The Orion Online

Issue date: 11/19/08 Section: Sports

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Sports rage: We've all heard about it, some of us have experienced it.

Yelling obscenities, constant booing and heckling all seem to be part of a growing tradition in professional sports. But when the harsh remarks are aimed at young athletes and referees, the pro stigma spills over.

In 2005 in Palmdale, a 13-year-old boy killed a 15-year-old friend with a baseball bat after the older teen teased him at the snack stand, ABC News and The Associated Press reported.

Then there was an incident in 2002 in Cambridge, Mass., involving Thomas Junta, a hockey dad who confronted and killed his son's hockey coach in a fight, ironically over the aggressiveness on the ice during practice.

These incidents and others show how violence has seeped into the sporting world.

A 2003 study by SportingKid magazine showed 84 percent of more than 3,300 people polled were witnesses to parents acting violently - shouting, berating or using abusive language - toward children, coaches and/or other officials during youth sporting events.

In a 1993 study by the Minnesota Amateur Sports Commission, 45.3 percent of young players said they were heckled or insulted while playing in a game, 17.5 percent said they had been hit, kicked or slapped during a match and 8.2 percent even said they had been pressured to intentionally harm others.

Increasing pressure to succeed in sports is a common motive for high emotions during matches. Whether the pressure comes from parents or peers, the risks keep rising.

"Our culture in general likes to highlight individual achievement," said Jane Rysberg, professor of psychology.

Sports is a marker of individual achievement, going to the Olympics to win a medal is an example of that, Rysberg said.

Many incidents involve parents taking aim at referees for what they think are bad calls. This can, and does, carry over to their children. If parents fight with referees and pro athletes argue, then by example referees are the bad guys.

Still, there are other reasons why youth players are affected by violence on the field, and it might not always be recognizable. Sometimes parents try to live through their children and can even carry unrealistic expectations for them.

"Surely we can think of some families where some parents are completely uninvolved, but most parents serve as a gateway for what their children can look at, so the parents are a filter," Rysberg said.

A child might be interested in certain sport, but if parents do not share the interest, parents gear them to what they want, Rysberg said.

Parents shouldn't include or exclude themselves from their child's sport activities, but instead teach their kids to prepare for harsh playing conditions or simply avoid them.

"I think they should learn how to deal with competition, I don't think it's a good idea to baby our kids," said cross country head coach Gary Towne.

Taking an active role in youth sports should never come down to throwing down with the opposing team. But with attitudes of pro sports seeping into younger athletes, parents will always want to cater to their kids' interest, even if it means giving the ref a piece of their mind - or fist.

"I am not a believer in 'OK, both kids are going to tie until they're X amount of years old,'" Towne said. "I think it's important for kids to take the good with the bad and handle all their emotions."

Maybe parents should try to do the same.

Christian Del Razo can be reached at
cdelrazo@theorion.com

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