Ok, I'm back on the bad attitude blog again. What is it all about this time? It's about how parents can completely ruin youth sports.

How can you enjoy a sport when you push your son/daughter to the point they cry on the court/field when they can't perform. What's the age group you ask? Try 9 and 10 years old. Some parents are so obsessed with the success of their little Johnny on the field that they fail to realize the sport is for fun.

I unfortunately have a child that plays youth sports, and I unfortunately I have family who also has a child that plays in the same league. Can you read between the lines? Jealousy, selfishness, envy, anger, and foolish pride all sit at one table here. And I am not exonorating myself totally by casting the first stone.

I don't push my kid to baseball camp and force them to the batting cages every day. I just sign them up and hope they will do well. I guess Tiger Woods got to where he is today because of his dad, but if you ask me, Tiger never got to enjoy his boyhood and all the money in the world can't buy that back. But I'm not here to talk about Tiger.

Parents absolutely get way too involved in youth sports. They should stay far from the field of play if they want to relive their athletic past through their offspring. Let the kid play ball for the love of the game alone. The sport hopefully will provide some much needed exercise, teach him/her the sport, and possibly even develop some character that most kids today certainly lack. But I'm talking about the wrong people that need character. Parents need it worse than their kids.

Youth sports is so full of politics, good ole boy networking, and teaching children that one should seek to win and win big at all costs. When they play Pee Wee ball they are taught that everyone is a winner. As they get older they are told you will win or you are a loser. The sport doesn't teach them this...society does. All the emphasis is on all the wrong things.

The family member I direct most of my bad attitude and flaming thoughts at has put a sport before family and winning at all costs before relationships. I've seen poor sportsmanship before on the field, but more parents exude this terrible plight in the bleachers. In the end, no one wins and everyone loses if parents fail to teach their kids what sports are really for.

Will little Johnny get a scholarship or go on to the big leagues? The odds are most certainly against him. Why parents believe their kid is going to be the next Heisman winner totally befuddles me. They have better odds of winning their states lottery.
This has given me a headache and reminds me I have a terrible attitude when it comes to parents and their handling of children and youth sports.

If I ever become rational again, I do realize there are good coaches out their that have decent principles and solidly care for the development of our youth and not at the cost just to win a silly game. Parents need to be trained long before signing their child up for a sport.

Pull yourself together people!!!