WP: Are parents ruining youth sports? Fewer kids play amid pressure.

[zoony]

Talent is almost entirely a myth. Many very credible people on the subject would say that it doesn't exist whatsoever. But I'm not willing to go that far. I would say that it 98% does not exist

I actually wish we would get rid of the word. Does a lot more harm than good.

[Sacks 'n' Stuff]

You'll need to elaborate for me on that Zoony.

[dchogs]

Yeah, that's not my experience as an athlete, coach or parent. Talent is real, but it isn't the only thing that determines success. Genetics, talent, hard work, and drive all determine success. When each one is at 11 is when you get a Phelps, a Jordan, an Armstrong (plus some juice), a Wambach, a Montana, etc.

[twa]

my other grandson just started ice hockey....he's going to be a beast

 

and hopefully move to a real sport 

[Sacks 'n' Stuff]

Does your grandson live in TX? They sure didn't have ice hockey down there when I was a kid.

[twa]

NY, but they do have it here in spots.

[Major Harris]

Talent is almost entirely a myth. Many very credible people on the subject would say that it doesn't exist whatsoever. But I'm not willing to go that far. I would say that it 98% does not exist

I actually wish we would get rid of the word. Does a lot more harm than good.

Can you expand on this?

[PeterMP]

Talent is almost entirely a myth. Many very credible people on the subject would say that it doesn't exist whatsoever. But I'm not willing to go that far. I would say that it 98% does not exist

I actually wish we would get rid of the word. Does a lot more harm than good.

 

To say that talent doesn't exist, I think is very wrong.  I think many people misunderstand what the talent that makes somebody great at something is, but that's a different story.

 

Being able to hit a baseball requires talent.  That talent might not directly be quickness in terms of how fast you can swing a bat.  But that doesn't mean recognizing where a ball is going based on the pitcher's movements/arm position before they let go of the ball isn't a talent.

[balki1867]

There's new miniseries I just noticed on Netflix today called "Friday Night Tykes" about 8-9 year old youth football in the San Antonio era.  Pretty interesting stuff IMO, but I don't have kids myself so I'm curious what some of the parents on here think of it.

 

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcUXakQ2UoU

 

Show: http://tv.esquire.com/now/friday-night-tykes-steel-country/full-episode/god-family-and-community/649854019680

 

(unfortunately, you can't actually stream from the second link I sent, but its on Netflix)

[BurgundyMalaise]

I've seen all three seasons of the FridayNightTykes series in San Antonio.

 

The first season is the most 'controversial' in terms of nefarious coaches and parents but those kids play some damn good football for their age.

 

I feel like I know some of these people through the show. There's some talented little kids that are showcased

[AsburySkinsFan]

I'll never understand this.

Growing up we didn't have rec leagues at all, there was no sandlot to play ball in. The first time I played sports was in junior high and then it was only soccer. I stopped playing after the 8th grade and never played again. Was that because of elite sports teams? No, it was because of the near total absence of opportunity. The players that were chosen were the best athletes in the school and I was left behind because I wasn't one. The article says that the lower talent players are left in rec leagues. Heck that's 100% more of an opportunity to improve than I was ever had available. 

 

My son plays soccer now and loves it, he does play on a club team and would be completely frustrated if he had to play at the rec level again. He's been playing goalkeeper for high school junior varsity teams since he was in 6th grade and may end up playing as the varsity starting keeper as a freshman. He wants to play at a high level and wants to be surrounded by teammates who do as well.

 

His experience and my own are polar opposites and yeah I'm used to hearing all of the comments about club athletes and parents, but at the end of the day he has an opportunity to be rewarded for playing a sport he loves and I'm supposed to feel bad or deny him that opportunity because another child may not play as well? 

 

My son will most likely not score a 36 on his ACT does that mean that it's bad that another student does? From where I sit I see a near total double standard when it comes to public view of sports and academics. We don't see articles like these about students who aren't performing academically at the highest levels. Educational systems that allowed those students to thrive are not criticized, instead they are praised. But, with sports it's different.

Who knows.

[MintHillSkinsFan]

I just watched the most recent season of Friday Night Tykes-San Antonio and am currently watching the new one Friday Night Tykes-Steel Country set in Beaver County Pennsylvania. As a parent that has experienced youth football in Florida and here in Texas, I can say that I do find the show pretty realistic. For some coaches and parents, they treat it as almost life or death, and sometimes to the detriment of the kids. The flip side is, for some of these kids it's the only thing consistent in their lives and it teaches them discipline, work ethic and builds a bond with their teammates and coaches. So in some cases those intangibles they learn on the football field now may be the difference between them holding a steady job later in life or getting caught up in a more detrimental lifestyle. So there's two sides to this very controversial topic..

