Weird Behavior Is Trending & A Reminder Of The Scary Norm In Youth Sport.
One of the most read articles of all time is a reality check on the mindset around youth sport.
In an internet age, we don’t have to look very far to find weird behavior. Every act that stands out from the norm is filmed and broadcast for all to see. The pandemic seems to have spiked this phenomenon.
The recent incident at the Academy Awards is simply one act of many that seem to tip on the edge of antisocial behavior.
Behavior in airports and on flights, in restaurants and in public is noticeably off the norm. While road rage incidents and bad parent behavior at youth sporting events is not new, we seem to be seeing an uptick in their occurrence in many more settings.
A video circulating on social media shows a snowboarder who is not wearing a mask and refuses to listen to staff at Blue Mountain Resort in Ontario. The incident was recorded on February 1 and appears to show security at the resort trying to stop a snowboarder from getting on a ski lift. In a tweet posted on February 19, the user captions the video, "A dad in Canada refuses to follow a ski resort's face mask policy to get on the lift."
Crime levels are up. Hospitals are teaching self defense strategies to health care workers in some areas and school incidents are up. Even bad behavior at youth sporting events is escalating, now including youth attacking referees as a recent incident reported.
The effects of increased stress the last 2 years, increased isolation as well as alcohol and drug consumption will continue to impact behavior that is odd and quite frankly frightening.
With everyone seemingly having a shorter fuse, youth sport will not escape this trend. As the summer seasons ramp up for various sports, here is a reminder to all to take a deep breath and approach situations with calm and perspective.
Not sure behavior is that odd?
The below article documents some pretty strong trends. Awareness is power.
Speaking of perspective, our March 27 edition on athleticism shared the concept of bus bench vs. park bench approaches to physical activity and fitness as brought forward by Coach Dan John.
In short, the bus bench approach is outcome driven, schedule focused and when interrupted stress levels rise. This is how most fitness programs are approached and we can say the same for much of the thinking around youth sport.
Keeping up with the joneses, targeting a scholarship and pushing our young athletes to playing pro is very much a bus bench approach. Outcome focused that results in families spending thousands and tons of time away towards these goals.
The park bench approach is more of the approach that youth sport was intended to follow. It is an approach that focuses on the rewards of the journey and not the rigidity and stress of outcome. As Coach John states “When you compete or train, take time to enjoy the view, breathe the air, and don’t worry about the minutia! Whatever comes along during your competition or training should be viewed through the lens of wonder and thanks.”
Coach John’s view would be ridiculed by many in today’s world of travel tournaments and elite teams, and the pay to play mentality that has become the norm.
Recently, coach and friend of The Physical Movement Lee Taft addressed the concept adjusting expectations around our kids playing pro.
From Coach Taft’s recent FB post:
This is one of the most read articles of all time. I was able to spend 45 minutes on the phone with Dr. Louis Profeta as he shared stories that broke my heart about AAU and the wake of destruction it can leave. He received thousands of email after his award winning article. He had Grandparents telling him they feel like they have lost their grandchildren because they are gone all weekends and never visit them anymore- so sad!
He talk about family members missing weddings and funerals because of an AAU tournament. The stories went on and on. Even how stressed marriages occurred because one parents or the other was gone every weekend for years and year while the child/children played AAU tournament all over god-creation. Or, one parent in one state while the other in another state with other child- both at different AAU tournaments.
When I hear of parents say, "well my 8th/9th grade son's team won the nationals" which nationals did they win? The Orlando nationals, the Las Vegas nationals, the Northeast nationals, the mid-west nationals, the Southwest nationals, or some other nationals sponsored by one of the shoe companies. It really doesn't matter...
If I had a lie-detector machine I am certain many of those parents who've messaged me saying it was such a great experience, the boatload of money spent was worth it, the bonding was great (give me a break- the kids are hanging together or on their phones while the parent is at the bar with other parents or by themselves), Those parents would wish they had their lives back. They would admit it was TOO MUCH! It wasn't worth the stress to play a game that was designed to be FREE from the start.
Please read this article and share it!
Here is the article Coach Taft refers to by Dr. Louis Profeta: