History Main / SportsDad

** Roy Jones Jr's father was an abusive man who was driven to mould his son into becoming a successful professional boxer, forcing him to fight grown men at the age of 8, train ridiculously hard at a young age, and encourage him into getting into cockfighting. Jones Jr has gone on record saying that he isn't afraid of any punishment he takes in the ring because what his dad used to do to him was worse.

** {{Defied|Trope}} by former NFL quarterback Archie Manning. Despite knowing the ins and outs of making it to the NFL (having played himself) and having three sons (Cooper, Peyton, and Eli) with huge potential, he had almost no involvement in his sons' football careers; in fact, as he revealed in a 2005 interview, there was a point in time when Archie thought Eli might not be interested in football, and his immediate reaction was to worry that Eli might be feeling pressured towards football because of his family's association with the game, because that was the exact opposite of what Archie wanted, which was for his sons to choose their own paths (he described his thought process as, "If [Eli] wants to play piano, let's get him a piano"). When the boys reached high school age, Archie and his wife sent them to a prep school in New Orleans with rigorous academic standards and a poor football program because he felt school was more important. Even after the kids became hot college recruits, Archie didn't force them to attend his alma mater Ole Miss and let them choose their schools (though Cooper and Eli picked Ole Miss anyway). Though the college coaches invited him to sit in on games and meetings and discuss offensive strategies, Archie declined and sat in the stands on game day as a regular fan. In the end, Peyton and Eli became NFL quarterbacks with Hall of Fame-worthy careers that surpass their father's, while Cooper may have made it as a wide receiver had it not been for a severe spinal condition that forced him to retire in college (he had to settle for being an extremely successful investment banker and TV sports broadcaster instead).
*** Cooper has gone on to defy this trope as his dad did with his own son Arch. In an age where top high school prospects are active on social media, frequently attend public showcases, and often meet with recruiters beginning in their freshman year, Cooper, with the assistance of the family and Arch's coaches, has done everything he can to shield Arch from the media and restrict the access college coaches have with him so he can have a more normal high school experience. Cooper even refused to let coaches make any scholarship offers until the spring of Arch's sophomore year.

There are also more extreme versions of the trope who pressure their sons into fighting or [[ManlyMenCanHunt hunting]]. Considering how scarring it might be to be pressured into fighting or killing, these dads can be viewed as [[AbusiveParents abusive]]. Woe be unto any {{Nerd}} who has a father like this, especially if the dad wants him to fight his bullies. See JockDadNerdSon.

* Discussed in ''Series/HouseOfAnubis''. Mara's parents are both professional athletes, with her father being an Olympic gold medalist and her mother being a professional hockey player. So, in her own words, they were "pushy" about her playing sports, to the point where Patricia claims that Mara has been "living, breathing, eating it all her life" despite being a {{Nerd}} who doesn't actually enjoy athletics. This allows her to relate more to Mick, who has the opposite issue of being a LovableJock whose doctor father wants him to also be a doctor.

* ''ComicBook/RobinSeries'': Jack Drake wants Tim to play football. Tim ''hates'' football, to the point that he doesn't even like watching it. At one point Tim got out of his dad asking him why he was getting in late by saying he stayed late because of football tryouts, though he never said he tried out ''and'' if his dad knew the first thing about his son he might have though he was taking photos or something. Instead when Jack learns the football coach doesn't remember Tim trying out Jack tears apart Tim's room, destroying Tim's possessions and trying to hack into his computer until he wrecks the back wall of Tim's closet, discovers it was a false wall hiding the Robin suit and summarily goes to Wayne manor to threaten Bruce with a gun.

* Russ Thompson Senior in ''Film/HoneyIShrunkTheKids'' (the next door neighbour to Moranis' character) really wants his son to be more masculine and athletic and his son is afraid to tell him he quit the high school football team. He gets over it after going through CharacterDevelopment after his son goes missing (having been shrunk) and experiencing AdultFear about him.

