Parents affect on their childrens sporting lives Essay

Many everyday encounters can test our values. In sports conflict is expected, and as skill level increases conflict becomes more prominent. This is even more evident to coaches, as they experience conflict from players, referees, and parents. In my experience, coaching many times I must hold back what I want to say and walk away. One specific encounter with two parents tested my values of respect, positivity, and self-worth. In this experience, two parents confronted me after a game about the substitutions going on on the field, as I was a youth coach learning how to run the bench I was appalled at this statement. In this instance, I related to the barber contemplating what to do, “ What do you gain by it? Nothing.” (pg.15A) I also connected with the idea of upholding a reputation, as I would not want to be viewed as anything less than a great coach, “Murderer or hero?” (pg.15C) My values of respect and positivity helped me walk away from this situation, which further revealed how my character is centered around integrity.

Children are the future. When they are harmed, the future becomes less and less healthy. Injuries from sports are especially risky for children, because they’re not finished developing and are susceptible to brain damage that could stop their brains from growing. Mental harm, at times, can be more dangerous than physical injuries. For example, low self-esteem can lead to serious psychological impairments and conditions like depression. While it may be true that physical fitness is important, there are still options and activities that cause a lot less harm and fewer risks are necessary. Parents and coaches both should work harder to keep children safe and out of harm’s way while in sports. Parents should get their children check up on at the doctor’s when something seems wrong, and act accordingly. Coaches should have breaks for rest and to prevent strain between practices and put the players’ health and safety as a top priority, above

Each year in the United States, more than 36 million school-aged children participate in an “organized sport” (“Youth Sports Statistics”). Especially over the past few years, many studies have proved or disproved the idea that sports are beneficial for young kids. Those studies have found that youth sports have both positive and negative effects on young children, and research shows parents and coaches have the greatest effect on a child’s experience.

America’s baseball diamonds, soccer fields, hockey rinks, and basketball courts have never been so busy with children. The number of kids involved in an organized sport is not what is so groundbreaking. It’s the way in which children are playing or how their parents are arranging for them to play that may be cause for concern (Ferguson). Much controversy surrounds youth sports with the biggest disagreements coming over parental involvement and the intensity of play. Although there are many benefits for team participation, there is a growing fear that the negatives are starting to outweigh the positives.

Despite such an increased concern for this topic many people are aware of the possible implications of placing their children in football or playing the game themselves yet they still continue to do so. Many players are told from a young age to simply be tough and suck it up, “[…] youth profess that the game and the team are more important than their individual health and they may play through a concussion to avoid letting down their teammates, coaches, schools and parents” (Breslow,

Football can not only teach you about teamwork but as well as commitments and responsibilities. When on a team this is no I or me there is only us and we, that commitment is made as soon as you pledge to help your fellow teammates and participate in the sport. Most sports now in common day are not likely to be inexpensive but highly costly, especially football. The child’s parents make the commitment to pay for the registration, the equipment, and time to be there to cheer on their

Sadly, dealing with unreasonable, loud, obnoxious parents can be the most challenging part of coaching. Many coaches just want to make a difference in young lives instead of having to deal with the extra baggage of a high-strung parent. “If a parent does not like what you are doing as a coach, then there is no reason that parent can’t become a coach. One of the most difficult problems in coaching youth sports is dealing with an irate parent, but this problem can be diminished by holding parent meetings before and during the season.” (Put ‘Em In Coach, 33)

In the articles, “The Secret Life of Tiger Woods” by Wright Thompson and “Are Parents Ruining Youth Sports? Fewer Kids Play Amid Pressure” by Michael S. Rosenwald, the authors explain what the sacrifices that elite athletes have to make in order to reach that professional level. I think that becoming an “elite athlete” is worth the sacrifices it requires because if you think about it, elite athletes inspire others and make younger people want to try to be an athlete too. Thus, elite athletes make large amounts of money in a year just doing a sport and doing something they like to do, not what they’re forced to do. In the article, Rosenwald says “...Still, active kids are less likely to be obese and are more likely to have higher test scores,

An increase in the number of reported instances of parents engaging in abusive, violent, and controlling behavior toward coaches,

Sports may not be all that good for children. Some people might say that sports can cause injury, children won’t get a chance to play if they are not very good, or children may be made fun of for lacking skill in that particular sport. I believe that participating in sports has a much more positive impact on children. Sports can help children’s health approve, help them develop new friends, and can help improve the children’s self confidence.

Children who participate in sports are developing rapidly in sports skills, sportsmanship, and psychologically, but does this come from organized sports are just nature’s process. Children develop emotional and social benefits from participating in sports. Children experience character and leadership development through peer relations leading to an increase in self-esteem and a decrease in anxiety levels. Children will get opportunities to experience positive and negative emotions throughout their practice and games trials. It is important for the coach to understand the “psychology of youth sports and physical activity participation” (Weinberg & Gould, 2011 p.516).

effect this attitude has on the children. I have witnessed this behavior from coaches and

Unfortunately, involvement in youth sports has not had the effect most parents are expecting. Instead author Carey informs the reader with disturbing statistics. He asserts 84% of parents surveyed in an issue of SportingKid magazine have witnessed ‘violent parental behavior’ toward children, coaches or official at kids’ sporting events, 80% said they had been victims of such behavior. Violence makes headlines too, as Docheff and Conn speak about a father of a 10 year old ice hockey player ‘confronts’ a coach, engages in ‘some verbal sparring’ until asked to leave. Then ‘the stressed father returns to the rink, challenges the coach again, and begins beating him while young athletes yell helplessly for the crazed parent to stop. It's too late. Two days later, a spokesperson for the hospital announces that the coach has died (par 1).’

Having gone through both elementary and middle school, we have all run into peers who spent a lot of time and energy trying to act like the most popular athlete in any given time period. Kids often try to imitate controversial athletes to bring attention to themselves. Such behavior can bring popularity to a young person. A sad outcome of violence in adult sports is that youth sports end up mirroring adult sports. Young people are encouraged to be aggressive, and often those who are the stars of the team are those who know how to "stretch the rules". Often, young people who do play by the rules are relegated to the bench. As a result, youth athletic teams, even

Raising children in today’s society is not for the faint of heart. Raising children has never been easy, but it is especially difficult in youth sports today. Coaches and parents are putting a lot of pressure on our young sons and daughters. The pressure to succeed in sports at