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 Background Checks In Youth Sport Are Important, But Are They  Enough?
By Jerry Norton
(Reprinted from the Ponte Vedra Recorder, 9/29/00)
When I saw the news report on television Wednesday evening, I was angry. I was upset. I was disgusted. A youth coach had been arrested for breaking both arms of a ten year-old flag football player. According to police reports, the coach picked the child up under the arms and threw him to the ground because the youngster dropped a pass in a game.
As it turns out, the coach had several prior arrests including an aggravated battery charge. It would seem that a simple background check on the coach involved might have prevented this particular situation, but don't expect background checks to be a silver bullet solution for the abuse of kids in sports where verbal and psychological abuse is far more prevalent.
These days, most youth programs routinely conduct background checks on their coaches. Despite the checks, this isn't the first time that an adult has abused a young athlete and, unfortunately, it will not be the last. Background checks may help identify potential problem coaches, if they have a previous record of violence, drug abuse or child abuse. But abusive youth coaches come in many forms and most have spotless police records. Often, the problem coaches are everyday, law-abiding citizens. That is until they pick up a clip board and a whistle. It is then that they take on a monster, "win at any cost" mentality.
Yesterday's  inexcusable and senseless act of violence has, of course, attracted national attention. People everywhere are shocked by this incident, and rightly so, and are asking how and why such things happen. As disturbing as this recent incident is, the fact of the matter is that these shocking, high profile acts of violence making the headlines are just the tip of an enormous iceberg of problems occurring in youth sports.
You have already heard about the argument between two fathers at a youth hockey game in New England recently that cost one of the men his life, or the irate fan who shot a referee at a kid's soccer match in Florida, or a coach in California who went into the stands armed with an aluminum bat to silence a hostile crowd in a baseball game between eight year-old players,
or a youth football coach who gave young players diuretics to insure they make weight, and parents allow it.
It is abundantly clear that changes are desperately needed in youth sports. Most of the problems are caused by extremely competitive, even irresponsible adults. Mature and rational parents must step up and take control of kids' sports programs. According to Michael A. Clark of the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports at Michigan State University, "the challenge for adults associated with youth sports is to redefine winning in terms of effort (instead of outcome) and to restructure play to promote effort." Program philosophies and objectives must be reevaluated and modified to promote enjoyment and one hundred percent participation and must also be structured to be age appropriate.
Ultimately, if improvements are to be made, the philosophy and conduct of youth coaches must change for it is the coach who implements the new program philosophies and objectives. Mandatory  adherence to the Coaches' Code of Conduct of the National Alliance For Youth Sports should be required of all youth coaches. The first pledge of this code states "I will place the physical and emotional well being of my players ahead of a personal desire to win." 
Coaches must also be screened, trained and monitored to insure they provide safe and proper instruction. Most youth coaches today are untrained. Instead, many emulate their professional or college counterparts seen on television. Like the professional coach, too many youth coaches equate success with winning. To that end, they focus only on their better players
and ignore the less talented ones.
Proper guidelines for children's sports are quite fragile. They must be fiercely preserved and protected by the small cadre of concerned and caring parents and coaches who are truly shocked and upset by all that is happening.
The warning signs are clear. Youth sports have become more about winning than playing, more about adult egos than kids' enjoyment and participation. As long as this mentality predominates we will hear more of these horror stories. We will continue to be shocked. We will continue to be angry. We will continue to be disgusted. But we should not be surprised!!

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