s completely geared up from head to toe in the school's green and white baseball uniform.

The uniform clings to every single contour of muscle you can imagine. He struts through the quad like he owns it, and with each step Steve is hypnotized by the bulge of his biceps through the fabric and the pop of both of his pecs in his shirt. A shirt that is tucked into the tightest, sexiest pair of baseball knickers complete with green belt and green piping down the sides. His socks hug two thick, muscular calves, and he’s got on the green and white cleats. He even has on his green cap, and the dabbed eye black across the tops of his cheeks is smeared from practice. Whoa.

"You might want to pick your jaw up from the floor Harrington, you look like your about to start drooling"

Shaken from his stupor he turns to see a girl he doesn't know smirking at him, she looks familiar though… maybe we have a class together?

"No It's not! I'm not… It's not… I mean … I don't know what you mean" Yeah that's not suspicious. Great save Harrington.

"Whatever dingus" She says with a snort and walks off. Steve is sure he hears her mutter "I don't know what they see in you" as she walks away.

With a feeling, almost like panic, creeping in, Steve has a very sudden urge to escape the area before anyone else notices his weirdness. Throwing his half eaten sandwich in the bin he makes a beeline for the school.

He makes it halfway down the first corridor before he is suddenly shoved into a storage closet.

"What the actual fuck!" Steve likes to think he yelled, but suspects he screamed. High pitched and embarrassing. Fuck! Could this day get any worse.

The light switches on, and he's temporarily blinded by the brightness but as soon as his eyes adjust he's greeted by grinning Billy Hargrove. Yep, it just got worse.

"Miss me Harrington" he asks.

"Like the clap" Steve answers automatically, regretting it immediately. Steve was certain that he just escalated the situation to a fist fight, a fist fight in a small enclosed space where he is not likely to come out on top, but instead Billy just laughs. 

"I saw you checking out the new uniform." At the reminder Steve can't stop his eyes from trailing up Billy's body, but when he reaches his face he is met with an intense glare. Billy's arms are crossed and he looks about nine feet tall from Steve's corner of the closet. All those muscles... His shoulders are so broad they actually block the exit. There is no escape. Fuck! He's going to kill me, either literally or from sexual frustration, both are very real options at this point.

"So what do ya think pretty boy? Think I'll be able to slide home with how wet I'll be making the chicks at this school?" He smiles, but it doesn't reach his eyes. No, instead he has that same invasive, hypnotizing look. The one that seems to see right through him.

To his horror Steve realises he's not scared in the least by how Billy’s looking at him. Instead, it's worse, he's turned on. Turned on by the strange intensity in Billy's eyes, by the bulges his biceps make when his arms are folded in that tight uniform, and that he could break him in half with little effort. 

"So gross dude" Steve answers, all the while silently panicking as he feels pre-cum beginning to leak and soak through his fast tightening underwear.

Billy's eyes draw down Steve's body appraisingly. He licks his lips—naturally reminding Steve that they are very much still there, and very much still plush and kissable as ever—and says "So, you ever feel up a baseball player?"

Steve freezes. He’s no longer blinking. His mouth can’t close. Steve waits for Billy to laugh it off, or maybe mock him some more but instead he takes a step closer.

Slowly, Billy brings a finger to the collar of Steve's shirt and hooks it inside. "C’mon, Harrington." Then he gives it a tug, the top button coming undone with surprising ease. "Tell me you aren't curious to know what's been driving these bitches crazy. It’s the stuff of legends, man." Steve's heart hammers away. His knees quake. "Half the writing on the bathroom walls is about what I’m packing.” Billy pops another button."Go ahead,” he coaxes, his voice silky smooth and languid, “Touch me.”

Time seemed to slow down and the world around them became blurred and unfocused. All that existed in that moment was them.They stared at each other in silence; the only sound in the closet was their ragged breathing. 

Steve made the decision, refusing to overthink, and reached out and ran his hands across Billy’s flat, muscular stomach. He was fascinated by the warm radiating through Billy's uniform. His fingers traced the hard muscles before moving to Billy’s hips. He took a moment to rub his palms over the belt, before slowly moving his hands around to the dimples of his ass in those tight pants.

It’s not lost on Steve that Billy's crotch is bulging dramatically. Holy shit; he’s getting off on this weird as fuck scenario too.

“Like how my ass feels Harrington?” he asks. 

“Yes” Steve chokes out.

“Unbuckle me.” 

