Youth Sports

1 Pages 366 Words

Article Title: Parents Told to Study Sportsmanship

Publication: Associated Press New Report: Washington AP

File: AP-NY-08-29-99 1202 EDT Year: 1999 Date: August 29

On-line Source: bagoodsport.com Path: Internet

Author: Ira Dreyfuss

Sociological Issues Addressed:
1) The ongoing quest for sportsmanship in youth sports
2) Sports and aggression among spectators/parents
3) Sport ethics in contemporary society


Article Summary

This article addresses the ongoing issue of “Poor Sportsmanship among parents at youth
sport competition”. In 1999 The National Alliance for Youth Sports (NAYS) decided to
tackle this issue head on. Fred Engh, president of NAYS, is attempting to put together a
parent program that will control aggression, stop violence, increase good sportsmanship,
and produce well informed parents involved in youth sport. The Parent Program was
being tested when this article was written.

“Pressure to win at all costs is taking the joy out of youth sports”, Engh said. Youth
leagues are becoming farm leagues for the next level. Somewhere society has forgotten
how much fun it is for the kids to just play.

The Parents Association for Youth Sports program includes viewing a video, wearing
buttons that promote good sportsmanship, receiving a handbook, and signing a parents
code of ethics.

The handbook gives advice to parents on making only positive, encouraging comments to
players on both teams. And reminding parents that making mistakes is part of the game,
and not to criticize athletes for doing so. An important point on the Parent Code of Ethics
reinforces the reality that the game is for the children, not the parents.

The article also gives opinions from league directors of various sports leagues on the
topic of parent sportsmanship programs. Pop Warner national league director, Jon
Butler, lets the individual leagues handle sportsmanship. “The American ...