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Brian Troutman Sports, Children, and Parents: Over the Edge Of the many axiomatic notions in our society, one of the most common is the idea that parents want only the best for their children. From an early age, children are protected and cared for by their devoted mothers and fathers, and these loving caretakers strive to provide a high standard of living for themselves and their offspring. Parents often try to immerse their developing children in environments which stimulate them intellectually, socially, and physically. As a result of this quest, and also because of long-standing societal traditions, parents often place their children in sports programs. The abilities of athletics to foster traits of teamwork, determination, and sportsmanship in young people are widely accepted by the public, but are these attributes truly valid? In addition, if sports activities do possess these positive developmental characteristics, at what price do they come to those children who are involved in them. A significant portion of our culture is willing to dismiss any criticism of youth sports programs as being unfounded, but a discriminating investigation of the matter shows that sports cause more negative effects than many people are willing to admit. The schedules of today’s children are becoming increasingly filled with sports programs as well as other activities which consume large amounts of free time. In 1970, children that participated in sports and other activities did so for an average of three to five hours per week. By 1990, the weekly average time had increased to over seven hours per week. These time totals are for a combination of sports as well as other activities, but the majority of the time was sports-related. (Landschleidt 23) Experts in child psychology and child development have cautioned against over-scheduling children. Gregory J. Smith, associate professor of child psychology at Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA suggests that parents should allow their children to be bored occasionally. According to Smith, unstructured time helps a child to develop cognitive skills and creativity. In addition, having unstructured time in the company of peers aids in the development of a child’s social skills. (“Sports Whirl” 1) Smith states that several factors determine the point at which the amount of time an activity consumes becomes excessive and unnecessary, even though these factors are often ignored or misread by parents. When sports activity starts to regularly interfere with family meals, events, and other aspects of family life, the activity has become excessive. In addition, a child may send signals to a parent that his or her involvement in an activity has become burdensome, but these signs are often misinterpreted by the parent as evidence of a lack of persistence or discipline on the part of the child. Most egregiously, an activity becomes too much when it is done more for the gratification of the parent than for the interest of the child. In these cases, children often become resentful of the parents for forcing their participation in the sport, although the children frequently feel pressured to continue against their wishes. (“Sports Whirl” 2) Though they have the aim of stimulating healthy physical development in the young participants, many sports activities have the result of causing harm instead. Increasingly, young athletes are developing overuse injuries from the sports which they are involved in. Little League Elbow was first diagnosed in young baseball pitchers, and it is a condition which causes difficulty in flexing the arms. Surgery is sometimes required to remedy the problem. Another common overuse injury is Swimmer’s Shoulder, and as the name implies, it is caused by the over-stressing the shoulders in aquatic sports. (Tye 137) In the case of one hospital, the Boston Children’s Hospital, the increase in sports-related injuries has been dramatic. 20 years ago, physicians at the hospital treated an average of 30 to 40 sports injuries per week. In more recent years, the incidence of sports injuries has exploded to a stratospheric average of 300 to 400 cases weekly. This marked increase has been described by Dr. Lyle Micheli, director of sports medicine at the hospital, as “a new disease for children.” (Gaines 1) According to Dr. Micheli, who is also the chairman of the Massachusetts Governor’s Committee on Physical Fitness and Sports, the nature of the children’s sports-related injuries is also changing. In years past, children were usually treated for acute injuries—bruises, sprains, broken bones, etc.—which are generally caused by a single blow or one-time trauma to the body. Increasingly, children are developing overuse injuries as a result of repeated stress. These overuse injuries include tendinitus, bursitis, and fractures which develop in bones that are subjected to high levels of stress time and again. (Gaines 1) The more conjectural reports from local facilities such as the Boston Children’s Hospital are corroborated by national statistics which clearly demonstrate the volume of sports-related injuries in children, even in younger groups whose activity is generally believed to be less likely to cause injury. Every year, approximately 3.5 million children under the age of 14 get injured while participating in a sports activity (Sports Safety). More than three-quarters of a million children from this same age group are treated in an emergency room for a sports-related injury each year (Sports Safety). Of these emergency room visits, 200,000 were basketball-related, 159,000 were the result