San Francisco Dad Questioned by Park Rangers While Teaching His Own Children Tennis

A San Francisco father’s afternoon tennis outing with his children took an unexpected turn when park rangers approached him over suspicions that he was conducting unauthorized commercial lessons on a public court.

Sam Dogen said he had taken his 6-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son to Golden Gate Heights Park shortly after the family returned from a trip to Hawaii. His plan was to help the children work through their jet lag by spending some time outdoors practicing tennis.

About 20 minutes into the session, however, two rangers from the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department walked onto the court and asked Dogen whether he had a permit to provide tennis instruction.

Dogen initially struggled to understand the question.

“These are my kids,” he recalled thinking as the rangers questioned him.

The misunderstanding apparently became clear when Dogen’s son told the officers, “He’s my daddy.”

Dogen was not cited, but he said one of the rangers informed him that teaching tennis without the required permit could result in a $192 fine. The encounter ultimately ended with what Dogen described as an educational warning.

Paid instructors are required to obtain permits before conducting commercial lessons on San Francisco’s public tennis courts. The rule is intended to prevent private coaches from taking over public facilities for profit and limiting access for recreational players.

Tamara Aparton, a spokesperson for the Recreation and Parks Department, described the encounter as routine. She said rangers occasionally ask questions when they believe someone may be providing paid instruction without authorization.

The purpose of the questioning, she explained, is to determine whether someone is operating commercially or simply playing recreationally and coaching members of their own family.

Dogen said he understands the reason for regulating paid instructors. What he does not understand is why two rangers felt it necessary to interrupt a father practicing with his children on an otherwise empty court.

“There was nobody waiting,” Dogen said. “Why even bother trying to disrupt a perfectly nice afternoon?”

He also said the rangers’ approach made him uncomfortable, particularly because his two young children were standing beside him. His immediate concern, he said, was keeping the encounter calm and making sure his children felt safe.

Dogen argued that raising a family in an expensive city is difficult enough without parents being treated with suspicion for teaching their own children a sport at a public park.

He joked that he might begin carrying his children’s birth certificates in his tennis bag to prevent another misunderstanding.

“I’m not going to get a permit to teach my children,” he said.

Although the incident ended without a ticket or further action, Dogen said he hopes city officials reconsider how park regulations are enforced around families.

A father helping his children learn tennis on an empty public court, he said, should not have to worry about being threatened with a fine.