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Stop Pinking with Me!

I’m putting it out there right away. I don’t like pink jerseys, hats and other official team gear targeted toward female fans. I’m not talking about promotional items related to the Breast Cancer Awareness efforts of professional teams. I’m talking about the cutesy, pink, bedazzled jerseys that marketers somewhere think women sports fans want to wear.

I don’t like pink jerseys, hats and other official team gear targeted toward female fans. I know I'm not in the minority. So why has the 'pink it and shrink it' strategy that the professional sports marketers are using moved down to the youth sports arena and athlete's moms?

Coaching Apps: The Next Big Thing?

The 2012 London Summer Olympic Games are now but a memory, but the accomplishments of the most notable and visible athletes, such as Alex Morgan, Gabby Douglas, Allyson Felix, Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, and Usain Bolt, are clearly going to have a long-lasting impact on youth athletes with similar aspirations of glory.

The 2012 London Summer Olympic Games are over but its athletes have no doubt inspired a whole generation of youth athletes to aspire to achieve the same kind of glory.  But how many parents have the kind of money to invest in private trainers and coaches that is required to achieve gold medal status?  Enter the new era of personalized sports instruction via smart phone app.

Spectators Must Assume Risk at Youth Sporting Events

So it's come to this. A woman hit by a ball while sitting near a Little League diamond two years ago is suing the then-11-year-old player who threw the ball. Elizabeth Lloyd's lawsuit alleges that the errant throw was "intentional and reckless." According to Lloyd, the player, Matthew Migliaccio (now 13) "assaulted and battered" her and caused "severe, painful and permanent" injuries. Really? Assault and battery? Intentional? Can you see my eyes roll? And that's just the first count.

So it's come to this. A woman hit by a ball while sitting near a Little League diamond two years ago is suing the then-11-year-old player who threw the ball.

Is Your Child's Coach Committing an Athletic Felony?

Much has been written lately about the emotional damage coaches can do to youth athletes.

Coaches who selfishly overuse and physically push athletes too far for the benefit of the team's win-loss record or their own ego are committing an athletic felony.

The Shoe Goes on the Other Foot -- For Real

So this is what it feels like. To be yelled at while playing. To be told you're not good enough to be on a team ... by someone who's not even playing herself and isn't an expert or a true, certified coach -- just another player who wants to play certain people for a specific end that benefits her ego, not anyone else's real development.

Youth athletes should feel empowered to say, "This coach does not have MY best interests at heart and I need to find that team myself." It truly does not matter if the athlete has professional aspirations or not, the issue is live game or match experience for personal improvement.

Who's Really Responsible for the Obesity Epidemic?

I'm tired of people blaming schools, sports leagues, and any variety of other organizations and factors for the fact that their children are overweight - obese, even - couch potatoes who play video games and eat junk food. Stop blaming and start looking at yourselves, parents!

Last week, the Dallas Morning News published an article by columnist Nancy Churnin blaming high school sports and the increasingly competitive and elite sports at earlier ages for the obesity epidemic. Anyone who has read my blogs knows that I question the value of elite sports at the younger levels and have not 100% bought into the current status quo of high school sports, but pinning the obesity epidemic on schools and travel teams? Laughable.

I'm tired of people blaming schools, sports leagues, and any variety of other organizations and factors for the fact that their children are overweight - obese, even - couch potatoes who play video games and eat junk food. Stop blaming and start looking at yourselves, parents!

Do Players On High School Varsity Deserve At Least Some Playing Time?

I'm writing this blog under the protestations of my 15-year-old son. He would prefer that I don't write this at all, or that I write it anonymously, so that he doesn't suffer the playing-time repercussions from his coach, but it can't get any worse than it is. And, frankly, I will be completely quiet if someone - anyone - can explain to me the benefits - to the coaching staff, the team record, AND the kids - of having an entire group of players (say, 5 or 6) ride the bench the entire season and see no playing time.

Is it okay for bench-warmers on a high school varsity baseball team to get no playing time whatsoever, even when their team is way ahead? One sports mom is looking for answers.

Development Academies: Elite or Elitist?

The United States Soccer Federation's (USSF) recent mandate that ‘elite' soccer players who play for Development Academy teams will not be allowed to play for their high school soccer teams after this season simply frosts me. I've read volumes in the last few weeks, from Soccer America's initial news article and the seemingly unending comments from readers and the soccer experati to The New York Times piece this past Sunday by Sam Borden, that really brought "Soccer's New Way" into the collective consciousness across America.

The United States Soccer Federation's (USSF) recent mandate that elite soccer players who play for Development Academy teams will not be allowed to play for their high school soccer teams after this season is wrong and misleading.
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