Steve's didn't have to be told twice. His fingers fumble with the belt, hands shaking with excitement. Next comes the button of his pants and then the zipper, which slowly parts the dirt covered white sea of fabric to reveal his thick, hard cock enclosed in a white jock. Steve groaned at the sight. Why the fuck is he not wearing briefs? Steve looks up and Billy just cocks an eyebrow and smirks. Steve could feel his racing heartbeat pulsing in his ears. Why am I even questioning this?

Steve wraps his hand around Billy and starts to palm him through the flimsy underwear. Billy takes a shaky breath, but doesn’t do anything else. Challenge accepted motherfucker! Steve tightens his grip and picks up his pace.  

At first Billy just smiles smugly, then his breathing begins to get heavier. After a minute he’s practically panting. Steve smirks “Out of breath already Hargrove? How are you going to make it around all the bases with stamina like this?”   

Without warning Billy grasps Steve's shirt, pulls his face to his and fucking devours his mouth. Steve felt like he was just a piece of meat, a toy for Billy's own personal use. That really shouldn’t be hot. Steve realises he's now practically clawing Billy's back as Billy's reaches around to cup his ass. They’re both moaning into each other's mouth as their hips press firmly together. 

The sound of the bell ringing brings reality crashing down on Steve. It’s the middle of the day and they are on school grounds. Anyone could catch them. 

Steve breaks away from Billy and says “C’mon we need to head to class. Lunch is over. I can’t be late to biology, Mr Greene will have my ass.”

“But I want to have that ass.” Billy says as he squeezes Steve's ass cheeks. 

Steve wavers for a moment, but then Billy says "It's not like you were going to contribute, or even pay attention"

What the fuck! Steve pulls completely away and scowls. "Fuck you Hargrove"

Billy lifts an eyebrow. “Did I strike a nerve? It's not like you're known for your scholastic aptitude. I was just saying there's a better use of your time”

Steve ignores him, and buttons up his shirt.

"I really didn't mean anything by it." Billy says.

Steve just glares and shoves his way towards the door. Annoyingly the shoulder charge hurt him more than the wall of muscle previously blocking the exit.

"C'mon Harrington we didn't even get to third base" Billy jokes. 

Steve rolls his eyes, unimpressed with Billy's lame attempt to lighten the mood. Of course Billy refuses to give up. “You have a great grip, by the way.” 

"Wasn’t much to grip,” Steve shoots back. Billy grins. 

“Maybe you need another grip to remind yourself, pretty boy. I doubt you can wrap your whole hand around it.”

Steve stops with the door half open and turns to Billy. "You know, for a moment there, I almost forgot you were an asshole."

"Steve—"

"I don't want to hear it. This will never happen again" Steve says, then turns to leave. As he walks away however all he could think was "I really want it to happen again"

As he rounded the corner, Billy yells "This ain't finished Harrington.", and Steve shivers as his pulse spikes from excitement. Maybe I really am an idiot because there was no doubt it wasn't.

This was only meant to be a short thing but it got a little out of control lol The fic was inspired by someone post about a baseball au headcannon. I cannot for the life of me locate the post, if you know it please tell me and I will link.

[andrewuttaro]

New Look Sabres: GM 32 - STL - 20 in 32

5-2 Regulation Win

Before this game I had a long meandering diatribe written about the Buffalo Sabres Front Office and their willingness to actually do the hard work to get this team to the playoffs this year. It had a bunch of references to past quotes and a John Vogl article reference. You’ll probably get it in the postgame of another game because its an important conversation. Tonight is not the night for it. Tonight was something that is painfully rare in the life of a Sabres fan in this painfully long decade: a solid win. A solid win against a team that is pretty inarguably the better team. The Sabres played up to their opponent and matched them shot for shot, block for block, goal for… well more goals. They did it all to compete and they won. They brought their A game and it wasn’t just enough, it was a fun game to watch. For once they didn’t fall asleep in the third period, they sealed the deal in the third period! And they did it on national television! They were playing Buffalo Bills dress up or something! Wow, that’s a complement! For this one shining night we live in the happy timeline in a season where again and again we’ve felt like we’re in the darkest one. But let’s not bury the lead here: Jack Eichel has 20 goals in 32 games. He has 20 goals a full ten games short of the halfway mark of the season. He has flowered this season so much and has thrust himself into the conversation for the Hart Trophy. He’s an MVP candidate and he’s the hottest player in the NHL right now. That 14-game point streak is the longest active in the NHL right now and now only one game short of Patrick Kane’s from earlier this season. I’d say Jack demonstrated leadership in this game and he did make some plays and lead in a certain way, but the second goal was an empty netter with two seconds left on the game clock. The twentieth goal was what it was but the whole St. Louis Blues defensive core parted like the red sea for him on his nineteenth goal earlier in the game. Ok, we got a lot to get to, let’s get to it.  

