There is a strong tendency in our society to view participation in sports in the most favorable light. Children are encouraged to participate in organized youth sports programs because they are thought to promote such fundamental values as character, teamwork, determination and commitment [1]. But this bias can be troublesome if it prevents us from seeing that problems in youth sports exist. While we have recently come to realize that some professional athletes have serious problems -drug and alcohol abuse, spousal violence, and acts of sexual aggression - we have been much slower to recognize the problems that have developed in youth sports.
As I see it, there are six major problem areas that we need to address:
Out Of Control Parents
Every parent who has been on the sidelines has seen instances of emotional abuse [2] that are too common in the world of youth sports:
The mortified child whose mother is screaming at the referee about a "blown call"
The embarrassed child whose father is yelling at the coach about "getting my kid into the game"
The despondent child who is being verbally attacked by his or her parent or coach for some perceived lack of effort or for making a "dumb" mistake
It has become fashionable to blame "pushy parents" for many of the excesses seen in children's sports. I think that this is a mistake. Why do, time and again, well-meaning parents begin to act out of character as they get caught up in the emotional roller coaster of their child's competitive situation?
In my view, it is because, for parents, the youth sports experience:
Is seductive:
It isn't that bad parents make the youth sports experience a bad one.
It is that the strong emotions aroused by seeing your own child, your
own flesh and blood, locked in a competitive struggle with others lures
parents into acting in ways that end up hurting their children, or
their relationship with their children. The seductiveness of the youth
sports experience draws those involved into a tangle of emotions.
Provides an ego trip:
There is a great deal of narcissistic appeal in sports competition.
Parents who fall into this trap begin to act impulsively, letting their
emotions get the better of them, and are often viewed by others as
acting like children rather than adults.
Exceeds some parents' ability to cope. Parents who lack the skills to cope with the powerful emotions of ego gratification triggered in them by watching their child compete are those most strongly affected by participation in youth sports programs. These are the individuals who come to be viewed by others as out of control but who believe that they are doing what is best for their child.
The question is often asked, is competition bad for children? We should also ask, is being a parent of a competitive youth sports participant bad for parents? Sometimes, a child isn't old enough for a parent to handle the stress of competition [3]
Child Exploitation
The evolving trend toward children being younger and younger when they begin to specialize in a particular sport makes me uneasy. In her book Little Girls In Pretty Boxes [4], author Joan Ryan concluded that our insatiable national appetite for new stars has resulted in "consumption and disposal of these young athletes" that is "tantamount to child exploitation and, in too many cases, child abuse."
Child exploitation in youth
sports is not limited to such high-profile sports as figure skating and
gymnastics. The potential is present whenever a family faces decisions
on how to help a talented child progress to the next level. The
potential for exploitation is high whenever youngsters become involved
in high-intensity training programs. It is difficult for many
thirteen-year-olds to remain committed to such a program, whether the
sport is gymnastics, football, swimming, or wrestling, but it is more
likely when a determined parent insists that the child continue or risk
being labeled a "quitter."
Here are some questions to ponder:
Should parents
decide? A seven year old, even one ten years old, is too young to
decide to begin intense training. Parents say they are "doing it for my
child," but is it really possible for parents to make such decisions,
or is part of the decision based on their own desires and on their own
competitive drive? Are decisions about the child being made for their
own good, or can financial incentives cloud the judgment of the adults
involved?
Do
young athletes need to be protected against exploitation and abuse? In
1993, sociologist Peter Donnelly called for the enactment of some form
of child-labor law to protect the welfare of elite young athletes. He
argues that when parents, agents, and administrators stand to make a
large profit from the performance of a child athlete, the young athlete
deserves some protection.
Is having athletic talent a curse rather than a blessing? So much is expected of so-called talented athletes, and often, at the end of the road, after all the struggles, they receive so little for their efforts. Is it worth it?
Youth Sports Dropouts
35% of the young athletes in a recent survey of 1,183 athletes aged eleven to eighteen planned to stop playing the next year. Nearly half of the parents of 418 athletes aged six to ten surveyed reported that their child was not interested in sport anymore. In a survey of 5,800 children who had recently stopped playing a sport, the top five reasons for stopping were:
I lost interest
I was not having fun
It took too much time
Coach was a poor teacher
Too much pressure
Asked what changes might get them involved in sports again, frequent responses included:
"If practices were more fun" [5]
"If I could play more" [6]
"If coaches understood players better."
What these findings suggest is that the way our youth sports programs are organized and run fail to meet the needs of children.
Endangering Young Athlete's Health?
