Youth Sports

Youth sports is becoming more and more popular both across the US and world. Parents and coaches are pushing their children harder and harder to become elite athletes in his/her respective sports. We have all seen video footage and news stories about parents getting out of control at youth sporting events. What affect does this have on the child? Are parents and coaches "stealing" the youth out of children? How should such situations be handled?

Here is a clip of several different on-field encounters between coaches, parents, and young athletes. One clip shows a brawl occurring over differences about an umpire's ruling. 

It is the job of coaches and parents to prepare children in all aspects of their lives. Examples like the ones in the clips are sending the wrong message to children as to how people should act and handle certain situations. One clip that will be posted at the end shows two youth football teams being banned from postseason play because of parents involvement with brawl. The kids are the ones who suffer after all that hard-work, not to mention their love for the game. Are we not supposed to teach the youth how to be model citizens? How to respect one another? How to walk away from encounters, such as the ones that occurred?


Youth sports is all about developing a young athlete by both enhancing his/her athletic skills and building character. When coaches and parents act out of control and take the game too seriously, they are sending the wrong image to children. Not only that, but kids are even getting abused by coaches and parents. Take this article, for example, a 10 yr old drops a pass and suffers a broken arm at the hands of his own coach.


   In the article, Fred Engh, president of the National Alliance of Youth sports, expresses his concern and desire to push for mandatory training for parents and volunteers who wish to coach. Should this become a national thing, or should individual states and/or leagues decide on this issue? http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=95678&page=1 





I feel that there should be a nation-wide, mandatory training for any individual who wishes to coach youth sports. This training should be completed every 3-4 years. We need to have coaches that we can trust to teach kids the game, and how to act as righteous, respectful human beings.


Here are some more clips of parents, coaches, and aggression at youth sporting events.....