is parental involvement a liability in youth sports?

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This article was downloaded by: [Illinois Wesleyan University] On: 07 October 2014, At: 23:56 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ujrd20 Is Parental Involvement a Liability in Youth Sports? Published online: 24 Feb 2013. To cite this article: (2003) Is Parental Involvement a Liability in Youth Sports?, Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 74:3, 16-18, DOI: 10.1080/07303084.2003.10608463 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07303084.2003.10608463 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http:// www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions

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Page 1: Is Parental Involvement a Liability in Youth Sports?

This article was downloaded by: [Illinois Wesleyan University]On: 07 October 2014, At: 23:56Publisher: RoutledgeInforma Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House,37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK

Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & DancePublication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information:http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ujrd20

Is Parental Involvement a Liability in Youth Sports?Published online: 24 Feb 2013.

To cite this article: (2003) Is Parental Involvement a Liability in Youth Sports?, Journal of Physical Education, Recreation &Dance, 74:3, 16-18, DOI: 10.1080/07303084.2003.10608463

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07303084.2003.10608463

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE

Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) containedin the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make norepresentations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of theContent. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, andare not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon andshould be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable forany losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoeveror howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use ofthe Content.

This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematicreproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in anyform to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions

Page 2: Is Parental Involvement a Liability in Youth Sports?

ISSUES

Is parental involvement a liabilityin youth sports?

Yes, parental involvement is a li­ability in youth sports. The media

has shown us what happens whenparents become overly involved­and more specifically, inappropri­ately involved-in youth sports, fromthe infamous example of the "hockeydad" who killed another man at hisson's youth hockey game, to the toocommon "gym fights" between par­ents, parents and officials, and par­ents and other spectators. With manyof these fights occurring at youthsporting events, we must thinkabout what kind of examples we aresetting for our children. If this patterncontinues and parents remain inap­propriately involved in their child'syouth sport, we will continue to teachour children that it is fine to solveproblems with violence, and fair playand sportsmanship will be a thing ofthe past.

The NYSCA trains and certifiesyouth sport coaches. Nationally, thisis a great program. The problem isat the local level, through after­school programs and parks andrecreation departments. Committeesmust be established to monitorcoaches' and parents' behaviors atyouth sporting events. Specific con­sequences should be in place at thelocal level should a violation of con­duct occur. We must work togetherat the national and local levels tostop this problem before more nega­tive parental involvement reachesthe media.-Kristen Barth, student, Capital Uni­versity, Columbus, OH.

Youth sports would cease to ex­ist, if not for the significant con­

tributions of parents who serve as

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coaches, officials, and league admin­istrators. Yet, in recent years, sensa­tionalized media coverage of spo­radic incidents of "sports rage" hasled to the erroneous belief that elimi­nating parents will stem "the risingtide of violence that's ravaging theyouth sports landscape:' In fact,there have been no credible scientificstudies to substantiate the claim thatviolence in youth sports is "escalat­ing" or "out-of-control:' Ultimately, itis beside the point. No matter howlikely or unlikely, youth sports ad­ministrators must take reasonablesteps to prevent inappropriate spec­tator behavior. Banning parents,however, is not the answer.

In addition, glib solutions suchas "Silent Sundays" are not likely toproduce meaningful reform. A moreeffective approach would be to edu­cate parents about their proper roleand responsibilities in youth sports.Hosting a parent orientation meetingbefore the start of the season is an ex­cellent strategy. Hiring competent of­ficials can also help minimize the like­lihood of unruly spectator behavior.

Finally, in our zeal to reform orga­nized youth sports, we must continueto promote the benefits of participa­tion, rather than criticize all parentsbecause of our contempt for the be­havior of a few individuals.-Gregg S. Heinzmann, director,Youth Sports Research Council,Rutgers, The State University ofNew Jersey.

