What they should be....fun and the kids learn a sport and enjoy doing it.
What they are....cutthroat competitive.
What they should be...a place for a young person to get exercise and to learn life skills.
What they are...a place for parents to live wrongly through their children.
What they should be...something that adds to a young person's life.
What they are...an all encompassing event that controls a life over academics and other social issues.
What they should be...a place to be a kid creating memories for the adult years.
What they are...a place that burns out kids before they get to high school.
What they should be...volunteers who are coaching for the "love of the game".
What they are...travel sports where coaches are paid and receive other benefits.
What they should be...something no child should stress over.
What they are...too stressful for a child.
What they should be...somewhere for parents and grandparents can enjoy their child running and jumping.
What they are...where parents and grandparents become enraged if junior doesn't play their position or is taken out of a game, or....
What they should be...cheaply priced.
What they are...too costly.
What they should...scheduled for early week nights and Saturday afternoons.
What they are...schedule every night of the week and both days of the weekend.
What they should be...pictures and balls and mementos in a scrapbook.
What they are...too many games to remember that one special one.
What they should be...where parents thank the volunteer coach for the time and efforts put in.
What they are...parents question the coaches knowledge and time put in.
What they should be...where parents tell their children they love them after the game no matter the outcome.
What they are...parents micromanage and over criticize their child's performance.
I am sure there are many more examples here and I could go into more detail, but if sports were not our lives and our children even hesitated a small bit, I am not sure it's something I would want them to be around. Yet, no matter what they should be or what they are, youth sports do prepare our children for life. The inevitability of the cruelty of life is coming, too son and our kids need to be able to fight it off.
