Kirk Herbstreit Blasts Youth Sports Parents For 'Pathetic' Behavior

ESPN college football announcer Kirk Herbstreit joined the chorus of people reacting to a highlight of a 12-year-old baseball player celebrating a home run.

A 12U baseball player, rocking a GoPro camera on his helmet so he could record "content" of his performance, slammed his bat into the ground following a home run. He then celebrated with the third base coach as he rounded from home, before dunking a mini-basketball as he crossed home plate.

The clip quickly went viral.

"Here we go again. Another over the top celebration at 12u. If you think this is good for baseball, you are the problem. Bat almost hits him in the face after the spike, then all the "look at me" antics, and you gotta love the cameraman on the field running with the kid. What a joke. It's all a show…🤦🏼‍♂️," Zak Blair shared on X.

ESPN college football announcer Kirk Herbstreit was among those sounding off on social media on Thursday, too.

He ripped the coaches and the parents for "embarrassing" behavior.

"How is this celebrated?!? What the (expletive) is wrong with people?! Where are the coaches? Umpires? What parent in the right mind wouldn't drag their son off the field if he did that? Pathetic!!" he proclaimed.

Former ESPN college football announcer Danny Kanell echoed his thoughts, too.

"The coaches and parents who allow this to go on are the problem. Instead of teaching kids how to play the game the right way and show respect for the opponent they're worried about getting viral attention. Embarrassing," he wrote.

Youth sports has a growing problem with this kind of behavior. And it's the parents and coaches that are to blame.

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This story was originally published April 16, 2026 at 1:51 PM.