St. Louis is leading the Central Division and the whole Western Conference. Yeah, Colorado, Edmonton and Arizona are on their heels but they’re a team that belongs up there. The Sabres sit third in the Atlantic and don’t really look like they belong there. The first period of this tilt did not look as one sided as the matchup. Buffalo came out and scored on their first shot of the game. It was a whacky play that I’m not even sure Victor Olofsson meant to put on net. It looked like he was passing it to Sam Reinhart or Jack Eichel who had just arrived in front of Jake Allen. The puck went in off of David Perron’s skate and the home team was up 1-0. The immediate minutes to follow made it look like the Sabres wouldn’t get another shot. The St. Louis Blues arrived and a quick pass play from Ivan Barbashev assisted Troy Brouwer’s first goal of the season. For the rest of the period the game would play as even as the score was. Linus Ullmark stood tall and leaped for some pretty spectacular saves and Jack Eichel saw an open net he almost retook the lead via. The second period continued in this fashion. Third Star of this game was the posts. Not five minutes went by throughout this game without a high pitch iron clang echoing up toward the banners. The Sabres penalty kill stood tall as well in spite of a continually depressing powerplay. At one point the NBC broadcast showed that the Sabres powerplay is 21st in the NHL. Okay, so I know it needs to be better than that. It’s terrible and almost worth firing an assistant coach over. But I don’t know about you but whenever I’m reminded it’s hardly in the top ten worst in the NHL I feel a little better. Small victories.

If we’re going to talk small victories there was a defensive stalemate around the halfway point in this game. The Blues picked up the pace outshooting the Sabres 9-2 by the midgame mark but not many scoring chances really came for either side. The 1-1 tie was finally broken after a Sabres powerplay actually sped up the ferocity of the game dramatically late in the middle frame. The powerplay didn’t convert but I think you already knew that. No, Zach Bogosian pounded a puck off target behind the net from the blueline and Johan Larsson came streaking in, scooped up the rebound and snapped it in. 2-1 Sabres in the dying seconds of the second period. The third period saw this game get really interesting. About three and a half minutes in Alex Pietrangelo got the equalizer off a good drop pass from David Perron that caught Ullmark down on his belly. Less than two minutes later however Captain Jack showed up to extend his point streak to 14-straight games. Eichel got the puck from Reinhart and skated around the net. He comes out from behind with no particular speed just surveying the football field of space the Blues defense decided to leave to him. I could one day become President of the United States and not receive that level of respectful treatment from folks who are supposed to be against me. Eichel fires it far side with the three St. Louis defenders looking on like servants to his royal court and Buffalo is back in the lead 3-2. Now it was encouraging to see a real effort to defend the lead as the third period continued on, really it was, but Linus Ullmark earned his pay in this game. He played offensively with the puck in ways that you cringe at with most goalies. He is playing with confidence in a way that cannot go unnoticed by the guys playing in front of him. Gee, I am just so proud of him. I feel like a proud dad. I’ve been watching him since the start of his Rochester Americans days and now to see him take such confident control of an NHL goalie job is just… *chef’s kiss* delightful.

Frantic hockey unfolded as regulation ticked away. The Blues were about to lose their third straight for the first time this season. Charming, eh? By the time they pulled Jake Allen for the extra skater I was hardly lucid. This was not just a game the Sabres stayed with the Stanley Cup Champions, this was a game they outmaneuvered the Stanley Cup Champions and ended up winning. A lose puck toward the unguarded net was tapped in by Zemgus Girgensons and wow… this is actually going to be a win. Then, when you think it couldn’t get any better, Jack Eichel scores his twentieth goal of the season in the last two seconds of the game with another empty netter! This one ended 5-2 Buffalo! Just like the Buffalo Bills will see National TV with Sunday Night Football this weekend so the Buffalo Sabres executed beautifully on a national stage. I hope the writers in this league were watching tonight because this is your MVP right here! He’s third in the league in goals as I write this! He beat Connor McJesus and Leon Dri-God in Edmonton! He’s beaten Ryan O’Reilly and the Stanley Cup Champion St. Louis Blues! O’Reilly WHO!? YOUR BANNERS HAVE NO POWER IN THE DOMAIN OF JACK EICHEL!

