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Let The Kids Play
By Joe Renna
Let the kids play, for crying out loud. Adult intervention into youth sports has become ridiculous and damaging. Many parents subject their kids to unhealthy pressure at an age that is far too young. Children under the age of 10 are pressured to perform in sports as if a world championship depended upon them.
All children go through stages of development. The order and length
of each stage varies with each individual. Some toddlers walk
before they speak. Some can grasp language before they can grasp
a spoon. Interference with the subtleties of this growth process
can have permanent repercussions.
Children must be able to experiment and explore their abilities
at their own pace and capacity. Eventually they mature, complete
with their unique God given talent. And it may not be athletics.
Subjecting a youngster to regimented play may teach him or her
a specific action but limits the ability to develop the mentality
to use skills creatively. Instead of developing individual talents,
the child is forced to conform to a "norm". Imagine
telling Roberto Clemente to fix his batting stance.
The biggest price paid is the loss of opportunity. Time spent
participating in organized sports is taken away from non-athletic
pursuits. I know kids who play on a variety of teams in a variety
of sports. They literally spend over 20 hours a week between traveling
and game time. Just a fraction of this time is actually spent
playing. If the player practiced in the back yard just half this
time he would be phenomenal. And if the other half was spent at
academics we may discover there exists a gift for science or the
arts.
The overbearing parent in athletics is nothing new. What is new
is the emergence of the overbearing community. There are entire
towns and schools who put more emphasis on sports than they do
on health and safety. Exposing children to the rigors of these
leagues pushes not only their physical limitations but emotional
ones as well. A healthy perspective is lost when the purpose of
playing is no longer recreational. This happens whenever a child
is forced to perform a certain way - or to perform at all.
I don't understand what motivates parents to act like this in
masses. Is it peer pressure or a rite of passage into community
acceptance? Are they trying to achieve fame or prestige through
their kids? The problem is definitely rooted in the psyche of
the parents. The kids are basically doing what they are told in
order to win favor with their parents. The sad thing is that the
child will never be good enough. Every error is a disappointment.
The chance to develop self esteem and a comfort with their own
ability or more importantly with their limitations will have been
squandered. Kids should play organized ball when and if they want
to. But they can't make that choice until all their faculties
are in place.
The argument that the leagues promote responsibility, sportsmanship
and team work is hogwash. Teamwork is learned when there are no
adults around and sides are chosen to equal strength. Sportsmanship
is respecting a foul called by an opponent when no referees are
present, or choosing odd or even when its too close to call. And
responsibility is making sure the broom handle you used for stick
ball is back in the closet before your mom knows its gone