After spending all day at the 3A Regional Baseball and Softball Tournaments in Perryville yesterday with the Mobile Sports Locker, I came to one undeniable conclusion:
There are types of ballpark people.
And if you’ve spent more than five minutes at a baseball or softball field in Arkansas, you already know exactly what I’m talking about.
Now before anybody gets offended, let me say this up front…
I say all of this with love.
Because whether they’re loud, quiet, overdressed, underdressed, or one bad umpire call away from needing a walk to the parking lot…
They showed up.
And that matters.
But still… the ballpark personalities are impossible to ignore.
First, you’ve got the Die Hard Fans.
These folks are committed.
Head-to-toe school colors. Matching earrings. Custom shirts. Monogrammed bag chairs. Probably at least one vehicle decal involved.
And if they’ve got one of those giant “big head” cutouts of their kid?
Just know they are emotionally invested at a level the rest of us may never fully understand.
Bonus points if they’ve somehow coordinated personalized walk-up music and know every player’s batting average.
Then there’s the Preppy Parent section.
You know the ones.
They arrive looking like they accidentally wandered over from brunch at the country club. Designer sunglasses. Perfect hair. Coordinated athleisure that costs more than my first car payment.
They clap politely.
Very controlled. Very composed.
Never too high. Never too low.
Even after a home run, they somehow manage to react like:
“Well done, Braxton. Very nice effort.”
Honestly? I kind of admire the commitment to the aesthetic.
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Then, of course, we have the Outfield Fence Crew.
Now this group is fascinating.
They intentionally set up juuuust far enough away from everybody else to:
- carry on full conversations,
- provide live commentary,
- and occasionally conduct what feels like a small-town investigative report between innings.
You’ll hear:
“Well I heard…”
“Now don’t repeat this…”
“Bless her heart…”
And somehow they still know exactly what’s happening in the game at all times.
That’s talent.
Then there are the Nervous Pacers.
These people haven’t sat down since warmups.
Every pitch is life or death. Every at-bat requires movement. They walk the fence line like assistant coaches who just haven’t officially been added to payroll yet.
Honestly, by the third inning, they’ve probably logged more steps than the center fielder.
And we absolutely cannot forget the Snack Parents.
The real MVPs.
Armed with pickle pops, sunflower seeds, sports drinks, and at least six kinds of chips nobody asked for but everybody eats anyway.
Youth sports would collapse in under a week without snack parents.
That’s just facts.
And finally…
There’s the Umpire Experts.
You know. The ones who suddenly discover a deep and passionate understanding of the strike zone approximately 12 seconds after the first questionable call.
As the wife of an umpire, let me just say this gently:
Y’all are exhausting.
But also… wildly entertaining.
Now truthfully, as funny as all these ballpark personalities are, here’s what I noticed most sitting there in Perryville yesterday:
Every single one of those people showed up because somebody they love was on that field.
And that’s the part that matters.
The school shirts. The gossip circles. The pacing. The overreactions. The polite golf claps.
All of it comes from people caring deeply about their kids.
And honestly, in a world where people are pulled in a thousand different directions, there’s something pretty special about parents, grandparents, friends, and communities still spending entire day sitting in the Arkansas heat cheering kids on.
So whether you’re the quiet parent politely clapping in designer sunglasses or the loud fan holding a giant head cutout in one hand while yelling encouragement with the other…
Keep showing up.
Keep supporting your kids.
Keep making memories at the ballpark.
And maybe — just maybe — go a little easy on the umpire.
It’s my job to yell at him.
And that’s how the ball really bounces…Until next week!
Read more from How the Ball Bounces with Bekka in the archives at www.mysaline.com/bounces.
About the author: Bekka Wilkerson is a lifelong lover of all things sports. Raised in a super athletic household it was no surprise when she too began to love sports at a young age. It seems like from the time she could walk she had a softball bat in her hands, but her true athletic passion came from all things Basketball. That love served her well as a Bryant High School Lady Hornet and ultimately earned her a full scholarship to play at the University of Central Arkansas – among many other adventures.
These days Bekka can be found running around Saline County with her husband, Speedy, or chasing one of her grandsons. She is also the Executive Director of The EMpact One Foundation, a Saline County Nonprofit Organization that helps young people stay connected to extracurricular activities through tuition assistance and equipment provisions.
Reach out to Bekka with questions and/or ideas about things you want to see in this column at [email protected] and learn more about The EMpact One Foundation at www.empactone.org.
