Dear Out of Control Sports Parent,
You.
Yeah, you.
The one shouting “Get the rebound!!!” to your kid. The one with the heart palpitating so loudly that you cannot contain yourself. The one yelling and complaining about the coach. The one hollering at the 13-year-old referee. The one angry at my kid for making a mistake. The one hollering at the kids who made a mistake running the scoreboard in a recreational tournament in a meaningless pool play game.
Yeah, you, the one whose spouse won’t sit next to you during the game. The one who is micromanaging every aspect of the game and turning what would be a pleasant normal Saturday into a heightened state of anxiety for all of us, including your fellow parents stuck next to you for today’s game, this season, and our kids’ childhoods.
PLEASE STOP!
PLEASE CALM DOWN!
Do you notice the Normal Sports Parents sitting next to you who are quiet? Did you even look at us? You probably didn’t. Do you know what we are thinking? Well, I’ve listened to you holler in my ear all game, so now it’s my turn.
Your noise pollution is ruining my day and my experience as a parent. You don’t have the right to dominate over all of us sitting here watching and cheering like Normal Sports Parents. You don’t have the right to keep blocking my view as you jump up to contest another call, or express your frustration at another mistake by an 11-year-old.
Have you ever stopped to consider any of the following things:
I get it. You are stressed. You are scared your kid might miss out on some opportunity. I feel that too. We work hard so our kids can have advantages that we never had. It’s hard to keep up with the Joneses. It’s hard to know who to believe. But we never had this kind of pressure back in the 80s when we were kids. Do you even remember the scores from your THIRD-grade games? I don’t.
Please, for everyone’s sake, but especially your own kids, calm down. Enjoy the moment. Watch them with pride when they succeed, and watch them with pride when they have the courage to fail. If you want to jeer and holler at a game, go to a professional one.
But here, on this sideline, let’s remember these are kids. That it is just a game. That referees are human. That no one is turning pro, and no scholarships are being handed out today.
Let’s model good behavior and put it all in perspective for our children. They are here learning how to play a game with other kids with all of its ups and downs and trials and life lessons and friendships.
They are not here to boost our self-esteem.
They are not there to entertain us.
They have only one childhood.
Please let kids be kids.
Please let them fall in love with the game.
Please let them play.
And please, just let me watch in peace!
Thanks,
A Normal Sports Parent
Changing the Game Project is an organization that is dedicated to returning youth sports to our children and putting a little more "play" back in play ball. Changing the Game Project wants to provide the most influential adults in our children’s lives – their parents and coaches – with the information and resources they need to make sports a healthy, positive and rewarding experience for their children and their whole family.