Finally! It's 12:08 AM and this research paper is finished! This was a great learning process overall and it helped me learn to combine writing with technology. I hope you enjoy my paper.
Sports Parents: It’s Only a Game
Athletes at every level receive a great amount of pressure to succeed. Not only do professional and collegiate athletes endure this stress but young athletes in youth sports are starting to feel the pressure as well. These young athletes aren’t necessarily receiving the grief from their peers or their coaches, but instead they are receiving this pressure from parents. This pressure may seem harmless but can lead to children losing interest in sports. Because of parents rage, unsportsmanlike conduct, and emphasis on winning, their kids are losing interest in sports.
A parent’s rage at a sporting event is one of the most terrifying events a child may go through while playing sports. This rage occurs when a parent screams and spews obscenities at players, other parents, and officials. Some parents even take it to the next level and get physical with others. Parents’ behavior can endanger themselves, other spectators, and even young athletes. This behavior can set a bad example for young and maturing minds and lead them to lose interest or even completely quit sports.
When a parent is yelling at a child, it is more than likely that the child did something wrong like mouth off, skip their chores, or get in a fight with a sibling. The parent is simply doing their job trying to teach the child right from wrong. However, when a parent singles out a child at a sporting event, it’s not because they didn’t clean their room. It might be because they missed a shot or struck out. This may go in the books as a mess-up but the athlete gave it their all. The main goal of youth sports is having fun and learning to play a sport. If the child didn’t do anything wrong, and the parent yells at them, is it because having fun playing a sport is wrong? None of the athletes are able to enjoy themselves with screaming parents present at their sporting events (Vernon). This type of situation is so unpleasant for the athletes it may cause them to lose interest in sports.
Along with yelling, parents can take things a step further when they become violent at a sporting event. While this may seem very rare, there are several cases of violence at sporting events caused by parents. In an article from Education Week magazine, a father was recently beaten to death at a Massachusetts youth hockey game (Gehring). It seems very ridiculous that anyone should lose their life over a little league game. This is rationalized by Stanley Teitelbaum saying, “Fans can become murderously violent over games played by strangers. How much more so when it's their own flesh and blood at bat, and nothing less than a lifelong reputation as a winner--or loser--at stake?” (Wingert and Lauerman). The violence doesn’t always escalate to this level and may just end in a fist fight. Incidents like these would be embarrassing for the kids of the parents involved. In addition to embarrassment, the child may feel guilt over their parent’s injury or legal entanglements resulting from a fight or other violent act. This may lead the child to believe they are to blame and in turn make them lose interest in sports.
Another common foul committed by parents is unsportsmanlike conduct. Rather than getting the flag and a 15 yard penalty, parents often get away with it. Unsportsmanlike actions by parents influence their children because often children learn by example. When a child sees their mom or dad act in a certain way, they think that’s the way they are supposed to act because it’s “what mom and dad do”. It’s hard to erase the effects of a bad example, because it involves parents teaching their children how to act. From the Journal of Sports Behavior "The behaviors demonstrated by the significant individuals in a person's life (such as a parent or a coach) have a great impact on that person's behavior." (Arthur-Banning et al.). Unsportsmanlike players are also easy targets for referees. When athletes act in unsportsmanlike ways, officials punish them with penalties for their infractions. These athletes may feel they are being unfairly treated if they think the unsportsmanlike conduct is “normal” because of modeling their parents’ behavior. If young athletes feel they are not only being singled out by parents, but also by officials, they will enjoy the sport even less and want to drop out of it.
One of the worst things a parent may do is pressure a child into believing that winning is the most important part of playing sports. An over-emphasis on winning leads athletes to believe that they can only have fun while they are winning. This eliminates the ability to play just for fun without the pressure of winning. This pressure to succeed may have been enhanced by constant media exposure of professional athletes and professional sports in the last decade (“Spoil Sports Pushy”). This intense focus on victory also creates sore losers and even sore winners. When athletes are under so much pressure to succeed they stop having fun playing sports (“Spoil Sports Pushy”).
Learning how to win and lose is one of the most important skills that one can learn when playing a sport. When parents teach children that winning is the only important thing involved in sports they become sore losers and sore winners. When a sore winner is victorious, they can’t just shake their adversaries hand and be done. They have to rub their victory in. Sore losers simply storm off the field crying because of a loss. What the over-emphasis creates is a bunch of poor sports. It also creates athletes that will give up after one loss.
Youth athletics are a great way for kids to meet new friends and learn many life lessons. Parents should encourage their children to become involved in them just as long as they behave correctly at the sporting events, become good role models, and teach their children to win and lose with good sportsmanship. Because of the actions of many parents like rage, unsportsmanlike conduct, and a strong emphasis on winning, children are losing the will to play youth sports. Parents, next time you see a fellow soccer mom or football dad arguing with the referees and spewing out obscenities, talk to that parent and explain how this might have an effect on their child. Parents need to remember it’s only a game, although what’s at stake in this game is important and can shape their children’s future. The most important things parents can teach their children about sports are the three F’s: fitness, friends, and fun.