Phew, okay I got to cool down and wipe the sweat off. Time to wrap this up. The Sabres have won 5 out of their last 11 and gotten points in all but one of those contests. The resurrection has been slow but if they can beat the Blues I think they may just be back. Shut up about the Blues being on a little skid very recently, just let yourself have nice things every now and again. It’s fun to just enjoy things sometimes, especially when those sometimes are so rare. They take this little upswing to the back half of the two-game homestand against the Nashville Predators on Thursday night. Out of these two teams this week I would have told you St. Louis would be the harder team to beat but I also thought Edmonton would be the hardest team to beat in Western Canada and we know how that went. The Preds sit four points out of a Western Conference wildcard and are just below .500 on the season. If the Buffalo plays like this again Thursday night they can win. I am almost tempted to buy tickets to see Jack Eichel tie this season’s NHL point streak record. Either way, just promise yourself you’ll enjoy this. And hope this hotness is the real hotness. For now its good for second in the Atlantic Division, put that in your pipe and smoke it. 20 in 32, baby! Two points! Let’s Go Buffalo!

Thanks for Reading.

P.S. Don’t look now but Brandon Montour is as hot as the LOG/GLO line right now; and that’s really hot!

[terrysacia-blog-blog]

14 Questions To Ask A Divorce Lawyer - And Many More Can Save You Money

14 Questions To Ask A Divorce Lawyer - And Many More Can Save You Money

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So, you’ve decided to schedule a free divorce consultation and you’re wondering what questions to ask a divorce lawyer so you’re better prepared. 

That’s a huge, frightening first step. Your first action towards making separation concrete. The sooner you meet, the better things can turn out in your favor as your divorce goes on. 

One of the most important things to remember when meeting with a lawyer your first time is going in prepared. A consultation without preparation of questions to ask a divorce lawyer runs the risk of becoming a sales pitch, or you leave without any information — a waste of your time! 

Your situation is unique, but here are some questions that you can have prepped to ask your lawyer beforehand. They’ll give you a better idea of your case and how reliable your chosen lawyer may be. 

How Often Will We Communicate / When Will You Be Able to Communicate?

This is one of the most important things to have answered. You are navigating one of the toughest journeys a person can be saddled with. You will have a LOT of questions and unique situations that will occur. 

You want to be sure that you are able to get questions handled by your lawyer in a prompt manner.

This is about putting your mind at ease, so you should be in touch with your lawyer at LEAST once a month — preferably, closer to once a week depending on both of your schedules. 

Will I Have Access to My File?

Your case file will be the centerpiece of your divorce proceedings. At the end of the day, it belongs to YOU. Your lawyer should be able to give you a copy of your file within a reasonable period of time. If, for some reason, your attorney is hesitant to hand over a copy of your file, or wants to keep parts of it away from you, be wary. 

Will You Provide References?

The answer to this question is Yes. A lawyer should have no trouble providing you with several references to his or her former clients. If they cannot, they have either had no success representing people in the past or they do not have enough experience in the field. Either way, it’s a bad sign. 

Note that it is completely acceptable for the attorney to ask you to wait while he contacts his former clients. While many people agree to be “consistent” references and provide their contact information to anyone who’s interested. Not every office will have these types of references. Your law office may need to have someone reach out for reference approval first. 

Who Will Work on My Case? 

We cannot stress this enough. This is very important to get the answer to. Will the person you’re having a consultation with be handling your case? Or, are they only there to pitch the office’s services to you? 

If they won’t be the one working on your case, is it because they have another lawyer on staff who specializes in divorce law? Or, will they be offloading a lot of work to administration staff or a paralegal? If it’s the latter, be hesitant. You are paying the price of a lawyer to have a lawyer work for you.

(About) How Much Is Divorce Cost-wise? 

We’ll tell you this now: you won’t get an exact number. That’s perfectly fine. However, your lawyer should be comfortable giving you a rough estimate, or, more accurately, estimates. 

Divorces can be handled amicably or spiral into long, brutal fights that require court appearances. During a free divorce consultation, an attorney should be able to explain the ways costs can add up when divorces go a certain way. You don’t want to be blindsided by a huge check if your divorce begins to spiral. 

This is also a good time to ask HOW you’ll be charged. Will it be on retainer or hourly? If it is hourly and you’re just working with the staff, will it be the same hourly price? What about other costs that could occur? Additionally, what is the billing policy if hourly — will you be charged for 5 minutes or half an hour? 

If money is a concern for you, you can request a budget cap so your costs don’t end up spiraling out of control. 

