No Parents At Kids Sporting Events…The New Norm?

No Parents at Kids Sporting Events…The New Norm?

Too often we hear news stories of poor parent behavior at their children's sporting events.

Sports have long been a part of our culture, and children's sports are no exception. Sports provide kids with valuable life lessons, such as teamwork, sportsmanship, and the importance of hard work. Many parents take great pride in their child's participation in organized sports, but unfortunately, some parent behavior at kids' sporting events has become a source of concern. However, all too often we hear news stories of poor parent behavior at their children's sporting events. Parents are expected to be role models for their children, but unfortunately some parents do not act accordingly. From yelling and screaming from the sidelines, to berating referees and coaches, bad parenting behavior can have a damaging effect on kids in sports.

If you don’t frequent these kinds of events this may sound alarming.

Recently, I read an article that talked about the increased number of parent fights at sporting events for children. Parents are getting into physical fights with one another over a child’s game. If you don’t frequent these kinds of events this may sound alarming. However, for me it is not surprising after chaperoning sporting events at the school where I was a principal. I witnessed behaviors from adults that were very alarming.

I was always on edge anytime we brought parents and guests into the building, but the sporting events were definitely a cause for concern. Not only did I have to worry about my students’ behavior and how they would interact with visitors; I had to worry about parents from opposing teams interacting with each other, the parents interacting negatively with the referees and the parents interacting negatively with my students. You would think that you would not have to be concerned with an adult engaging with a child in a negative manner but as our society has changed to the point of where the boundaries between children adults get blurred, it was more common that one might think.

It got to the point where we had to restrict the number of visitors at our home games, eliminating the students altogether and put a cap on the number of visitors that each player could have attend. This was a great and terrible solution all at the same time. We had no worries about parent behavior because there were so few people in the stands, we could really spread people out and watch what was happening. However, the terrible part was that the players didn’t get the feel of a true game because there were so few spectators.

I have noticed that in our current state of affairs as a society that many adults fail to see how their behavior impact society as a whole.

I have noticed that in our current state of affairs as a society that many adults fail to see how their behavior impact society as a whole. If they lose their cool at a game and lash out they don’t think about how that will make those in charge have to look at the structure of the games to help ensure everyone’s safety. I am not sure if they don’t see it or if they just don’t care, either way this is truly detrimental to our children. No one who runs a league, or a school wants to ban parents or spectators from games, but how do you hold these events in a way that everyone feels safe to be there?

As kids take part in sports activities, parents should be aware of their own behavior. After all, what kind of example are we setting for our children? Poor parental behavior at children's sporting events can have a significant and long-lasting negative impact on young athletes. It is important to recognize the vital role that parents play in a child's sporting experience and how their behavior can dramatically shape this experience. The bottom line is everyone needs to hold themselves accountable and if they are not, they should be held accountable by being removed from being a spectator at all future events.

Schools and leagues are going to have to establish very strict ground rules for spectator behavior just as they set guidelines for their players. All parents shouldn’t be punished for the behavior of a few, but when that behavior becomes more and more widespread it will lead to no parents at games and who will be to blame?