Where does the most parental violence occur at youth sports?
On One Hand: Parent Behavior in the Stands/SidelinesParents often become so wound up in the outcome of games, they can get into verbal or physical jousting matches with each other in the stands. Bullying can drive some parents to extreme behavior on the sidelines. A Las Vegas parent poisoned an entire youth football team because he was tired of his son being bullied by a teammate. The poison turned out to be an herbal extract that induced vomiting.On the Other: Parent Behavior Outside the Locker RoomCoaches can often be attacked by parents outside the locker room for perceived unfair treatment–lack of equal playing time, for instance. Hallways can heat up if a parent becomes so irate at a particular ref for bad calls, he follows him all the way to the officials’ changing area after the game. Violence against officials has even prompted some states, like Illinois, to impose monetary penalties for parents who batter officials. Unresolved issues between parents can also leak over into th