What Is the Process for a Divorce?

A lawyer with experience should be able to devise a couple of scenarios showing different ways the process could pan out. Your attorney should be able to explain the standard process and rough time frame for a divorce case, what they’ll take care of, and what you’ll need to do. 

Just like the cost, the process of divorce is not set in stone. However, you will want to leave with a rough idea of how long it could take. 

What Documents Do You Need?

Law is mostly paperwork, so you’ll want to know what information and documentation to start digging up. There isn’t much extra to say about this one. 

What If My Spouse Wants to Make Things Difficult?

This is an absolute worst-case scenario. Unfortunately, divorces happen where one spouse simply doesn’t want to give a single inch. They want the divorce to be a war, no matter what. They are not in it to win, they’re in it to cause as much pain and trouble as possible. In cases like this, it can feel like your divorce will go on for years. 

What Are My Options?

There are different ways a divorce can pan out. There’s traditional filing, of course, but there are other ways as well. These include uncontested divorce, collaborative divorce, or mediation before traditional filing. 

Your case is your own, and based on the information you give your lawyer, they should be able to explain your options. Based on your case, they should also be able to explain why (or why not) these options are applicable to your specific case. 

Do You Prefer Going to Court?

We can’t tell you what the answer is, but this may be a good question to ask your lawyer. It can help you get a feel for your lawyer and his opinion on how to handle issues. You’ll want to be mindful of someone who seems eager for war. It might feel good to have someone aggressive in your court, but conflict is always more expensive, more damaging (emotionally and otherwise), and can cause you to lose in the long run. 

What’s a Reasonable Child Custody Agreement?

Uncertain, but it can be comforting to have a professional opinion. After all, that’s why we go to experts for cases like this. 

The thought of losing custody can be terrifying, so it’s good to hear what the most reasonable case is, as well as what the best and, God-forbid, worst case is. 

Your lawyer can also provide advice on what not to do. Many people end up with terrible custody deals because they made foolish decisions during the divorce. An attorney can advise on things to avoid and inform you of the common mistakes people make that cost them custody. 

What Counts as Assets?

You can bring a list of the big things that come to mind, like your house, your car, retirement funds, bank accounts, etc. Be prepared for more questions from your lawyer as you discuss the most reasonable way to split up these assets. 

Are There Concessions We Should Give?

You can’t win everything in a divorce. There may be things you need to surrender so you can gain what is truly important to you. Trying to “win” every fight will only prolong the divorce, add to your attorney’s bill, and possibly leave you with less than if you had simply sought out a mutual agreement. 

What About My Pets?

Of course, your kids and their custody will come up, but it is also important to bring up whether you or your ex-spouse is keeping the family dog or cat. Many people are not ready to give up the family pet when they split up, and pet custody agreements do exist. Your lawyer should be in YOUR corner, and if he’s scoffing at the fact that you want to keep your pet, it’s a bad sign. You love your pet, and he should be willing to find a way for you to see them. 

Questions to Ask a Divorce Lawyer

This list of questions to ask a divorce lawyer isn’t exhaustive. If there are any issues that have been concerning you, add them to the list of questions to ask a divorce lawyer. Remember, they’re not only there to handle your case, they’re also there to help you navigate this painful and complex process. 

[sportsgameqia-blog-blog]

Youth Sports Part 1: Getting Bad Sports Parents to Behave Better

New Post has been published on https://sportsguideto.com/trending/youth-sports-part-1-getting-bad-sports-parents-to-behave-better/

Youth Sports Part 1: Getting Bad Sports Parents to Behave Better

If you caught even a snippet of Chris Bell’s HBO show Trophy Kids, you likely winced at the scenes of tennis moms and golf dads behaving very badly.

One of the reasons for your discomfort is probably that you feel bad for the kids on the receiving end of such over-the-top “hyper-parenting.” But if you’re a youth sports coach, you might watch Bell’s documentary series nodding your head because, unfortunately, you’ve been subjected to the rants of irate parents who think their kid should be the star player.

There are cultural factors at work here that are far outside the scope of this article. We’re witnessing an “activities arms race” in which all too many parents feel obliged to keep up with the Joneses by filling every second of children’s lives with activity.

This is largely an extension of how we as adults approach our work and personal lives, overstuffing our calendars, over-extending our commitments, and overdosing on our social media feeds in whatever few minutes are left over each day. The perma-stress created by such hectic lifestyles starts to bubble up through the cracks, which we see manifested in the worst possible way in the outbursts on soccer sidelines and Little League bleachers.

