Dad nearly fined $192 for playing tennis with his kids. Now he plans to carry their birth certificates
'What are you talking about? These are my kids,' Dogen recalled thinking to himself
It was a quiet afternoon at Golden Gate Heights Park in San Francisco when Sam Dogen thought it would be a great idea to take his two kids to play tennis. The author and founder of Financial Samurai, who had just returned from a family trip to Hawaii, thought it'd help him as well as his son and daughter get rid of the jet lag. But just 20 minutes into their practice, two San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department rangers walked up to them and asked Dogen for a permit. What happened next was just unexpected, as reported by Fox News on August 7, 2026.
Interrupting family time
The unexpected interruption happened when Dogen drove his kids to the park hoping to get rid of the jet lag while burning some calories. However, even before the family could break a sweat, they were interrupted by a couple of San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department rangers. They asked Dogen whether he had a permit to teach tennis. Of course, he didn't have one because he was just teaching tennis to his own kids! "I was immediately thinking to myself, 'What are you talking about? These are my kids,'" he recalled.
Trying to clear the confusion
After going back and forth for a while, the confusion only cleared after one of Dogen's children decided to speak up. "He's my daddy," his 9-year-old son said. Although his son's answer clarified that Dogen was there as a parent, one of the rangers then said something unexpected. They told him that teaching without a proper permit could result in a $192 fine. While Dogen did emphasize that it was just a warning, he was still baffled as to why the ranger even pointed that out in the first place.
Proving paternity in the future
San Francisco prohibits commercial tennis instruction on public courts without the required permit. The rule is intended to regulate paid coaching in public spaces. That being said, the interaction left a sour taste in Dogen's mouth. Even more so because he wasn't holding up a line or disrupting the peace, just teaching his kids. As a result of this, he joked that he just might carry his children's birth certificates inside his gym bag to prove that he's their dad the next time he visits a public court. "I'm not going to get a permit to teach my children," he added.
The department faces backlash
Nonetheless, as this incident continues to gather national attention, the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department has finally responded. "It was a routine interaction," department spokesperson Tamara Aparton said. She explained that the rangers only warned Dogen because paid instruction was prohibited at public courts without a permit. Aparton emphasized that the rangers were doing their jobs and had no other way to truly know the situation unless they asked questions. But that's not how Dogen sees this, as he hopes the condition improves in the future.
Park and recreational spaces matter
What's concerning about the entire incident is the fact that reactions like these may scare people from visiting these public spaces. According to a report by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), a striking 227 million adults visited their local parks in 2025. Additionally, almost 2 in 3, or about 68% of U.S. adults, also strongly agreed that parks and recreation are "an important service provided by their local government." This goes to show how important these spaces are for people and why authorities should make them accessible.
Focus on major issues
Amid this, the people have started to raise their voices against the authorities. They did so under the post by The San Francisco Standard (@sfstandard). @soldiersinpetticoatspress commented, "I get checking he’s not a coach if it’s crowded. But with no one else there, that seems like a waste of time. Seems like they’re less serious about people smoking in the parks than people playing tennis." Meanwhile, @atomic.b_tch pointed out, "The unlicensed daycares with over 12 kids per 1 adult and dog walkers with 14 dogs and 7 more left on hot trucks are a bigger issue in our parks but go uncited."
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