- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- preteenagers today articles
- preteenagers today q&a
- teenagers today articles
- teenagers today q&a
- community & groups
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
From Our Sponsors
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Parent Rage in Youth Sports
Giving the Game Back to
Our Children
Our Children
By Gwen Morrison
Survey USA took a poll of 500 parents in Indianapolis, Ind., in 2001, asking about views of parent violence in youth sports. The survey found the following:
- 55 percent of parents say they have witnessed other parents engaging in verbal abuse at youth sporting events.
- 21 percent say they've witnessed a physical altercation between other parents at youth sporting events.
- 73 percent believe that parents who become verbally or physically abusive during games should be banned from youth sports.
- 22 percent would allow aggressive parents to remain in the stands.
- 5 percent aren't sure what to do about parents who are prone to sports-induced tantrums.
- 27 percent think "silent" games are a good idea.
Parent rage in youth sports is becoming a very serious problem. From coast to coast, more and more cases of violence during games are popping up. In Laporte, Ind., a father who was disturbed over his son's lack of playing time threw the league commissioner to the ground as he approached to talk with the angry man. In Athens, Ala., the father of a youth baseball player was charged with assault on another man who had complained that the father was heckling the other 11- and 12-year-old players. A knife was pulled, and one of the dads required more than 100 stitches to his face and back.
There are innumerable cases reported throughout the country every month – reports of games turning tragic at the hands of enraged parents. "Children generally become frightened by their parents' rage," says Richard S. Lustberg, a licensed psychologist in Long Island, N.Y. "In addition, depending on the nature of the child, they can also be embarrassed by their parent's behavior."