Cultural commentary aside, what are we actually going to do about this issue? We might not be able to solve the parenting-related problems of all the 45 million kids who play organized sports in the U.S., but perhaps we can at least help you create a positive, tantrum-free environment for the few you’re committed to coaching. Here goes…

Setting Expectations

It’s arguable that people with frustrated athletic ambitions (think Uncle Rico in Napoleon Dynamite: “If coach would’ve put me in, we would’ve won state.”) make the worst sports parents, as they’re unfairly trying to atone for their own shortcomings by putting pressure on their children to perform. It’s not your role to play counselor and try to sort out the psychological issues of every parent who decides to behave badly on the sideline. On the other hand, you cannot allow them to disrupt your practices and make game day miserable for everyone.

One way to strike a balance is to establish some ground rules from day one said Whitey Nelson who works with everyone from former international players to under-7 youth teams through his club Misfits Rugby.

“We invite everybody to get together at a pre-season meet-and-greet where parents and their kids can get to know me and my assistant coach,” Nelson said. “This gives me the opportunity to find out what they expect from us and our program, and then for us to set expectations for them on and off the field. For example, there’s a reason we always call the referee ‘sir’ or ‘ma’am’ – because it conveys respect. This meeting also allows us to explain our culture and values, what the kids will get out of rugby, and why they should play in the first place. This helps to set the tone for the season and encourages candid dialogue from day one.”

Building on Nelson’s approach, you should make it clear that while parents are welcome at practice, they cannot interrupt drills or yell at their child, other kids, or you. And they need to stay out of the actual training area.

You might also need to outline the consequences if a parent starts acting up: they’ll be asked to leave.

Having set such a boundary, you must ruthlessly enforce it. If a mom or dad violates a rule, remind them of it, and be clear that if it happens again, there will be consequences. It’s all too tempting for youth coaches to mollify parents because they’re scared of a mutiny or the team falling apart if too many parents turn against them. But just as teachers in the classroom have to differentiate between what’s acceptable (a polite email exchange about a perceived issue) and unacceptable (interfering with grading), so too must the coach.

And when problems do arise, you need to be proactive and tackle them head on.

“We recently had a Dad who was yelling a lot during a game in a way that was inappropriate,” Nelson said. “Afterwards I asked him why he was so frustrated. He explained that his son wasn’t playing enough. I thought about it for a minute and recognized that he was right. So I apologized and resolved to give his child more of an opportunity in the next game. Then I reminded him that I am an unpaid volunteer who’s trying to manage 60 kids across various teams, as well as having a full-time job, coaching adults, and trying to be a good father and husband. Once he realized that I wasn’t being paid and that our lives were pretty similar, it reset his expectations and helped him value my time more. And because I gave him a voice, he felt that he was being listened to.”

Modeling the Behavior You Expect

If you want parents to act politely and courteously toward you, your fellow coaches, and game officials, but you treat them like dirt, you’re going to create a dissonance between what you preach and what you practice. Make sure you’re consistent in leading by example and displaying the kind of behavior you’re asking from parents.

The same extends to the children in your charge. If you scream, criticize, and embarrass, then you’re creating a culture that says it’s OK for their parents to do the same both at your practices/games and away from the court, field, or pitch. Instead, try to instruct firmly but without raising your voice, be a constant encourager, and, if a child has a certain issue, talk to them about it away from the group so you don’t shame them in front of their peers.

Such a modus operandi mimics some of the best coaches in the adult sporting world, according to author Fergus Connolly.

“When I consulted at Liverpool FC, Brendan Rodgers never had a bad word to say to the team but was always positive,” Connolly said. “At Welsh Rugby, Warren Gatland had a similar approach. He didn’t have much to say to the players during training, but when he did speak, it was to encourage and to break tension with humor. He also smiled a lot, which set the tone for the players. Such things are just as effective at the youth level. If you want well behaved and friendly kids and parents, you have to act that way.”

Establishing and Maintaining Lines of Communication

One of the issues with bad sports parents is that they’re constantly trying to tell you how to do your job (or, quite likely, your volunteer-basis vocation). We see this in armchair quarterbacking at practices and even more so at games where parents suddenly become self-appointed experts on everything from formation to tactics to substitution patterns.

And if a mom or dad has played the sport themselves, the issue can be exacerbated because they think this lends them credibility to shoot holes in your coaching, lambast the referees, and yell at the kids.

