Youth football has changed in the past handful of years. Gone are the days of “Good game!” and “We will work harder next time.” The game has turned into a miniature NFL draft in the eyes of some of the parents.
Unfortunately for some of these parents there is a news flash: your child is not going to go pro because of his or her youth football career. Scouts are not huddled in the stands at 9 a.m. on a Saturday to seek out children for their programs. Youth football is a stepping stone to that larger sports platform, a place to learn the sport and appreciate the intensity and demands.
Youth football is about teaching the strategy, discipline and dedication of the sport; players learn to play the game and how to be a good teammate and respect the sport, coaches, teammates and even opponents. Youth football is for developing a love and appreciation for the sport so players can go on to achieve great plays during middle school, high school, college and possibly beyond.
The average player on a Fireplug youth team is between the ages of 5-7 or Kindergarten and second grades; Wee-Wee hosts players in third and fourth grades and Pee-Wee, the oldest grouping, is full of fifth and sixth graders. These players are children. Babies, even. Some have yet to lose their first tooth and still believe in the magic of St. Nick.
Recently, a trip to a youth football game showcased how far players, coaches, association boards and even parents have fallen from that standard.
We missed the turning point in our world when it was acceptable to encourage youth players to break the rules of the game and physically injure or attack an opposing player outside of active play, complete with parents cheering them on from the stands.
Bumps, bruises and broken bones are commonplace on the field – a risk most parents agree to taking. Their child being repeatedly physically attacked by a team or individual on the field is a different matter entirely.
At what point do the parents take responsibility for their child’s actions? When is it the refs’ or the coaches’ responsibility to sideline a player physically lashing out? When the parents and coaches will not, at what point should the individual association step in and remove or discipline a player with a dangerously short fuse? How many parent reports from multiple schools reporting physical altercations along with other unsportsmanlike conduct will need to be made before the Cullman County Youth Association steps in?
At the end of the day in youth football, players’ safety should be paramount, next to the love of the game. The short seven years of youth football are meant to instill that love along with the discipline, respect and perseverance it takes to master the game.
After all, your child is not going to go pro if they – along with their parents, team, coaches and associations – cannot uphold the most basic rules of sports: sportsmanship and respect for the game, teammates and opponents on the field.
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