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Justin Hilliard
Professor Bevill
ENGLISH 1302-03
21 November 2016
Positive Influences in Youth Sports Leads to Success
The influences on youth sports can leave lasting memories or can damage the childs
capability and mentality towards playing sports. A positive coach, with parents, who are
supporting of the childs endeavors will build the confidence of the athlete and help support them
through their years of playing youth sports. Whenever the parents or coaches are not positive the
child feels those effects and can harm them for years to come not only on the field but off of it as
well. Many Children feel undo pressure while playing youth sports due to influences from their
parents, coaches, and peers; these children may end up hating the sports that they are playing due
to this (Goldberg, 1). However, there is a way for the parents and coaches to be able to influence
these children so that they begin to love the sport they are playing and become highly successful
at it.
Youth sports organizations need to be held accountable for not only the players that are
within that organization but the actions of the coaches and parents as well. When an
organization just accepts the monetary benefits for the child but does not put the child in a
conducive atmosphere to learn and be able to participate in a sport then they are failing that
child. There has been a national movement from professional sports organization to push the
proper methods of coaching to the youth level. The National Football League has created an
atmosphere with youth organizations that give out money to these organizations to help with the
training of their personnel (USA Football, 1). The National Basketball Association, Major

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League Baseball, National Hockey League, and the National Lacrosse League have all follow
suit and have begun to reach into the youth leagues to push better training within the youth level
ranks. With these changes coming from high level professional organizations, the culture within
youth sports organizations should begin to change for the better. The professional sports leagues
are demanding that youth sports organizations abide by their code of ethics as well as following
the step by step processes put in place while also evaluating the youth sports organizations and
giving those that follow the guidelines grant money to provide better equipment (USA Football,
1). Being able to have a competent board for the organization is step one to having a great
organization. If the Board members do not know how to run the organization or are not willing
to change the environment of the organization then they will continue to fail the children that are
in their organization. The board must be willing to create by-laws and a code of ethics so that
they can begin to enforce those values throughout their organization. Organizational efficiency
and leadership is what develops the framework for a successful team. The trickle-down effect
that will take place with the proper leadership, is a fast paced one and will help to minimize the
negative effects felt on the children playing the sports within that organization. These leaders
within the organization should have a strong set of by-laws, Code of Ethics, and disciplinary
rules. If the organization is not willing to enforce the by-laws and provide disciplinary actions to
the people within the organization, it will not be successful. Having rules are a steadfast way to
ensure that everyone is on the same page and willing to abide by the rules set forth to make
certain that the children within the organization are allowed to enjoy their time playing the sport
they love.
The next step in the process of building a better environment for the young children that
are participating in sports, is to determine the types of coaches that are going to be used within

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the organization. With USA Football, coaches are trained to teach proper techniques as well as
how to train the child and what health risks they may come across. Yet before this season they
did not have any training regarding mental health of the child and what to look for with a childs
stress level. They have finally added that portion of the training after having received feedback
from organizations trying to change the climate of their teams. Mental health education is now a
recommended training course through USA Football to make sure coaches are not mentally
stressing the children on their team. Organizations at the behest of these National level charters
are now requiring that all volunteer coaches submit a background investigation to make sure that
there is not any criminal history associated with the persons trying to coach youth sports (Clay,
1). When an adult volunteers to be a coach within an organization, they agree to follow the Code
of Ethics within that organization. When these volunteers get out of line and break the contract
that is signed when applying to be a coach, they should be reprimanded immediately and without
bias by the host organization. Many teams state these repercussions immediately during the
process of having the volunteer sign on to be a coach. Usually the first instance is a verbal
warning, followed by a suspension for a week of practice and games, and ending with removal
from the position and banishment from the any organized activity. The NFL is not the only
organization that is requiring the background checks of all adults that are volunteering to coach.
With this important step being pushed from a higher level to make sure that it is followed has
allowed for coaches who should not be coaching to be removed from these organizations making
them healthier. Online training has also picked up steam with youth coaches from around the
country all having to take the same courses and also being able to express concern about a topic
that may have not been covered as well as helping these coaches to be able to share teaching
ideas whereas they may not have known these techniques were available to them.