[balki1867]

So in some cases those intangibles they learn on the football field now may be the difference between them holding a steady job later in life or getting caught up in a more detrimental lifestyle. So there's two sides to this very controversial topic..

 

Totally agree. There's a fine line between teaching discipline and stroking your own ego as a coach and I'd guess most are on the right side of that line. Some of those coaches seriously concerned me though-- the coach who had a personal vendetta against the coach of another team and had his kids chanting "F the <opponent for the coming week>" while doing jumping jacks the week before he played that team was really alarming.

 

BTW my organized sports career pretty much ended in 7th grade, but my favorite coach was a guy who knew baseball fundamentals inside out, taught them to everyone on the team and managed us to being one of the best teams in the league while also letting every kid in the league pitch meaningful innings that year. He once chewed us out because we routed another team but our fundamentals were completely off late in the game.

[DC9]

Video games.

[Corcaigh]

My very brief comments on this as parent, coach and official.

 

(1) it's awesome that there are competitive and rec levels of play

(2) it's a real shame that many competitive sports have become year-round endeavors so that the choice for talented kid athletes is to commit to a single sport or play with scrubs who aren't that interested and their parents are treating the activity as cheap babysitting.

(3) most coaches and parents are fantastic for the game. The minority who behave like assholes need to be dealt with. As a high school and college official I've stopped the game and had the site manager deal with spectators (including ADs) who had crossed a line and become a disruption. I've carded high school and college coaches (under the rules of the sport forcing them to play short). In almost all cases their behavior miraculously improved the next time I saw them. :-) 

[MisterPinstripe]

Eh, the kids that quit because they cant handle the pressure from parents wouldnt have amounted to anything anyway. No point in them playing if they arent strong enough to go pro or get a scholarship.

[Corcaigh]

When a kid quits a sport they've loved for many years, does the coach bark about them being a quitter and letting the team down? Or do they stop to consider what they have done to take the fun out of the game.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

Eh, the kids that quit because they cant handle the pressure from parents wouldnt have amounted to anything anyway. No point in them playing if they arent strong enough to go pro or get a scholarship.

 

hahaha, nice. 

[Elessar78]

 

(2) it's a real shame that many competitive sports have become year-round endeavors so that the choice for talented kid athletes is to commit to a single sport or play with scrubs who aren't that interested and their parents are treating the activity as cheap babysitting.

yeah. It's tough. I'm part of the machine that keeps 'em year round. But I don't know how to get them to improve without keeping them year round. 

 

Trust me, now that my kid is getting into activities, I want her to be involved in multiple things and pursue her interests. But also don't want to be one of those families that run around interminably to kids' different activities. 

[codeorama]

My very brief comments on this as parent, coach and official.

 

 

(2) it's a real shame that many competitive sports have become year-round endeavors so that the choice for talented kid athletes is to commit to a single sport or play with scrubs who aren't that interested and their parents are treating the activity as cheap babysitting.

 

 

 

 

This is so spot on.

My family (father, brother and me) have a baseball travel team that was started when my oldest nephew was 10 years old.  When my son and youngest nephew became 8 years old, the team was started up again "for them".  

This is the third year of it and I'm about to move on and start a team for my son and a few other kids.  My brother and father act like its life or death. After the 8U season, I decided to get my son to play football.  

 

He was 8 and would play in a 6-8 year old league.  I just wanted him to try something different.  He cried and didn't want to play but I told him he had to try for 2 weeks.  He ended up loving it.  He played again this past season. As a 9 year old playing 9-11, I didn't even think he'd play much.  He ended up being the starting TE and again, loved it.  He's big for a 9 year old but some of the kids he went up against some huge kids. The coaches said he started because he understood the plays and even though he wasn't as big, he was able to use leverage and the other kid's momentum to open the holes.  His team made it to the championship and played in the City Stadium where the high school games are played.  To this day, its his most proud moment.

 

This baseball season, its as if my father wants to hold it against my son because he plays and loves football too.  He's one of the best hitters on the team and is clutch.  I'm happy that he's doing something different. My nephew constantly talks about how he wants to play football so bad but my brother won't let him.