1. 3 Rules for Sports Parents to Live By
It seems like the world of youth sports is plagued by “those sports parents” (never you of
course!) The ones that are constantly arguing with the officials, coaching their kids from the
sidelines, demeaning the other team and so forth—no one likes sitting next to that parent at
their child’s game. Here are three rules sports parents should follow in order to avoid becoming
“that sports parent.”
You are not the coach.
Sports parents are a lot of things to their child’s team—chauffer, cheerleader, baggage handler,
fundraiser, chaperone—but you are not the coach. During a practice or a game, your youth
athlete should only be listening to instructions from their coaches. Even if you disagree with the
calls the coaches are making from the sidelines, it is not your job to coach your child from the
stands. For one thing, it undermines the authority of the actual coach. He/she has the right to
run the team the best way they see fit and you don’t have the power to contradict that. If you
do have issues with the coach or their methods, coaching from the stands is not the right way
to address the issue.
Never get confrontational.
Piggybacking off of the first sports parent rule, if you do disagree with the coach and how they
are running the team, confronting them in front of the rest of the team is not appropriate. If
you have an issue with the coach, address them privately after the practice or game and try to
stay civil. It’s very easy to get emotionally involved with youth sports, especially when you feel
like your child is being slighted in some way (say they aren’t getting the playing time you think
they deserve), but getting angry and confrontational won’t solve anything. The same rule holds
true when dealing with officials and other parents. Getting involved in a screaming match in
front of your kids and their team isn’t a situation you want to find yourself in.
Remember that it’s just a game.
Youth sports, first and foremost, should be about having fun and learning the fundamentals of
the sport. Don’t confuse your son’s baseball game with a World Series Game 7 showdown. For
young players trying youth sports for the first time, many are more interested in hanging out
with their friends than worrying about it they’ll go pro or not. Let them enjoy their time on the
field! Of course you’re going to get invested in your child’s sports team and will want them to
win (and there is nothing wrong with wanting to win), but their world shouldn’t shatter if they
lose. If sports becomes a life-or-death activity, they might stop playing for the love the game.
2. Whether your child is just picking up their first football or you’ve spent the last 6 summers with
a travel baseball team, being a sports parent can be a challenging experience. It’s easy to get
heavily invested in the success of your child and their team, but don’t be one of “those sports
parents” that crosses the line of sports decorum.
About the Author
SportsSignup's (http://www.sportssignup.com) mission is to make it easy to manage sports
programs and events by providing organizers with an online sport registration system that
allows them to automate sport management tasks and allows members to complete
registration and purchase team gear from any internet-connected computer.