The month of April is Youth Sports Injury Prevention month. It is also National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Some might think that the two have nothing in common with each other. Too many of our young athletes could fill this page with the similarities.
Child abuse occurs when someone uses his or her power or position of trust to harm a child physically, emotionally, or sexually, either directly or through neglect — doesn't just occur at home. It happens in sports as well; on the open field, as much in the locker room, in the buses and hotel rooms.
Child abuse in sports takes many different forms, ranging from physical abuse (physical violence, developmentally inappropriate training, using exercise as punishment, requiring or encouraging an athlete to play hurt etc.) to emotional abuse (name calling, screaming, criticizing, shaming or ridiculing, teasing, taunting, bullying, withholding love or affection, punishing a child for losing or failing to perform up to adult expectations etc.) to sexual abuse (inappropriate sexual contact between a coach and an athlete or athlete to athlete in hazing) to neglect (depriving a child of proper rest, nutrition, and hydration, failing to protect a child against a sexual predator, failing to intervene on behalf of a child in the face of a coach's persistent criticism of the child's ability, weight or lack of heart in front of the child's friends or teammates etc.).
Unfortunately, abuse in youth sports is more widespread than one might think. A 2005 study by researchers at three universities in the Midwest reported that: a third of youth sport coaches had angrily yelled at a player for making a mistake (a high rate "of significant concern" to the study's authors); more than four in ten youth athletes had been teased or yelled at by a fan or seen a fan angrily yell at or tease another player; and one in eight parents had angrily criticized their child's sports performance (another 2005 study, by Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Minnesota, reported that more than 4 in 10 parents had seen an inappropriate verbal altercation between a parent and his or her child).
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In proclaiming April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month, President George W. Bush recognized the "devastating long-term effects" of child abuse on young lives and urged parents to work to provide a safe environment for our young people by protecting their children from the dangers that threaten them.
Many parents, coaches and administrators need to be educated to the fact that protecting children against emotional injuries, from verbal abuse or harassment to being exposed to out-of-control or violent behavior by parents, coaches or other players, is just as, if not more important than, protecting them from physical injury because the effects may be much more damaging and long-lasting.
In a 2004 study of emotional abuse of elite child athletes in the United Kingdom, for instance, the athletes reported that abuse by their coaches created a climate of fear and made them feel stupid, worthless, or upset, lacking in confidence, angry, depressed, humiliated, fearful and hurt, and left long-lasting emotional scars. If the abuse becomes chronic, the pattern of negative comments can destroy a child's spirit, motivation and self-esteem. Abusive comments, even if intended to improve athletic performance, are likely to have precisely the opposite effect.
To prevent child abuse in sports, parents not only need to be proactive: avoiding engaging in emotional abuse themselves by modeling appropriate behavior and attitudes, teaching their child that violence — emotional or physical — is not acceptable in solving personal problems, and by building up their child's self-esteem at every opportunity. If they hear abusive language or see abusive conduct, whether from a coach, player or another parent, parents also have to have the courage to speak up: speak to the abuser, or where appropriate, to higher authorities, including the police.
Child abuse is the most preventable youth sport injury. Physical, emotional, and sexual abuse should not be the price children have to pay to play competitive sports. The status quo should and must be changed. It is time for the abuse to stop. We owe nothing less to our children.
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