dearsportsmom.com

So I’ve found out that some people actually do find my blog and read it. Wow! I’m not just floating around in the black hole of cyberspace. LOL What I really find interesting, though, is people seem to get more fired up about things like religion and politics than sports. My first blog ever was regarding our family dilemma about our son’s team traveling on Easter. The response to that issue motivated me to put together an official blog page. Now, when I wrote a simple post that was intended to be a lighthearted look at having a sports mom run for vice president, I get comments that almost scream at me through my computer. OK, I can be passionate about my political ideas too. But it is not my intention to battle our political views on my sportsmom site.

I’d much rather get angry about the officials at youth sports events. That’s where I can really get my blood boiling. Like at the high school volleyball tournament we attended a couple of weeks ago, when the referee overturned the calls made by both the line judge and the referee on the side of the court where the ball fell. It was clearly a wrong call. So where did he get the authority (or attitude) to just take over the game? And it did make a difference in the outcome!

So let’s leave politics and religion for a while. What makes your blood pressure rise in the world of youth sports? Over the years of watching my own kids play sports, the one thing that really gets me angry is when officials don’t take control of the game in order to protect the safety of our youth players. Some referees just don’t know how to use a whistle!!! …All right, I need to shift my thoughts here because I can sense the physical reaction I feel when I get really p#$@&d at the official.

This summer, as I was listening to the John Tesh radio program, I heard of a study done by the University of Maryland about youth sports parents. According the the John Tesh site, here is what they found:

“If your child plays sports, you probably cheer and shout encouragement from the sidelines. However, when things go wrong, do you go nuts, and yell at the kids, coaches, and officials? If so, you’re taking what happens to your kid way too personally. Researchers at the University of Maryland studied hundreds of parents whose children play sports and found that half of the parents got angry during their kid’s games. The top source of anger: The referee. Followed by their child’s team, rude opponents, hostile remarks, coaching issues and illegal play. Forty percent of the angry parents reacted by muttering, yelling, gesturing, standing in their seats, or walking toward the field.

So, why are some parents more likely to get angry than others? It boils down to a personality trait: Angry parents are control-oriented people, who feel controlled by external forces, like money and fame. They also think it’s crucial to keep up with the Joneses. Since image is everything, their own sense of personal worth gets wrapped up in their kids. So, they’re more likely to see a mishap on the field as a personal insult and behave badly.”

So are you reading this and wondering the same thing I am: Do any of these researchers have children participating in youth sports? My guess is that they are college students who have never had the experience of watching their own child be a victim of poor officiating.

What are your thoughts? Are you a control freak who is a victim of external forces like money and fame? How do you view your passion as a sports parent?

Now that I’ve taken a moment to breathe and calm down…

Thanks for being here and have a nice day!