EDUCATION: The State of Youth Sports:

Parental Rage and Disruption in Youth Soccer

There is a disturbing phenomenon emerging as parents become overzealous and emotionally charged in youth sports.  With the recent violent parent reactions unraveling the spirit of athletic competitions, I urge everyone to pause for a moment in order to understand the consequences of such reactions and discuss the nature of the events that unveil such hostility.  It is a devastating blow to athletic competition, and more importantly to our nation’s youth.Why is good sportsmanship on the field failing to transcend to those spectators who come to show their support?  While some coaches and parents preach a fair-play philosophy, many espouse a win at all costs, “whatever it takes” mentality that sends mixed signals to young athletes; unfortunately, many adults take the game and this message to heart more seriously than the kids, and when a game escalates, tension mounts and “whatever it takes” threatens to spill off the field.

The consequences of such behavior are serious.  By failing to be models to our youths, we fail to show them the true values of sports and team competition.  We fail to teach them that regardless of winning or losing, what they take away is above and beyond the brute force and techniques applied to athletic competition.  We should be supporting our kids in the natural learning process of organized sports and applying the competitive spirit to life, because the knowledge that our children gain from sports is applicable to adulthood.  And demonstrating that cooler heads prevail in heated moments of disagreement is a good start.  There is no better forum for the learning of such life management skills than that of athletics.  Through the years, young athletes intuitively recognize the relevance of the mental and emotional lessons that they are taught by their mentors.  Whether the lessons we teach are “right” or “wrong”, they are emblazoned in their memories and provide the foundation for their decision-making process.

Yet the most effective remedy to extreme parent reactions has not been adequately addressed.  The truth of the matter is that each incident, like any crime, involves different circumstances and culprits.  As parents, coaches, and sports administrators, everyone is responsible, regardless of who crosses the line.  Such poor behavior elicits much deeper problems within our society.  Violence in sports and the way it is handled, by players, parents, coaches, fans, and administrators, both during and after games, needs to be seriously addressed, across the board.  When fans cheer and players merely get five minute penalties for fighting in a Pro Hockey, is it that much of a surprise that a man was killed in a fist fight following a youth hockey game?  When a Professional Football team has to build a courthouse into their stadium to deal with violations and assaults by rowdy fans, is it a shock that kids, parents, and coaches are brawling in youth soccer games?  When an NBA player gets a 2-game suspension and $5,000 fine for fighting and we still call him a role model, what are kids supposed to think?  Let us open our eyes and realize that these are not isolated “freak” occurrences, but rather acceptable, commonplace acts, that are rampant across the sports world, from top to bottom.  With the rising pressure to win in the athletic arena, our eyes have turned blind to those that are most important in our lives and the future of our societies: the children.  The warning signs are clear and it is absolutely critical that we take a stand and seriously address these issues and the systems that have influence over them.  In many cases, it is the leagues and associations which have the authority.  Through setting strict codes of conduct, communicating them effectively through mandatory workshops, and enforcing such rules, leagues will clarify the issues, limiting such confrontations, and aptly punish offenders.  And this goes for on the field behavior as well, where the key issue is consistency in how ejections, penalties and fouls are called.  The reality is that violations will persist—how parents, coaches and players deal with such circumstances is the key.  Teaching groups proper behavior and techniques to effectively handle confrontation is one of the most imperative lessons to be learned in youth sports.  It is the foundation for world peace.  Events such as this, although disturbing, brings this issue to the surface.  Let us not waste a valuable opportunity to get to the root of this epidemic and collectively take the proper steps to address the matter. Article courtesy of www.mystudentathlete.com