Youth sports are so good, on so many levels.
They teach goal-setting. Perseverance. Dealing with disappointment. Learning to win with class, and lose without being a jerk.
Working as a team. Working with different personalities. Pushing your body. Having fun. The thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat.
Youth sports are also so bad, on so many levels.
There are parental pressures, and unrealistic expectations. Coaches’ pressures, with their own unrealistic expectations. The high cost of “pay to play.” Specialization. Burnout.
Misplaced values. Time. Traveling each weekend to play “showcase” tournaments (which really aren’t), against teams from the next town.
The other night, “06880” teamed up with young adult author Tommy Greenwald, to present a special panel.
“Fair Play and Foul Behavior: Issues Facing Youth Sports in Today’s World” focused on many of the issues noted above.
It was an expert group. They hit it out of the park.
Panelists included:
- Tommy Greenwald: former Staples High School soccer state champion captain; father of 3 athletes; author of several books highlight the pressures and joys of youth sports
- VJ Sarullo, Staples athletic director
- Dave Smith, father of 4 athletes who writes frequently on youth sports topics
- Caleb Smith, former Staples quarterback, basketball and All-American lacrosse star, who played football and club lacrosse this year at the University of Connecticut
- Heather Talbott, PAL girls lacrosse co-president and basketball organizer; former lacrosse player at Lehigh University
- Mark Pressman, longtime football and softball official.
If you missed the panel — perhaps you were picking up your kids from practice, or coaching a team yourself — we’ve got you covered.
Click here for the video, or watch it below. Game on!
(Panels like this one are one more service of “06880.” If you enjoy the many ways we cover — and educate — our community, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)