Try to get ahead of such problems by creating an opportunity for parents to speak their mind outside of practice and away from games. Be clear that you don’t think your coaching is perfect and that you welcome suggestions, but that the time for these is before or after practice, not in the middle of it. If you engage in conversation during these times and proactively seek feedback, you’ll foster positive two-way communication.

You can also provide your email address and, if you’re comfortable with giving it out, your phone number and let parents know you’d welcome the chance to discuss issues.

Preventing a Coaches/Parents Civil War

Once a forceful parent or two turn against their children’s coach, it’s possible for them to poison the well and create an us-and-them divide between their fellow parents and you. To prevent this from happening, you don’t need to become everybody’s best friend, but there are some things you can do to create a sense of comradery and teamwork.

One is to ask volunteers to perform certain tasks, which allows you to delegate responsibility without abdicating.

“The best teams in the world entrust people with responsibility, as it gives everyone a sense of ownership,” Connolly said. “It might be something small, but to the person performing the task, it’s bigger than just picking up cones after practice or helping clean up the locker room. Giving people responsibility makes them feel like they’re a real part of the team and encourages leadership.”

With this in mind, send an email to all parents at the beginning of the season asking people to sign up for certain tasks. Maybe it’s a regular thing like bringing a cooler full of bottled water to each practice or washing game jerseys.

You can also ask for help on the spot as needed. For example, if a one-car family calls to say they can’t make it to practice tonight because their vehicle is in the shop, maybe you fire off a group text asking if somebody can pick the child up and drop them off. Such things foster a sense of community that goes far beyond simply hosting an end-of-year pizza party.

Keeping the Team Together

Despite your best efforts and giving a parent several chances to improve their behavior, there may be a couple of repeat offenders who continue to undermine your team’s values and standards. Rather than kicking them out, Nelson takes a more constructive approach to solving this thorny problem:

“If a parent has behaved disruptively or disrespectfully over and over despite me talking with them, I put the focus back on their son or daughter,” he said.

“I remind them that we’re giving their child the chance not only to learn a wonderful sport, but also to improve as a human being. Is it worth denying their son or daughter this opportunity because they feel the need to yell and scream? Then I explain that my daughters are becoming confident young women who speak up for those who don’t have a voice simply because they’re playing rugby. I ask them to imagine how much their child would grow if they stay with the team. Then I make it clear that for this to happen, the adult needs to start acting like one. If they can’t, we’ll gladly refund their fees. But we’d prefer to remedy the situation and keep them and their kid around. More often than not, we see this mom or dad radically change, and their child thrives.”

Check back soon for part 2 in our youth sports series.

Source

https://blog.trainheroic.com/youth-sports-part-1-getting-bad-sports-parents-to-behave-better

[legalseat]

Uber v. Waymo and Lessons for Trade Secret Protection for Companies

[Swrang Varma is a 4th Year BB.A. LL.B. (Hons.) student at the University School of Law & Legal Studies, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University]

Introduction

More than a century has elapsed since the establishment of the theory of the separate juristic personality of a corporation. Be that as it may, a corporation still functions through human innovation. The unique competitive edge that corporations wield in the market as against other similar players is by virtue of certain ideas or information pertaining to a particular ingredient of an edible product, method of conducting business or the list of certain suppliers or customers that a company may hold on to very closely.

This competitive edge can be diluted or gained by the acts of unauthorized disclosure by the human actors who get acquainted with the idea, information, or method during the period of employment by the company. The law on trade secrets in India stands previously discussed on this Blog, so I shall focus my efforts on the lessons one can learn from a recent case.

The Technology at Issue

The recent Waymo v. Uber (Waymo LLC v. Uber Technologies, Inc., 3:17-cv-00939) settlement is yet another lesson for innovation intensive industries, especially in a field as nascent as self-driving vehicles, to implement best practices in order to prevent dominant firms from, maliciously or otherwise, diluting competition in the market by unconscionably acquiring trade secrets from smaller firms. The present case concerned the alleged theft of sensitive Waymo business information including the manufacture, sampling, calibration and testing of the sensors, Waymo’s highly confidential proprietary design of a LiDAR circuit board, a laser-based scanning and mapping technology that uses the reflections off objects around it to create a real-time 3D image of the world.

It also enabled LiDAR, when mounted onto a car, to help the car navigate even in pitch dark and without the need for any steering wheels or pedals, thus effectively giving Waymo a first mover advantage in the field of driverless cars. Waymo manager Anthony Lewandowski, who subsequently left the company along with the SD card containing all the data in tow to start his own self-driving truck company, that was later acquired by Uber, was the principal defendant charged with unjust enrichment, misappropriation and infringement of Waymo’s intellectual property.