Finally! It's 12:08 AM and this research paper is finished! This was a great learning process overall and it helped me learn to combine writing with technology. I hope you enjoy my paper.
Sports Parents: It’s Only a Game
Athletes at every level receive a great amount of pressure to succeed. Not only do professional and collegiate athletes endure this stress but young athletes in youth sports are starting to feel the pressure as well. These young athletes aren’t necessarily receiving the grief from their peers or their coaches, but instead they are receiving this pressure from parents. This pressure may seem harmless but can lead to children losing interest in sports. Because of parents rage, unsportsmanlike conduct, and emphasis on winning, their kids are losing interest in sports.
A parent’s rage at a sporting event is one of the most terrifying events a child may go through while playing sports. This rage occurs when a parent screams and spews obscenities at players, other parents, and officials. Some parents even take it to the next level and get physical with others. Parents’ behavior can endanger themselves, other spectators, and even young athletes. This behavior can set a bad example for young and maturing minds and lead them to lose interest or even completely quit sports.
When a parent is yelling at a child, it is more than likely that the child did something wrong like mouth off, skip their chores, or get in a fight with a sibling. The parent is simply doing their job trying to teach the child right from wrong. However, when a parent singles out a child at a sporting event, it’s not because they didn’t clean their room. It might be because they missed a shot or struck out. This may go in the books as a mess-up but the athlete gave it their all. The main goal of youth sports is having fun and learning to play a sport. If the child didn’t do anything wrong, and the parent yells at them, is it because having fun playing a sport is wrong? None of the athletes are able to enjoy themselves with screaming parents present at their sporting events (Vernon). This type of situation is so unpleasant for the athletes it may cause them to lose interest in sports.
Along with yelling, parents can take things a step further when they become violent at a sporting event. While this may seem very rare, there are several cases of violence at sporting events caused by parents. In an article from Education Week magazine, a father was recently beaten to death at a Massachusetts youth hockey game (Gehring). It seems very ridiculous that anyone should lose their life over a little league game. This is rationalized by Stanley Teitelbaum saying, “Fans can become murderously violent over games played by strangers. How much more so when it's their own flesh and blood at bat, and nothing less than a lifelong reputation as a winner--or loser--at stake?” (Wingert and Lauerman). The violence doesn’t always escalate to this level and may just end in a fist fight. Incidents like these would be embarrassing for the kids of the parents involved. In addition to embarrassment, the child may feel guilt over their parent’s injury or legal entanglements resulting from a fight or other violent act. This may lead the child to believe they are to blame and in turn make them lose interest in sports.
Another common foul committed by parents is unsportsmanlike conduct. Rather than getting the flag and a 15 yard penalty, parents often get away with it. Unsportsmanlike actions by parents influence their children because often children learn by example. When a child sees their mom or dad act in a certain way, they think that’s the way they are supposed to act because it’s “what mom and dad do”. It’s hard to erase the effects of a bad example, because it involves parents teaching their children how to act. From the Journal of Sports Behavior "The behaviors demonstrated by the significant individuals in a person's life (such as a parent or a coach) have a great impact on that person's behavior." (Arthur-Banning et al.). Unsportsmanlike players are also easy targets for referees. When athletes act in unsportsmanlike ways, officials punish them with penalties for their infractions. These athletes may feel they are being unfairly treated if they think the unsportsmanlike conduct is “normal” because of modeling their parents’ behavior. If young athletes feel they are not only being singled out by parents, but also by officials, they will enjoy the sport even less and want to drop out of it.
One of the worst things a parent may do is pressure a child into believing that winning is the most important part of playing sports. An over-emphasis on winning leads athletes to believe that they can only have fun while they are winning. This eliminates the ability to play just for fun without the pressure of winning. This pressure to succeed may have been enhanced by constant media exposure of professional athletes and professional sports in the last decade (“Spoil Sports Pushy”). This intense focus on victory also creates sore losers and even sore winners. When athletes are under so much pressure to succeed they stop having fun playing sports (“Spoil Sports Pushy”).
Learning how to win and lose is one of the most important skills that one can learn when playing a sport. When parents teach children that winning is the only important thing involved in sports they become sore losers and sore winners. When a sore winner is victorious, they can’t just shake their adversaries hand and be done. They have to rub their victory in. Sore losers simply storm off the field crying because of a loss. What the over-emphasis creates is a bunch of poor sports. It also creates athletes that will give up after one loss.
Youth athletics are a great way for kids to meet new friends and learn many life lessons. Parents should encourage their children to become involved in them just as long as they behave correctly at the sporting events, become good role models, and teach their children to win and lose with good sportsmanship. Because of the actions of many parents like rage, unsportsmanlike conduct, and a strong emphasis on winning, children are losing the will to play youth sports. Parents, next time you see a fellow soccer mom or football dad arguing with the referees and spewing out obscenities, talk to that parent and explain how this might have an effect on their child. Parents need to remember it’s only a game, although what’s at stake in this game is important and can shape their children’s future. The most important things parents can teach their children about sports are the three F’s: fitness, friends, and fun.