A community league soccer game for 6-year-olds has turned into something too serious, said Dan Gould, the director of MSU's Institute for the Study of Youth Sports.
"Some of the dads are worried about who is winning, when 6-year-olds should just run around," said Gould, also a kinesiology professor. "We should get them to love being outside, get them some fitness."
Gould was part of a panel created by the Citizenship Through Sports Alliance, or CTSA, which released a youth sports report card last week in Washington.
The report addressed issues such as parental involvement and coaching.
According to this first-ever report card, both child-centered philosophy and parental behavior and involvement got Ds, and officiating had the highest score — a B-.
Ted Breidenthal, director of CTSA, said the panel graded hard, but without tough grades, it would be overlooking important issues.
"We as Americans love the professional model," he said. "We love the fact that there is a win-at-all-cost attitude and then a champion is crowned. At the youth level, that should not be the focus."
Gould said this "professional model" for youth sports leads to loud, demanding parents at events, coaches that can't effectively coach a team and a youth athlete with damaged self-esteem.
But Jim Jennings, recreation coordinator at East Lansing's Hannah Community Center, 819 Abbott Road, said the recreational sports he runs are enjoyable for everyone.
"At the recreation level, because it is more low key, the emphasis is more on fun, development and learning the skills for the game," said Jennings, who coaches baseball and basketball programs for children in second grade through middle school. "I don't feel that we run into too much of an issue with parents in a negative aspect."
These sports are typically local and serve children from 6 to 14 years old. CTSA, which began in 1997, works with several professional organizations such as the NCAA, the NBA and the NHL to address youth sports areas that need developmental improvement.
"Youth sports, in youth development, are a great vehicle to make better kids," Gould said. "It is something where their efforts count. It matters how you do. Because of that, we can teach a lot of life lessons.
"Kids' sports are different than Spartan football or basketball," he added.
Many parents have lost track of what is most important to their children, Gould said.
"If you are the average parent out there, you've got this program of elite sports," he said. "It is real easy for you to fall into winning."
If the goal of fun was lost in youth sports, education would be a good way to solve the problem, Jennings said.
"Our role would be probably to look at these reports and assess the needs of high school youth athletes — what the role of parents is," said Larry Lauer, director of coaching education and development for MSU's institute.
"We provide information from the science-generated research that helps people have a better youth sport experience," Lauer added.
MSU's institute has done projects with the United States Tennis Association and develops programs and material to educate parents, coaches and children across the country.
While the grades for youth sports didn't pass, with more education and awareness, Gould said parents can better help their children develop and play sports for the right reasons.
"In youth sports, if we don't do anything, everything is a win-loss record," he said. "If we can just give some guidance, it is still trial and error, but we cut down on some mistakes."