* In ''Anime/FutureGPXCyberFormula ZERO'', Henri Claytor's father was a former racer who trained his son to be one and wants him to be the youngest champion in Cyber Formula. When that didn't happen and Hayato Kazami got that title before him, his father becomes an alcoholic and started to abuse and ignore him. This leads Henri to hate Hayato for taking what he thinks was his. After some lecturing from Osamu and then Hayato, [[spoiler: he starts realizing what he has become due to his father's training and starts seeing Hayato as the father he wishes he had]].

** {{Defied|Trope}} by former NFL quarterback Archie Manning. Despite knowing the ins and outs of making it to the NFL (having played himself) and having three sons (Cooper, Peyton, and Eli) with huge potential, he had almost no involvement in his sons' football careers; in fact, as he revealed in a 2005 interview, there was a point in time when Archie thought Eli might not be interested in football, and his immediate reaction was to worry that Eli might be feeling pressured towards football because of his family's association with the game, because that was the exact opposite of what Archie wanted, which was for his sons to choose their own paths (as he put it, "If [Eli] wants to play piano, let's get him a piano"). When the boys reached high school age, Archie and his wife sent them to a prep school in New Orleans with rigorous academic standards and a poor football program because he felt school was more important. Even after the kids became hot college recruits, Archie didn't force them to attend his alma mater Ole Miss and let them choose their schools (though Cooper and Eli picked Ole Miss anyway). Though the college coaches invited him to sit in on games and meetings and discuss offensive strategies, Archie declined and sat in the stands on game day as a regular fan. In the end, Peyton and Eli became NFL quarterbacks with Hall of Fame-worthy careers that surpass their father's, while Cooper may have made it as a wide receiver had it not been for a severe spinal condition that forced him to retire in college (he had to settle for being an extremely successful investment banker and TV sports broadcaster instead).

** {{Defied|Trope}} by former NFL quarterback Archie Manning. Despite knowing the ins and outs of making it to the NFL (having played himself) and having three sons (Cooper, Peyton, and Eli) with huge potential, he had almost no involvement in his sons' football careers; in fact, as he revealed in a 2005 interview, there was a point in time when Archie thought Eli might not be interested in football, and his immediate reaction was to be concerned that Eli might feel pressured to play anyway, since Archie had always been determined to let the boys choose their own paths (as he put it, "If [Eli] wants to play piano, let's get him a piano"). When the boys reached high school age, Archie and his wife sent them to a prep school in New Orleans with rigorous academic standards and a poor football program because he felt school was more important. Even after the kids became hot college recruits, Archie didn't force them to attend his alma mater Ole Miss and let them choose their schools (though Cooper and Eli picked Ole Miss anyway). Though the college coaches invited him to sit in on games and meetings and discuss offensive strategies, Archie declined and sat in the stands on game day as a regular fan. In the end, Peyton and Eli became NFL quarterbacks with Hall of Fame-worthy careers that surpass their father's, while Cooper may have made it as a wide receiver had it not been for a severe spinal condition that forced him to retire in college (he had to settle for being an extremely successful investment banker and TV sports broadcaster instead).

** {{Defied|Trope}} by former NFL quarterback Archie Manning. Despite knowing the ins and outs of making it to the NFL (having played himself) and having three sons (Cooper, Peyton, and Eli) with huge potential, he had almost no involvement in his sons' football careers; in fact, as he revealed in a 2005 interview, there was a point in time when Archie thought Eli might not be interested in football, and his immediate reaction was to be concerned that Eli might feel pressured to play anyway and a commitment to let Eli choose his own path (as Archie put it, "If this one wants to play piano, let's get him a piano"). When the boys reached high school age, Archie and his wife sent them to a prep school in New Orleans with rigorous academic standards and a poor football program because he felt school was more important. Even after the kids became hot college recruits, Archie didn't force them to attend his alma mater Ole Miss and let them choose their schools (though Cooper and Eli picked Ole Miss anyway). Though the college coaches invited him to sit in on games and meetings and discuss offensive strategies, Archie declined and sat in the stands on game day as a regular fan. In the end, Peyton and Eli became NFL quarterbacks with Hall of Fame-worthy careers that surpass their father's, while Cooper may have made it as a wide receiver had it not been for a severe spinal condition that forced him to retire in college (he had to settle for being an extremely successful investment banker and TV sports broadcaster instead).

