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My friend is writing a very provocative series on youth sports...

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    edmundfitzgeraldedmundfitzgerald Posts: 4,306 ✭✭
    I totally disagree with him.

    I spend 2 nights a week coaching my sons basketball team, and spend both days on my weekend at the ice hockey rink coaching
    him how to skate and play hockey. I spend all my free time with my boys because I love them to death, and will do anything I can
    to keep them active and involved in something positive.

    American parents get their kids involved with sports not because we all think we have the next Michael Jordan, but we sacrifice our
    lives because we want them to have positive experiences growing up.
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    RYKRYK Posts: 35,789 ✭✭✭✭✭
    He is encapsulating the stereotype in the introductory article. Keep reading because I think that you will find that you, as an active parent and coach, will probably agree with him on most points.
    My Box of 20: https://pcgs.com/setregistry/collectors-showcase/box-20/ryks-gold-box-20/17132
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    VintageCardLoverVintageCardLover Posts: 584 ✭
    i just read a few of his blogs. They seem just a bit narrowminded, but most blogs are.

    I do agree with this: "Today, kids get so many they are meaningless. Trophies for just showing up."

    Also I hate it when they dont keep score. LOL
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    ripkenintheminorsripkenintheminors Posts: 2,186 ✭✭✭
    I can personally live without some of the comments about other coaches being "dopey". I do a lot of youth sport volunteering on multiple levels. My philosophy is simple:

    1. Let the kids have fun
    2. Teach the kids the fundamentals and how to play the game the right way.
    3. Teach the kids and families how to be a good sport.

    When it comes to youth sports there may be some coaches who do not know everything about the game. However, I would rather have a coach teaching the kids how to play the game the right way than have a coach with knowledge leading kids down the wrong paths. We had a local team run the table with a perfect season. However, the coach was rude and many of the kids hated the game. In the process our county lost several young people who no longer thought the game was fun. I coached against this person in the district tournament. A play happened in the 5-6 year old league. The umpires are there to get the calls right but at the end of the day it is 5 & 6 year olds. The umpire asked for help and the kid involved told the truth. The coach stepped in and lied. After the game the coach was bragging to everyone how he was the hero because he lied and had a key play decided by what he said. Knowledged coach, bad example. I'll take a good example and less knowledge any day.

    It's all about perspective when working with young people and in life in general. For example, consider the following comment from the blog:

    "a couple of weeks ago after a rec league basketball game that my older son participated in and was fortunate to win by a large amount."

    No. Your son is fortunate to have a healthy life and people that care. Your son is fortunate to be able to play the game perios win or lose. Just because your kid won does not make him any more or less fortunate than a kid who played for a team that did not score as many points.
    -Chris

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    Ripken in the Minors * Ripken in the Minors Facebook Page
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    alnavmanalnavman Posts: 4,129 ✭✭✭
    my son is currently playing JV basketball at his high school.....and no he doesn't have $200 shoes. We buy him a new pair for each season and the shoes are around $90. as for signing up for every league possible, I must say that playing at your high school requires you to play your sport year round anymore. If you don't you get passed by and sit the bench. Even if you do play all the time there is no guarantee that you play....maybe the article is directed more towards younger kids but I don't remember the high cost of shoes, private lessons or coaches that didn't care about anything but winning in his past......
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    GootGoot Posts: 3,496
    I'm thankful that my parents could have given a crap if I scored 20 points or played 20 seconds when I played sports in high school. They went to support me and my team and little else mattered to them, as long as I was enjoying myself.

    I'd HATE to be a kid whose parents put all that pressure on them. I have a friend whose parents were like that and sports became a chore for him. We'd be playing rec league basketball when we were 14 years old and his dad would pace the sidelines the entire game. He'd have a turnover and his dad would yell at him from the bleachers. Of course, he's swimming on a D-1 scholarship now but he also ended up quitting baseball and basketball in high school because he couldn't take the stress his dad put on him anymore.
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    GootGoot Posts: 3,496


    << <i>

    American parents get their kids involved with sports not because we all think we have the next Michael Jordan, but we sacrifice our
    lives because we want them to have positive experiences growing up. >>




    In many cases yes, but step foot at highly competitive AAU baseball tournament and you will likely no longer believe that.
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    edmundfitzgeraldedmundfitzgerald Posts: 4,306 ✭✭


    << <i>

    << <i>

    American parents get their kids involved with sports not because we all think we have the next Michael Jordan, but we sacrifice our
    lives because we want them to have positive experiences growing up. >>




    In many cases yes, but step foot at highly competitive AAU baseball tournament and you will likely no longer believe that. >>



    Would you rather have your child at a higly competitive AAU baseball tournament, or getting girls pregnant
    and smoking dope ?
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    VintageCardLoverVintageCardLover Posts: 584 ✭
    "Would you rather have your child at a higly competitive AAU baseball tournament, or getting girls pregnant
    and smoking dope ? "

    wow tough call, as i know those are the only two paths they could possibly choose.

    dont NBA players do both on a regular basis? its called mulit-tasking!
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