There are so many benefits kids get from playing sports. In addition to being fun, playing sports gives children an opportunity to meet new friends, practice teamwork, improve their physical fitness, learn valuable lessons about winning and losing, and more! Unfortunately, despite these benefits, a growing body of evidence indicates that participation in youth sports might also pose a threat to children’s health and well-being if proper precautions aren’t taken.
High profile abuse cases like the Sandusky scandal in Pennsylvania make news headlines every once in a while, but many parents don’t think it is something that will ever happen to their children. However, child abuse in youth sports in more common than you might think. A recent study published in JAMA Pediatrics found that around 1 million children per year will experience some form of abuse in a youth sports setting. Of the participants surveyed for this study, 64% reported suffering from some form of emotional and/or verbal abuse while participating in youth sports including - being called names by adults during practice/games, having “mean things” yelled at them, being punished for their athletic performance during a game, etc. Of those who reported experiencing abuse, 6.4% also reported some kind of sexual abuse.
The statistics about child abuse in youth sports are incredibly depressing, but luckily there are many things parents can do to help. In fact, a UNICEF study on child abuse in youth sports all over the world found that child abuse is still one of the most preventable youth sports injuries. By remaining aware and engaged parents can help push for reforms that significantly impact abuse rates and improve the quality of treatment that kids receive in youth sports settings. Here are a few things you can do, as a parent/caregiver, to help protect your child and prevent future abuse:
• Investigate – Before you sign your child up for sports, do some investigating. Does the league your child wants to join have procedures in place for reporting child abuse? Do they require training and background checks for the coaches and volunteers who will be working with the children? Do they have a clear sportsmanship code of conduct in place for kids and parents to follow? Has there ever been an incident in this league in the past? How do coaches normally handle bullying or misbehavior from other kids? By asking a few questions up front, you’ll be able to get a good sense of what kind of environment your child will be playing in, how they will be monitored and how committed the league is to protect your child’s safety.
• Advocate – If the sports league your child is playing in doesn’t have many protective rules in place, talk to the league about creating some! If you need to, organize with other parents and go to the league together to express your concerns. Advocating for increased safety regulations in your sports league will help protect your child from abuse and make the league a happier, safer place for kids to play!
• Act – Are parents getting out of hand at games? Did you see a coach make fun of a child or yell at them during practice? If you see someone behaving in a way that could create a toxic environment for your kid, say something about it! Talk to parents, coaches or league officials about troubling behavior and make sure that the adults in question understand that bad behavior will not be accepted at sporting games or practices.
• Don't Ignore Emotional Abuse – Yelling at children during sporting events has become normalized in the sports world, but it can be incredibly detrimental to young athletes. Emotional abuse is very serious and can negatively impact a child’s ability to make friends, develop healthy self-esteem, build confidence and accomplish their goals. Moreover, instances of emotional abuse are nearly 10 times more likely to occur than physical or sexual abuse in youth sports! Examples of emotional abuse include things like – ridiculing a child for poor performance, yelling insults, threats or curse words during games, punishing a child for a lost game or poor performance in practice, etc. If you witness any of these behaviors at your child’s sporting events take it seriously and report it so it doesn’t happen again.
In our win-at-all-costs culture, it is easy for a child to believe that his/her self-worth relies solely on how many games they can win or how many points they can score. As parents, caregivers and coaches it is our job to make sure that our kids know that, win or lose, playing sports is about having fun! Fortunately, a lot can be done to help combat negativity and prevent child abuse in youth sports. Advocating for a code of conduct, shifting emphasis from winning to sportsmanship, raising awareness about emotional abuse in youth sports and requiring background checks for coaches can go a long way to help make your child’s sporting league a fun, safe place for kids to fall in love with sports.
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