Yes and No. Yes, if the parentsparticipate negatively. Often

these parents have no other outletfor their emotional and physical en­ergy. During practice and competi-

tion they live negatively and vicari­ously through their children. Thepressure parents put on their chil­dren to win is enormous and leads toburnout and other emotional disor­ders. As a result, the parent-child re­lationship can erode and becomedysfunctional.

No, if parents participate posi­tively by being supportive and by un­derstanding that the experience ofparticipation belongs to their child.For such parents, interactions withtheir children at athletic venues arehealthy and nurturing, and the youngathlete is enhanced by the experi­ence and develops a positive attitudetoward sports participation. As a re­sult, the parent-child relationshipgrows stronger.-Johannah Casey-Doecke, faculty,School of Physical Education, IndianaUniversity-Purdue University at In­dianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, and theparent of a young athlete.

Parental involvement in youthsport is a liability when parents

act in ways antithetical to the pri­mary mission of youth sport (i.e., toproduce competent and confidentplayers whose experiences encour­age them to remain active and com­mitted to sport/activity for life). Chil­dren suffer when parents try to con­trol practices and games in ways thattake away from the children's abilityto function independently (i.e., chil­dren cannot or do not know how toplay without their parents' presence),overstress product over process, ordon't have the sufficient contentknowledge or the means of deliver­ing it. Conversely, under certain con­ditions the right type and amount of

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Page 3: Is Parental Involvement a Liability in Youth Sports?

parent involvement is vital as the fol­lowing story conveys:

Our six-year-old son began play­ing AYSO soccer this fall. I didn't stepforward to serve as the coach be­cause I wanted to use the first sea­son to indirectly observe the leagueand team culture, didn't want to im­pose my professional values and be­liefs on children and parents whomay have found them incongruentwith their own, and didn't knowwhether I could effectively intermixmy own parental pulls and pusheswith what I know to be sound sportcoaching. I watched as a parent, whohad no training and knowledge ofsoccer, volunteer and run off threefamilies. Some parents learned ofwhat I do for a living and approachedme about coaching, which I agreed todo. In an environment similar to theelementary school classes I used toteach, the kids have learned therules, understand basic tactics (eventhough they can't .execute them), andshow some skill improvement. Themoral: Better to step up and assumea role in changing kids' sport for thebetter than to complain.-David Kahan, assistant professor,San Diego State University, San Dr­ego, CA.

go through a training session that in­cludes first aid, CPR, and conducttraining. There must be firm bound­aries set for those who want to be in­volved. I realize that similar educa­tional youth sport and coaching pro­grams have been established; how­ever, there seems to be a loopholewhen it comes to enforcing the poli­cies. There needs to be a person onthe playing field who can insure thesafety of youth participants. Thisperson could pass out fines tocoaches and spectators for poor con­duct to discourage negative parentand spectator involvement. As par­ents and adults, we are role modelsfor our children, thus it is imperativethat we are all on the same pagewhen it comes to encouragingyouths to participate in physicalactivity and have fun while gaining afoundation in the sport and learningsportsmanlike behavior.-Aubrey Bush, student, Capital Uni­versity, Bexley, Ohio.

Ido not believe that parental involvement is a liability to youth

sports. Parental involvement can beeither positive or negative. Youthsport is about having fun, but alsolearning that maintaining one's fit-

ness and health is a comprehensivelifelong process. Since children oftenimitate behaviors, parents shouldconsider whether they are modelinga positive or negative image. Also,a parent as a leader in a youth pro­gram, or even as a volunteer, islegally responsible for professionalknowledge, duties, and skill. There­fore, what is taught should bephilosophically sound.This includesthe three "Rs": respect yourself,respect others, and responsibilityfor your actions.

The true "liability" in youthsport programs may be the lack offocus on physical education compo­nents such as fitness, facts, and fun.Youth sport leaders and involved par­ents have a captive audience anda wonderful opportunity to lead byexample and provide a positiveeducational experience in a healthyenvironment.-DuaneA. Crider, associate faculty,Health and Physical Education De­partment, Kutztown University,Kutztown, PA.

