Baseball Hazard

Baseball and softball season is here and unfortunately, so are the stories of parents, coaches and umps arguing and playing with unsportsmanlike behavior. The Chicago Tribune reported the first arrest of a parent who got into an altercation with an ump during a children's baseball game and had to be charged. How many of these incidents never get reported?

The stress and anxiety that we all place on youth sports is not something left for just adults. Kids are feeling the pressure and competitiveness unlike ever before, and since organized sports are starting younger than ever, they get this pressure early on in their sports participation.

In fact, 70 - 80% of kids who begin playing a sport at an early age drop out by age 15. Their top 10 reasons for quitting include not having fun, too much emphasis on winning, and too much pressure from the coaches.

I have the opportunity to coach girl's softball and it is evident to me that many coaches and parents take winning too seriously. When you are pressing kids in a game where you are slaughtering the other team or putting players in the outfield of every game to win, you have lost perspective. There is a lesson to be learned in being competitive and trying your best, but we need to rethink at what age we make it a priority. The goal for youth sports should be to expose children to sports, get them active and keep their interest so they have the opportunity to learn the game.

If we determine who is good at sports and who is not at a very young age, we are going to miss the great athlete who hits his growth spurt in middle or high school. We are going to watch the kids that peak early, fizzle out and we will lose overall participation.

Let's teach the kids the skills of the game, how to be a good sport and show them how to have fun. That way they can determine how long they want to stay engaged. If we concentrate on making them athletes with sound skills and great sportsmanship instead of constantly focusing on winning, we will really be doing something for the future.