The Shifting Burden of Proof on Both Parties

While many were shocked that Uber and Waymo settled mid-way through the trial despite the weak case that Waymo brought against Uber, it has been noted that Waymo would have probably received less from the settlement than it sought due to the onerous burden to prove the third party was actually aware of the tainted origin of the trade secrets and intentionally hired Lewandowski from that point of view.

The protection of trade secrets has more to do with the confidential information that a departing employee carries in their head because of a fiduciary relationship (or one of trust). As a result, the information disclosed attracts an obligation of confidence, even if there might not be actual documents to prove unjust enrichment from stolen trade secrets. (Diljeet Titus v. Alfred A. Adebare, 2006 (32) PTC 609, 130 (2006) DLT 330). This obligation need not be express; it can even be implied (Margaret, Duchess of Argyll (Fame Sole) v. Duke of Argyll, [1965] 1 All ER 611, [1965] 2 WLR 790. In India, common law protection is accorded through actions in equity and tortious liability such as breach of confidence as well as non-compete clauses in contracts of service (tested against the plank of section 27 of the Indian Contract Act). Thus, corporations only have exorbitant legal fees and damage to their reputation to account for if they do not carry out diligent vetting of the employees and their files. Any trade secrets’ origins need to be traced when hiring an employee, especially from a competitor.

Although Waymo did have standard security measures in place, such as dual authentication processes for access to all documents, encrypted and password-protected communication, or having separate vendors for supply of different parts, these measures are inadequate when the vulnerabilities are within. Companies need to have mechanisms in place that monitor the behaviour of employees both before they leave for new opportunities as well as when they have joined from a competitor. Critical information should only be disclosed on a “need-to-know” basis. For employees with access to critical information, an investigation into whether the employee has ever downloaded or copied this information en masse should be carried out. At the end of the day, when the line between confidential information and trade secrets blurs, it is the degree of sensitivity of the information that the employer impresses upon the employee that counts (Faccenda Chicken Ltd. v. Fowler, [1986] 1 All ER 617).

A non-disclosure provision that applies when the employee departs and joins another competitor should be added as a matter of practice, subject to reasonableness and specific enumeration of geographical extent of application, scope and duration. Companies should take note that not all information or ideas are trade secrets if they are not the subject of transformation into a protected work (Burlington Home Shopping Pvt. Ltd. v. Rajnish Chibber 61 (1996) DLT 6), and something that was learned in course of the previous employer’s business after application of due skill and knowledge.

In American Express Bank Ltd. v. Priya Puri [(2006) III LLJ 540, (2006) 110 FLR 1061], the Court refused the plaintiff’s request for an injunction against the defendant for using mere names and addresses of the customers of a bank at her new workplace as she had only used knowledge in the public domain to further her own career prospects. As was held in the case of Ambiance India Pvt. Ltd. v. Naveen Jain (122 (2005) DLT 421), business acumen, ways of dealing with the customers or clients, or routine day-to-day affairs of the employer in the knowledge of many cannot be considered trade secrets or confidential information. Thus, section 27 of the Indian Contract Act, 1872 has been used to balance the interests of both trade secret owners as well as employees even after the termination of service of an employee.

Conclusion

It is not enough to simply prove that the employee had access to important trade secrets, and any limitation has to be narrowly and specifically tailored. In fact, this issue goes beyond the legal sphere, as smart management and constantly keeping up to date with industry best practices in safeguarding intellectual property can cement a company’s first mover advantage that matters greatly in industries that go through rapid shifts in technological progress, as well as save companies an enormous amount of money by way of future profits and legal disputes.  As has been noted, Silicon Valley’s high rate of technological innovation lies in “talent mobility”, or the refusal to enforce noncompete clauses. However, this comes with the caution to make sure one is acquiring talent and know-how, not trade secrets.

The law of confidentiality imposes a strict burden on companies alleging breach of confidentiality against a previous employee lest they disproportionately impinge on the employees’ fundamental right to freely conduct their trade or profession once they leave the company.[1] What we can learn from Uber v. Waymo is that best practices have not been evolved even in the talent and ideation heavy tech industry, which should be zealously protective of innovation. The case should act as a wake-up call for development of context-specific security measures where currently the extent of active legal safeguards are the minimal, rarely enforced, non-disclosure and non-compete agreements.

– Swrang Varma

[1] Article 19(1)(g), The Constitution of India, 1950.

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