** {{Defied|Trope}} by former NFL quarterback Archie Manning. Despite knowing the ins and outs of making it to the NFL (having played himself) and having three sons (Cooper, Peyton, and Eli) with huge potential, he had almost no involvement in his sons' football careers. When the boys reached high school age, Archie and his wife sent them to a prep school in New Orleans with rigorous academic standards and a poor football program because he felt school was more important. Even after the kids became hot college recruits, Archie didn't force them to attend his alma mater Ole Miss and let them choose their schools (though Cooper and Eli picked Ole Miss anyway). Though the college coaches invited him to sit in on games and meetings and discuss offensive strategies, Archie declined and sat in the stands on game day as a regular fan. In the end, Peyton and Eli became NFL quarterbacks with Hall of Fame-worthy careers that surpass their father's, while Cooper may have made it as a wide receiver had it not been for a severe spinal condition that forced him to retire in college (he had to settle for being an extremely successful investment banker and TV sports broadcaster instead).

Related to EducationMama, for a parent that pushes their child at academics and StageMom for one that does the same with acting, singing and other performance arts. See also BillyElliotPlot for when people around a boy (usually the father) wants him to do a sport or something considered "masculine" while the boy wants to pursue something that's stereotyped as being feminine.

* In one episode of ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'', a young hockey player accidentally kills his teammate during a hazing gone wrong. It turns out the hazing was carried out under the orders of the player's overbearing and abusive father; the kid didn't want to do it, but was afraid of what his father would do if he disobeyed. In the end, the father ends up being held partially responsible for the other child's death.

* Stargirl (2020) has Larry Crock, a middle-aged man who runs Blue Valley's local gym and who's daughter is the Blue Valley High Football quarterback. Considering the eventual reveal in episode six that he used to be the sports-themed supervillain Sportsmaster (and subsequently comes out of retirement), it's very likely that the choice for her to join the team was mainly his choice. However, this is mainly fan speculation.

* Stargirl(2020) has Larry Crock, a middle-aged man who runs Blue Valley's local gym and who's daughter is the Blue Valley High Football quarterback. Considering the eventual reveal in episode six that he used to be the sports-themed supervillain Sportsmaster (and subsequently comes out of retirement), it's very likely that the choice for her to join the team was mainly his choice. However, this is mainly fan speculation.

* ''Series/{{Stargirl(2020)}}'' has Larry Crock, a middle-aged man who runs Blue Valley's local gym and who's daughter is the Blue Valley High Football quarterback. Considering the eventual reveal in episode six that he used to be the sports-themed supervillain Sportsmaster (and subsequently comes out of retirement), it's very likely that the choice for her to join the team was mainly his choice. However, this is mainly fan speculation.

* Stargirl(2020) has Larry Crock, a middle-aged man who runs Blue Valley's local gym and who's daughter is the Blue Valley High Football quarterback. Considering the eventual reveal in episode six that he used to be the sports-themed supervillain Sportsmaster (and subsequently comes out of retirement), it's very likely that the choice for her to join the team was mainly his choice. However, this is mainly fan speculation.

* ''Series/Stargirl (2020)'' has Larry Crock, a middle-aged man who runs Blue Valley's local gym and who's daughter is the Blue Valley High Football quarterback. Considering the eventual reveal in episode six that he used to be the sports-themed supervillain Sportsmaster (and subsequently comes out of retirement), it's very likely that the choice for her to join the team was mainly his choice. However, this is mainly fan speculation.

* ''Series/Stargirl'' has Larry Crock, a middle-aged man who runs Blue Valley's local gym and who's daughter is the Blue Valley High Football quarterback. Considering the eventual reveal in episode six that he used to be the sports-themed supervillain Sportsmaster (and subsequently comes out of retirement), it's very likely that the choice for her to join the team was mainly his choice. However, this is mainly fan speculation.

* ''Series/DCStargirl(2020)'' has Larry Crock, a middle-aged man who runs Blue Valley's local gym and who's daughter is the Blue Valley High Football quarterback. Considering the eventual reveal in episode six that he used to be the sports-themed supervillain Sportsmaster (and subsequently comes out of retirement), it's very likely that the choice for her to join the team was mainly his choice. However, this is mainly fan speculation.