Another indicator of the crisis in youth sports is the high incidence of such problems as eating disorders, injuries, use of performance enhancing drugs, and alcohol abuse.
Injuries And Overtraining:
An estimated four million children seek treatment for sports injuries
in hospital emergency rooms each year. Twice that number sees a primary
care physician. There has been a steady increase in the number of
overuse injuries caused when adults push young athletes too hard or too
far in training. These overuse injuries are all preventable
Steroid Abuse:
Children are not immune to the use of performance enhancing drugs.
South African junior athlete Liza de Villiers was fourteen years old
when she tested positive for anabolic steroid use in 1995 and banned
from athletics for four years. In a recent survey of 965 students at
four Massachusetts middle schools, researchers found that 2.7 percent
of the youngsters were using steroids. This means that children as
young as eleven, in sixth grade, are using anabolic steroids to change
their appearance and performance. It is impossible for children in this
age to be obtaining such substances without the assistance of adults.
It is hard to imagine the pressures being placed on children who begin
these dangerous practices at such a young age. It suggests to me that
the crisis we are facing is getting worse, not improving.
Alcohol abuse: The statistics on alcohol abuse among student athletes are alarming. In one study intercollegiate athletes were found to have the highest rates of binge drinking of any group of students. In another study, male high school student athletes in a middle class community were found to have rates of alcohol use than other students. (There were no differences between female athletes and non-athletes). Many sports have a long tradition of promoting alcohol consumption on a social basis (such as keg parties).
These serious health problems would be cause for concern even if they affected only older, more committed athletes. But when we see evidence that these problems are filtering down to children in high school and even middle school, we should be deeply concerned. No trophy or medal or national championship is worth destroying the health of even one child.
Sexual Abuse Of Young Athletes
One of the worst violations of trust we place in the youth sports system is when young athletes are sexually abused [8]. Coaching youth athletes is an important responsibility precisely because coaches are in a position of power in their relationships with children and adolescents. Coaches who abuse that power and have sex with young athletes are a very small minority (although, due in part to the shame and secrecy associated with such abuses of power, it is hard to know how extensive the problem is). Their existence requires that parents keep a watchful eye on their children [9]. Parents who shirk their responsibilities for their child and allow the young athlete to live with, or be in the care of, a top coach may be making a much more serious mistake than the overinvolved parent.
Violence In Youth Sports
Here are just three examples of the kind of youth sports violence that fills our newspapers on an almost daily basis:
Unhappy about the
unfair treatment his son received in the previous week's game, a father
sharpened the buckle on his son's football helmet like a razor, gashing
five players, one injured serious enough to require five stitches.
A
youth baseball coach, feeling that the umpire had been unfair in his
decisions, stayed behind after the game was over to physically harass
the umpire. He was just sixteen years old.
After verbally abusing a basketball official, a female assistant basketball coach, whose sister was in the game, attacked the official as he was starting to leave, jumping on his back and hitting him. The reason? She was upset because she did not agree with some calls he had made!
Apologists for this sort of behavior point out that professional sports on television are often violent, such as some the big hits we see in hockey and football. But this argument really has nothing to do with the violence associated with youth sports. The parents just mentioned are not imitating the pro athletes they see on television - that violence takes place within the game. What is disturbing about the violent behavior we see on the sidelines and in the stands is that it takes place outside the game. Once again, these parents are out of control, behaving in blind response to feelings of anger and frustration generated by watching youth sports.
Despite these problems, I still believe that youth sports programs can do a great deal of good for children and for families. There are many positive aspects of organized sports for children.
But if we are to improve the programs we offer to our children, we need to acknowledge and confront the problems. Not only do we need to understand that youth sports are not just "games for kids," but we also need to understand the important roles they play in our society and the powerful psychological pressures they exert on children, families, and communities. We need to realize that youth sports programs are for adults as much as children - perhaps more so. Until we recognize this fact, we will not be able to organize programs that meet the needs of these involved adults and best meet the children's needs.
Links:
[1] https://www.momsteam.com/node/716
[2] https://www.momsteam.com/node/903
[3] https://www.momsteam.com/node/454
[4] http://shop.barnesandnoble.com/bookSearch/isbnInquiry.asp?sourceid=00343788773910439697&ISBN=0446676829&bfdate=08-16-2001 21:42:51
[5] https://www.momsteam.com/node/743
[6] https://www.momsteam.com/node/730
[7] https://www.momsteam.com/alpha/features/cheersandtears/dark_side3.shtml#top
[8] https://www.momsteam.com/node/791
[9] https://www.momsteam.com/node/411
[10] https://www.momsteam.com/alpha/features/cheersandtears/dark_side4.shtml#top