According to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, 70 percent of the 50 million kids in America that are playing organized sports will quite by the time that they are 13 years old. More and more they are saying that they are quitting because their parents are criticizing their performance and there is too much emphasis put on winning according to an article in the Charleston, NC The Post and Courier.
Both children and parents are witnessing the ever increasing incidents of violent parental behavior and nearly half of the kids are being called names, or getting yelled at or insulted. Parents are “over-identifying” with their child’s athletic successes and failures and linking their own self-worth to their child’s accomplishments.
In short, parents are not setting good examples for their kids to follow and are making it difficult for their children to enjoy their sports. The bright side is that as more people become aware of this problem, the more resources become available to help identify and correct the problems.
Some of those resources are:
Websites
http://www.learningthroughsports.com
http://www.youthsportspsychology.com
Books
The Death of Sportsmanship
The Ultimate Sports Parent: A 14-Day Play for Kids’ Success in Sports
Institutes and Associations
Institute for the Study of Youth Sports at Michigan State University
The Parents Association for Youth Sports
