Role Reversal
Positive Parent Involvement Key to Competitive Sports
by Steve Mulhearn

Talk about role reversal? According to the National Youth Sports Report Card, both the categories of “Parental Behavior/Involvement” and “Child-Centered Philo-sophy” earned the lowest marks of “D” while the category of “Officiating” received the highest grade, a “B-.” If parents aren't careful, soon they may find the umpires booing them!

This report was published by The Citizenship Through Sports Alliance (CTSA), a group of amateur and professional organizations that includes the MLB, NBA, NHL, WNBA, NCAA and others.

According to Ron Stratten of the CTSA and NCAA, “Youth sports offer children wonderful benefits, including fitness and character development. But we are concerned that issues such as early sports specialization, poor sportsmanship and over-invested parents seeking sports scholarships, are threatening to undermine the positive experience of youth sports.”
Recently, during a series between the Red Sox and Yankees, a Boston Red Sox fan saw a New York license plate on a car near Fenway Park. Assuming the driver was a Yankee fan, the Boston fan pummeled the New Yorker with a baseball bat and now faces charges. The driver wasn't even aware that the Sox and Yankees were playing. Imagine the heightened emotions of this Sox fan had his son been on the team?

Done At 13?
More than 70 percent of the 30 million children who play organized sports each year will quit by age 13. Many experts believe that parents can make a huge difference in lowering this rate of attrition by following some “simple” guidelines. These guidelines can easily be blurred because of the emotional investment that parents have in their children playing in these youth organizations.

The higher the stakes of the game, the higher the emotions run. Just visit any Little League facility during All-Star tournaments and you will find well-intentioned, loving parents dressed in team clothing, screaming and cheering, and yelling at umpires after piling out of their SUVs, their windows painted with things such as, “Anytown LL #1” and “Go Johnny # 9.” The pressure that this creates for their children is immeasurable, as they pull their new $300 bats out of their bags and prepare for the biggest games of their lives.

The most important age for Little League All-Stars is 12 years of age. We watch these youngsters every year on ESPN, follow them in the local newspapers, and inevitably choose our favorite team to cheer for. These boys become local and sometimes national heroes. Since so many players will quit organized sports at 13 years of age, one might suggest that there is a huge letdown after the peak and pressure of All-Stars. Imagine that—over the hill at 13?

Rules To Follow
According to the Arizona C.L.A.S.H. (Character, Leadership, Attitude, Stature, Heart), a College Prep/Pro Scout baseball organization with teams whose players range from 10 to 19 years of age, parents can play a positive, vital role in the organization. Rather than view the parents as a cost of doing business, the CLASH gets parents involved. If these parents follow some simple rules, it can easily be a win-win situation for everyone to enjoy. 

Shane Hesse, CLASH's executive director, notes, “Each week, CLASH holds a Player Skills Training event where parents are encouraged to listen and take notes along with the players. This not only gives the parents an opportunity to be involved in a positive manner, but allows parents to be more helpful when practicing at home or the batting cages with their children. Because we offer this unique opportunity, we find parents to be much more mindful of our other behavioral guidelines.”

Some of these guidelines include:
Parents must refrain from loud, boisterous and/or disrespectful talk and behavior.

Please do not participate in negative gossip…EVER!

ALL PARENTS please remember:
a.    Parents are not allowed in the dugout during games or practices.

b.    Please do not talk to your player or coach before, during or directly after games at  the     field. If you wish to offer advice to a player, write it down and wait until emotions calm and he/she initiates the conversation. If you wish to speak with the coach, you should employ
a “24 hour rule,” to allow emotions to cool and to allow for an effective conversation.

c.    Drinks are allowed but no food in the dugout during games. Pack drinks before games;
please don't hand drinks to your player during the game on the bench. Teach him how to plan ahead.

d.    When playing a double-header, please feed your child before the first game. There should
be no need to eat between games unless there are more than 2 hours between games. A Powerbar and/or piece of fruit are acceptable snacks. 

e.    Please refrain from sideline coaching of  your player during practices or games. This is what you pay us for! Instructions coming from different directions will confuse a player. When cheering, make general comments such as, “Come on Johnny. You can do it!” Don't give         advice such as, “Keep your head in!” or  “Keep your elbow up!"

These guidelines are simple and if followed, will lead to a more enjoyable experience for everyone involved, as well as help foster responsibility in young players. Once high school athletics begin, parents find their roles and influence on the coach/team to be greatly diminished, leaving the player to fend for himself. The earlier the player begins taking this responsibility, the easier the transition to higher-level athletics will become. Many parents report positive changes in the levels of responsibility taken at home and in school as a result of these positive lessons learned on the field.

Parents are a valuable part of youth sports. They provide not only the financial support needed for leagues to survive, but they provide the word-of-mouth promotion that individual organizations need to thrive in a competitive environment. Winning is great when kept in perspective, but cannot be the most important aspect of youth sports. There can only be one champion—all teams should provide fitness, skill development, character development, and a positive family experience for everyone.  K&S

Steve Mulhearn is a marketing educator at Gilbert High School and director of player/public relations for the Arizona CLASH Baseball organization. For more information go to www.clashbaseball.com