As physical educators, one of ourmain goals is the promotion of

lifelong fitness. If we are going toconclude that parental involvement

Respond briefly· and send your response byMay 30 to JOPERD, Issues, 1900 Association Dr.,Reston, VA 20191, or e-mail: [email protected]

·Preferred length is 200 words or less; occasionally, longer responsesmay be considered.

Please include your institution's name and your position-whetherfaculty or staff member, administrator, or student. We also welcomesuggestions for future Issues questions.

In light of the article,"Islam and Physical

Activity, " whataccommodations,

if any, should physicaleducators make for

their Muslim students?

Iam a firm believer in parental in­volvement in any activity in which

children participate. As a futurephysical and health educator, as wellas a coach, I will always encouragethe parents and community mem­bers to get involved in school sportsand organized sports.The support ofthe parents and the community areessential in order for players to feelvalued and for the program to suc­ceed. However, I am familiar withhow some parent and spectator in­volvement can negatively affectyouth participants. The media remindus of sports gone wrong, such aswhen parents fight each other andscream obscenities at the referee. Ifind these situations alarming anddiscouraging for the youngsters, aswell as for myself.

I propose that all adults who wantto be involved in youth sports must

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Page 4: Is Parental Involvement a Liability in Youth Sports?

in youth sports is a liability, then wehave already lost half the battle ofpromoting lifelong fitness. In orderto actively promote lifelong fitness,we need to seize every opportunity.Is there not a better way to positivelyaffect the entire family's opinionand participation in lifelong sportthan through youth sports? Withoutparental involvement, how couldyouth sports survive? For every par­ent that reacts more like a child thanthe children involved in the sports,there are dozens of supportive andwell-mannered parents. We need toremember that we are physical edu­cators, and that every moment is ateachable moment.- Cotie McMahon, student, SpecialPhysical Education, University ofUtah, Salt Lake City, UI

The goal of parental involvementis to be there for their children,

but sometimes parents use theirchild as a second chance for them­selves. What may seem like a bond­ing experience can turn into a situa-

tion that could possibly divide chil­dren from their parents. A goodfriend of mine was not into football,but his father was a former footballplayer in college and wanted his sonto follow in his footsteps. The fatherput so much pressure on his son thatnot only did the son end up hatingthe sport of football, but football alsocreated physical problems for him.

There is a line that parents shouldnot cross when it comes to involve­ment in their child's sport activities.Come and support your children's ac­tivities and accomplishments, but donot push your activities and dreamsonto your children. If kids don't havethe chance to decide what they wantto do, then how are they being chil­dren? Exploration is gone and expec­tation is the only thing happening.-Sean Reiber, student, Capital Uni­versity, Columbus, OH.

This complex topic has been vig­orously pursued by a number of

sport sociologists. One of the mostconcise and clear gestalts is articu-

lated in The Social Significance ofSport. Authors Barry McPherson,James Curtis, and John Loy outlinethe positive outcomes of parental in­volvement in youth sports: " .....children are more likely to consumeand participate if the parents pres­ently participate in sport or if theydid so in the past; if parents attendsport events or regularly watch sporton television; if parents have expec­tations or aspirations for their chil­dren to achieve in sport; if parentsactively encourage participation; andif sport is a common topic of conver­sation in the home" (pp. 41-42).

We are all too aware of the manyunfortunate and sometimes dreadfulincidents reported in the press about"bad" parental involvement in youthsports. Let's just hold to the solidground of good parental involvementthat benefits youth sport.-Scott A.G.M. Crawford, professor,College of Education and Profes­sional Studies, Eastern Illinois Uni­versity, Charleston, IL.

Both love teaching Phys. Ed.

Both look for exciting newprograms for their students.

Both wear DIGI-WALKER'·pedometers.

Both are smiling because they gota great deal on a NEW LIFESTYLESpedometer program kit!

" ' , 4111";~ES

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