June marks a great opportunity for all youth athletes within the Responsible Sports community to see their sports played at the highest level, thanks to TV coverage of the NCAA Women’s Softball College World Series. So, how can Responsible Coaches and Responsible Sports Parents help youth athletes get the most out of their viewing?
First, take the time to enjoy how sports bring you together. Don’t just sit like a couch potato; engage! These televsied sporting events are bonding opportunities and a chance to help youth athletes become further inspired to pursue their dreams.
Through your own interest in whichever sport you are watching, you probably know some personal background of the competitors and dynamics of the teams. If not, a little research in those areas can yield great talking points to raise with your youth players.
Second, in discussing the games with youth athletes (whether as a parent watching TV with your own child, or as a coach taking practice time to talk about the high-level championship events), focus not just on exciting plays, but also on moments when character is shaped or revealed.
Finally, take great care to recognize and capitalize on "teachable moments." Teachable moments occur when a child tries to process an experience or an impression, and that is one of the best times for a Responsible Coach or Responsible Sports Parent to turn even a negative incident, such as a brawl, into a springboard for discussing and teaching positive behavior.
Casting light on negative behavior and discussing it -- rather than ignoring it and hoping your youth athletes do the same -- can keep them from emulating the negative behavior. It is important not to let any poor sportsmanship go by without comment, because youth may take your silence as tacit approval.
Instead, you might ask questions: open-ended questions (questions that can’t be answered “Yes” or “No”) such as:
- What would you do if you felt the opposing pitcher was trying to hit you?
- What do you think of players who show up their opponents with exaggerated celebration?
- How would you talk to a teammate who was not Honoring the Game?
Sooner or later, you may need to firmly tell players the difference between right and wrong and let them know exactly what behavior you expect. But the most important aspect of using televised sports in your coaching or parenting is getting athletes to talk about their opinions of both positive and negative incidents they witness.
Players who grapple with the right and wrong of a situation (rather than simply nodding their heads when an adult speaks) are more likely to internalize the life lessons and values on display on the world’s grandest sports stages.
