[jgrubby]

As for the first question, yes, I would support my children if they were defending themselves against some other kid who assaulted them. I'll turn the question around: would you want your child to just stand there and let themselves get slugged by another kid?

As for whether I would say something to the other kid, no I wouldn't. When parents who think they have to micromanage every aspect of their kids' lives get involved, that's when incidents like this spiral out of control. Better to let the kids themselves sort it out, unless someone is in immediate physical danger.

As for the coach being responsible for his players? Uh.. yeah? Of course it's not his fault if one of his players slugs another kid, the responsibility for each player's actions falls upon himself. But it is the coach's responsibility to get that kid out of the game immediately. He should also suspend the kid for a couple of games, just to get the message across. The offending player needs to know that there are always consequences for his actions, and the problem is that these days, no one wants to take responsibility for their own actions.

Finally, you were insinuating that I was only talking about little kids, and I wasn't. This is a high school forum, and I am talking about high school sports. I don't care if they are high school age, it's still wrong to boo or insult the players on the field. Adults should try to act like grown-ups for a change.

Enough said.