Untrained experts in youth sports

I need help understanding the youth sports culture. I have a decent understanding of the youth wrestling scene and I can put my finger on most of the issues that are prohibiting the long term development of young athletes. Most of them include the short sightedness of parents. Read this sentence carefully: parents should absolutely be involved in the athletic endeavors of their children; however, this doesn’t mean they always know what’s best for them. Sport seems to be the only industry that allows, and even encourages, untrained individuals to be the “experts.”

I recently listened to two parents describe how well the football season went for each of their sons. They raved about the new direction of the youth football program. They were excited because their sons were in 3rd grade and they started tackling. In addition, the experience was vastly enhanced for Dad because, at that age, only parents were allowed to coach. You know, father-son bonding on the football field (sarcasm noted).

I did my best to listen and try to understand the excitement of the two parents, but there were too many red flags for me. I couldn’t get past them, so I’ll share a few of them.

Number 1: Is it really necessary for 3rd graders to play organized tackle football? Is it even safe? I mean, can children handle the impact? Does this “fast track” them to success? Because I’ve seen a number of highly successful football players who never played organized football until they were a member of a professional football team. I asked a few more questions and it became apparent to me that these youngsters practiced two times a week plus played one game on the weekend – for 9 weeks. This doesn’t make sense to me.

The NFL recently ended a fierce skirmish with the players and owners a few months ago. The player’s union basically said the season was too long and they were too susceptible to long term injuries, but didn’t have long term health benefits. These are physically developed, world class athletes; men, not children. NFL teams don’t even tackle three times a week, but 3rd graders do? It just doesn’t make sense.

Think on this notion for a moment: could it be possible that the concussion epidemic that has become so prevalent in sports today could be linked to the increased impact that athletes encounter as children? Just think about it. Is it possible? If it is we need to take caution at a very early age.

Number 2: When I was in youth sports, the mantra was always “safety first.” It was preached at every practice and throughout my physical education classes. Is safety really first? If I’m honest, it was actually frustrating for me as a young athlete, but I wasn’t the adult, was I? Safety must be the number one priority of parents and coaches. They MUST act like adults, not children.

I told these two parents that tackle football for 3rd graders scares me. It’s similar to my concerns with sports specialization. Young children aren’t physically ready for the repetitive stress on their underdeveloped bodies. As a result, athletes are experiencing serious overuse injuries at a very young age. It’s not healthy for children. Obviously, I wasn’t surprised that these two parents had never thought of the long term health ramifications of their shortsighted actions. I trust that they emphasize safety during practices and games; however, the real question is if they emphasize their safety years beyond those practices and games. It all sort of resembles the NFL Player’s Union, doesn’t it?

Number 3: Another aspect of the conversation that raised concern was the concept of only parents coaching. I understand youth sports depends on parents assuming these roles.

Side note: this just might preclude, by the way, that they’re too young…if Johnny can’t tie his own shoes and needs Daddy there, he’ll probably have difficulty understanding how to find the check down receiver when a blitz is coming.

Adamantly, I asked these parents if their children actually learned anything about playing football. They both quickly replied, almost in unison, “They had fun.” Clearly, that wasn’t my question. I asked if they learned how to play football. If our goal is to have fun, then let’s have fun. I completely identify with them on this notion. In fact, I agree whole-heartedly that these kids should have fun. Unabated, imaginative FUN. A parent-led football organization is significantly different than the football I remember being fun in third grade. We organized our own games on the school playground and in our backyards. In fact, every adult was hell bent on making sure we didn’t play “tackle.” We threw a Hail Mary on every play. That was fun. It’s no wonder I don’t see a group of children playing pick-up games at the park. How can learning cover 2 defense or how to run a halfback option pass be fun for anyone other than the halfback? We don’t need organized football led by parents to provide fun for kids. In fact, it’s actually stealing from them the creativity and genuine joy fostered in a pick-up game.

A few months ago, I wrote about a youth baseball game that I attended as a spectator. I was appalled by the lack of skill. I watched a pitcher throw the ball as hard as he could past underdeveloped hitters. That didn’t happen in the Sandlot because the objective was to have fun by playing the game. If the pitcher threw the ball past everyone, the kids in the field wouldn’t get to engage in the activity. We all held that pitcher accountable so everyone could play. Parents take away the fun by organizing it the pitcher’s goal becomes eliminating the possibility of the ball being put into play. That’s not much fun for the kid standing in right field.

All of a sudden, we trust parents to teach our youth athletes the intricacies of these great games. Are they qualified to teach skills, tactics and techniques effectively? Last time I checked, kids don’t need parents to instruct them how to have fun. And we don’t need parents assuming the expert role when they’re not.