I remember growing up as a kid enjoying many fall afternoons playing pick-up football games with neighborhood kids. We would roam from yard to yard (according to which kid has the most forgiving father, or at least one who cared the least about his yard).  Often times we played until it was too dark to see the ball, or the utility pole that never failed as a sure tackler.  Something has changed across the suburbs of America, and I’m not sure what is to blame.

Lawsuits End Backyard Football

Who knows all the reasons for the death of the neighborhood sporting scene.  If I were to venture a guess at a few of the excuses parents and kids would use to scuttle a neighborhood whiffle ball game I’d bring up things like injuries, lawyers and video games.

Parents today are terrified of another person’s child getting injured on their property, and for good reason.  With lawyer offices on ever corner ready, willing and able to file suit for any semblance of negligence, parents now think twice over letting their kids clothesline each other during five on five scrimmages.  When I was a kid, injuries were part of playing hard.  If someone got hurt, somebody’s mom came out with a bag of ice or frozen peas and plopped it on the injury.  If the injury was too bad to ride home on a bike, she called the other mom to come pick up the wounded.  No big deal.  In today’s society this same scenario would probably end in a fist fight, lawsuit, or at a minimum, hurt feelings (or all of the above!).

Video Games Are Not a Substitute for Real Sports

Video games have gotten a bad rap in the media, and based on a few titles I’ve seen in action, rightfully so. However, there are plenty of benign games out there, even ones with some redeeming qualities such as those that improve hand/eye coordination or problem-solving skills.  The problem is that parents have not balanced video game baseball with the requirement to engage in real-life activities.  I think at a minimum kids should have to play outside in equal times that they play video games.  So if kids want to play Madden Football on their XBox 360 (and who could blame them) for an hour, then they have to play outside for at least an hour.  They will probably gripe and complain, but at least they will grow up to understand balance–minimizing the chance they pull video game all-nighters in college.

Have you noticed a decline in kids playing outside in your neighborhood?

It is that time of year again–more sad news of the tragic deaths of high school football players.  These young players typically die of undetected heart problems, made worse by playing in extreme temperatures of the late summer months.  I played high school football myself, and often thought some of the conditions were made unnecessarily difficult by muscle-head coaches bent on “toughening” players when they were actually just feeding their own egos.  While it is not known if any of these deaths could have been prevented, there are some things we could be doing as parents, coaches and school administrators to reduce the risk of more players dying so tragically young.

Health Screenings

Often times high school football players die from an undetected heart condition that could have been found through more intensive screening.  Heart murmurs and irregular heartbeats are not likely to be detected during regular physicals without the use of an EKG or more sophisticated equipment.  If your child is preparing to play high school sports it may be a good idea to ask for this further level of screening, even if you have to pay for it out-of-pocket.

More Water, Less Heat

I remember in high school our coaches literally became angry at the mere mention of needing water.  It was thought to be a sign of weakness to want something to drink, when in fact it was simply a physiological response to being dehydrated.  I guess it is asking a lot for a high school football coach to understand that.  I’ve done a little youth soccer coaching and I’m always aware of the temperature and the level of activity I’m requiring of the kids.  I opt for frequent water breaks and err on the side of caution.  Perhaps if school administrators provided more oversight of practice times and duration, and the frequency of breaks, there were would be less incidence of heat-related problems.

Football is a tough sport, but one that when well-coached can teach many positive traits to our children, such as discipline, perseverance, and sportsmanship.  However, it is the responsibility of parents, coaches and school administrators to ensure the safety of high school football players.

A Side Effect of Political Correctness?

If we can agree that some kids are better at some things than others, why then must every child be treated with the same set of rewards and punishment?  Schools today often punish entire classes or grade-levels if standardized test scores are not met.  Conversely, entire classes are given rewards when many times individuals within the class fail the objective.  What happened to rewarding individual effort?  It seems to have been tossed out in the name of not hurting feelings.

In Japan, the entire cast of a school play was recently “awarded” the lead role in Snow White.  Must have been quite a sight – two dozen Snow Whites, but no dwarfs.  Apparently the school caved after parents fought administrators because they felt their child was most qualified to play the lead role.  What a ridiculous notion!  What’s next – Every kid gets to play quarterback on the football team, or each grade elects 167 “presidents” of the student council?  There’s nothing wrong with playing a supporting role.  In fact, some people have become very successful simply by helping leaders be more effective by being a great follower.

Kids today need to be given confidence boosters – no doubt about that.  But they also need to be told that they have strengths and weaknesses that make them unique. Encourage them to celebrate their individuality, because it seems society is moving more and more towards a collectivism that stifles competition, and discouraged individual thought.

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