of football injury, more than 100,000 were baseball or softball-related, and over 75,000 were the result of soccer injuries (Sports Safety). A study published in the Summer of 2003 by the National Institutes of Health indicates that among all athletes, even professionals, the highest rate of injury is among children ages 5 to 14 (Gaines 1). The study also shows that almost 6% of athletically inclined children in that age group have suffered from a significant injury related to their sport (Gaines 1). Great numbers of children involved in sports also suffer emotional and psychological stress at the hands of overzealous parents and coaches. Young athletes are often placed under excessive pressure to practice, perform, and produce. Aspects of fun and sportsmanship wither in the interests of winning at all costs. The realm of female figure skating and gymnastics provides numerous examples of the overwork and abuse of children by obsessive coaches and parents. Many girls, motivated by coaches referring to them as “pigs” or “cows,” seek the ideal, lightweight body by starving themselves nearly to death or by vomiting up the food eaten on binges. Obsessive weight control is at the heart of one instance: a gymnastics coach fed his students so little that food has to be smuggled into their hotel rooms. In one case, a mother hid her young gymnast’s chicken pox with makeup so that the child could participate in a competition. Parents, who often believe that they want only the best for their child, are drawn by lure of fame and fortune, and the goals that they set for their child become distorted. The mission of coaches is to produce champions, and the coaches are often fanatically dedicated to this purpose. They will scream, demean, berate, or dehumanize their pupils in the pursuit of turning out a world-class athlete. (Ryan 142147) Parents often become a disruption to sports activities by being overly-vocal spectators. An article in the Portland Press-Herald chronicles the struggles of coaches in Portland, ME area schools in dealing with parents. ”Parents seem like they’re out for the good of their kid rather than the good of the team,” reports Ethan Powell, a student athlete at the Yarmouth High School. Parents spend large sums of money on sports camps, personal trainers, and practice equipment for their young Pelés and Joe Montanas, and they expect results: chiefly increased play times in games. At Yarmouth, these parents have become increasingly vocal, and they have responded by circulating petitions to remove coaches who have not made decisions favorable to their children. Basketball coach John Casey of Cape Elizabeth High School had been beloved by the community and led the school’s varsity team to many championships culminating with their celebrated victory of the 1992 state title. After one single loss to underdog team Kennebunk in 1993, parents deluged Casey with letters protesting his coaching decisions. A game later in that season concluded with a shout fest on the court which followed Casey back to the locker room. The verbal abuse prompted Casey to leave his coaching position. “[Leaving] was the hardest decision of my life,” Casey reflected. “It was absolutely the right thing to do.” (Svrluga 24) Few people would claim that sports are entirely without benefit to developing boys and girls. When properly conducted, athletic activities can aid in the physical fitness and development of children, instill values of teamwork, and promote healthy social interaction. Obviously, if sports are misused or abused, they can have the opposite effect and be detrimental to the participants as well as the coaches and parents. Clearly, parents have to use great care in distinguishing their own desires and ambitions from those of their children. Parents must also pay close attention to the less-than-obvious cues that their children feed them regarding their sports involvement. Coaches need to be teachers and not champ mills. They must recognize their crucial role in developing the whole person, not just refining the physical body to perform in a particular sport. Sports possess tremendous potential; they have the ability to positively shape the youth of the world. As demonstrated, athletics also have the ability to destroy lives and divide communities. If people are to reap the benefits that sports have to offer, they must first recognize the dangers that abuse of sports can bring. Only with this recognition and understanding can children, parents, and coaches act cooperatively for the common good of all. Works Cited Sports Safety - Injury Statistics and Incidence Rates. 2003. Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Palo Alto. 04 Dec 2003. <http://www.lpch.org/DiseaseHealthInfo/HealthLibrary/safety/sprtstat.html>. “The Sports Whirl: The Series Ending Today Examines the Choices Parents and Children Make,” Syracuse Post-Standard. 19 October 1999. Gaines, Judith. “’New Disease’ in Children: Sports Injuries Multiplied by 10 in Past 20 Years,” Boston Globe. 12 October 2003. 1+. Landschleidt, Ann. Sport’s Growth in Children’s Culture. New York: Macmillan, 1995. 32-35. Ryan, Joan. “Female Gymnasts and Ice Skaters: the Dark Side,” Sport in Contemporary Society. Sixth Ed. D. Stanley Eitzen. New York: Worth, 2001. 142-149. Svrluga, Barry. “Out of the Game: High School Coaching Has Become a Complicated and Time-Consuming Job, One That’s Made Tougher by Zealous Parents,” Portland Press-Herald. 18 May 1997. 1+. Tye, Larry. “Kids and Sports: Injured at Early Age,” Sport in Contemporary Society. Sixth Ed. D. Stanley Eitzen. New York: Worth, 2001. 136-141.
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