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A major problem with a negative influence in youth sports comes from a minority of the
spectators (Lauer, 1). Parents have emerged as a singular source of negativity for not only their
child but the other children on the team. An organizations board must be able to identify these
parents and others that bandwagon on the negativity that is portrayed through their actions before
it becomes an epidemic within their organization. Youth sports is a building block for
teamwork, physical activity, and social interaction. When a parent decides to use this platform to
push the child on the team for a win at all cost mentality, it not only ruins the experience for
the child but also for the others on the team. This does not just effect the child as other parents
will either gravitate towards that individual or they will separate themselves as well as pushing
their child to not become friends with that parents child. As an organizational board, they
should be making sure that all parents are aware of the ethical standards by which their
organization is run, if this means having a code of conduct that all parents must sign while
enrolling their child in the sport then that is necessary. Every parent should be required to at
least read the code of conduct if not sign an agreement at the end stating that they understand and
will abide by those guidelines. This will help with documentation if the board is required to
intervene and dismiss the parent from the organization.
Children are also not exempt from the influences of youth sports. With their young
minds gravitating towards the adults who are coaching the team as well as influencing other
parents, children are likely to start mimicking those behaviors. If a child sees the coach yelling
at the referee or taunting an opposing coach or player, the child will also think it is ok to talk
back to the ref or to taunt. Same can be said about a loud parent who is negatively effecting the
game by yelling at the refs or coaches. Children will hear that loud noise and instinctively turn

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and listen to what is being yelled. This will become a learned behavior that they will mimic on
the field. However, children are not exempt from becoming their own worst enemy when it
comes to these things. Children will act out as a behavior they have been taught away from the
field as well (Mitchell, 1). So the coaches are going to be the first line of defense about trying to
help change those mentalities of the child on the field. The organizational board should also
have a role in making sure that the children within their league are following a strict guideline
towards sportsmanship as well as the ethical conduct expected from them on the field towards
their teammates as well as the parents and coaches. If a child is not abiding by these principle
measures of being a good teammate and following the rules of sportsmanship, then they should
also be held accountable for these actions and if needed be suspended from the organization.
Organizations in todays society are hard pressed to keep a pristine public image to help
to promote their league. With the increase in social media, organizations that are not run
properly can be revealed publicly and harshly on social media that can cause them to lose out on
children playing for them as well as not having the numbers to sustain a team for an entire season
(Conroy, 1). At this point, that does not help any of the children wishing to play their sport of
choice. Organizational boards should have stricter policies in which to govern their respected
youth sports organizations so that they have the proper procedures and people in place to ensure
that children playing their sport do not feel that a negative outcome is the only option to playing
sports. Many of the issues with youth sports come from a small percentage of the people who
are involved with the organization, yet those small percentage is the one who will determine the
image of the team as well as the influence on the children playing that sport. Simple steps of
having a Code of Ethics, a sportsmanship policy, and training for coaches and board members

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would help to alleviate the negative influences in the youth sports world, leaving a better
experience for the children that play those sports.

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Works Cited
"Be a Better Coach." Football Coach | Courses For Coaching Youth Football | Youth Football |
USA Football | Football's National Governing Body. USA Football, 17 Mar. 2010. Web.
21 Nov. 2016.
Clay, Rebecca A. Gold-Medal Psychology. Gold-Medal Psychology, American Psychological
Association, 2012, http://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/07-08/sports.aspx.
Conroy, David E. Enhancing Motivation in Sport. Http://Www.apa.org, Psychological Science
Agenda, Feb. 2006, http://www.apa.org/science/about/psa/2006/02/conroy.aspx.
Goldberg, Allen. Competitive Advantage: Mental Toughness. Competitive Advantage: Mental
Toughness, https://www.competitivedge.com/.
Lauer, Larry. Keeping Perspective in Youth Sport. Association for Applied Sport Psychology:
Michigan State University, http://www.appliedsportpsych.org/resource-center/resourcesfor-parents/keeping-perspective-in-youth-sport/#.
Mitchell, Marilyn P. The Psychology of Youth Sports. Psychology Today, 8 Jan. 2012,
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-moment-youth/201201/the-psychologyyouth-sports.