Is Parental Involvement a Liability in Youth Sports?
Yes, parental involvement is a liability in youth sports. The media has shown us what happens when parents become overly involved — and more specifically, inappropriately involved — in youth sports, from the infamous example of the “hockey dad” who killed another man at his son’s youth hockey game, to the too common “gym fights” between parents, parents and officials, and parents and other spectators. With many of these fights occurring at youth sporting events, we must think about what kind of examples we are setting for our children. If this pattern continues and parents remain inappropriately involved in their child’s youth sport, we will continue to teach our children that it is fine to solve problems with violence, and fair play and sportsmanship will be a thing of the past. The NYSCA trains and certifies youth sport coaches. Nationally, this is a great program. The problem is at the local level, through afterschool programs and parks and recreation departments. Committees must
