4 Comments

  1. ovanhook

    100% agree with parents have to be positive supporters. I’ve seen it too many times where a parents ruins a sport for an athlete because they were too hard on them. Parents think they know everything about sports and think they can coach. I believe if parents leave the coaching to the coaches, then players will have better satisfaction. As a college coach, my players hear harsh remarks from me. I don’t want them to have a bad game and see their parents after a game where the mom or dad is ready to get onto them about how bad they played. I think parents need to be positive no matter what in sports or they might ruin it for their kids. Good paper!

  2. cclewett

    As a former athlete who is currently raising children involved in youth sports, this paper was very interesting to me. Our family has had good and bad experiences with youth leagues, and your paper touched on our main concerns. I personally think many of the issues are a result of poor communication and/or poor expectation management. First of all, each league must establish the main goals of their program and then find qualified people who share the same vision to join their efforts. Like you mentioned, the obvious goal is usually developing and practicing foundational skills for beginners or ramping up the teamwork skills and playing strategies for more advanced players. But many leagues focus on additional goals as well, such as developing sportsmanship, incorporating faith-based principles in sports, or preparing players for specific transitions to another level/program. Truly embracing the unique goals of your program and accurately marketing your program is crucial so that parents can be more positively involved. Once parents and players know what to expect (ultra competitive vs. relaxed beginner approach) then it’s a matter of fair and consistent policies, effective communication, and competent coaching and scheduling. Keeping parents informed and honoring their time is a huge deal! You are so right when you say that a great youth sports experience goes well beyond simply encouraging your child to get out there have fun!

  3. ephillips8

    Your paper spoke to me, as some one who grew up playing every sport I could possibly play. I genuinely believe that youth sports are incredibly important, it teaches teamwork, hard work, good work ethic, time management, sacrifice, and so many other aspects that will help to develop positive characteristics in children at an early age. Another good point is the community aspect, the community that i grew up playing sports in was a close knit-community and it allowed me to develop friendships and relationships with others in my community. This was especially important as I got to high school, because I played softball with almost all the same girls that I had played with since I was 5 years old, and I can say that our success as a team had a lot to do with growing up in youth sports and building a strong team bond.

  4. cbriseno4

    I find youth sport programs to be very beneficial but I have experienced that now a days they are not organized or ran properly. Your paper touched base on many specifics, such as positive parents, the mission of the programs, how these programs should be learning experiences for the kids and fun. What stood out to me was when you stated:
    “youth sports create many opportunities for children to not only improve their fundamental motor skills and appreciation for fitness, but there are other possible benefits such as social and emotional growth.” Kids learn social skills and how to work together with others. They learn how to communicate, win and lose. This teaches them how to make decisions on the spot, how to react, how to learn from mistakes and that is something that is essential for youth growth. So I am glad that you stated that.
    Another important statement that caught my eye was:
    “youth sport leaders must take the initiative by designing and administering a program that focus on the well-being of each child and allow children from all backgrounds to have positive life experience thorugh sport.” Games at such a young age may not mean much years down the road, but the impact that they serve in a child’s life is crucial. I remember numerous games as a kid that don’t mean anything now, but are markers of growth I have developed over the years. When administering a program I do agree that it should be about the well-being of the kids rather than the severe competitiveness at such a young age and the disrespect that some parents show the officials, coaches, and the kids if they didn’t play well. When kids are young it is important that us adults, coaches, parents are positive with them because it is about fun and the growth/learning process. Well done, Alyssa!

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