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Sports Rage - An
Unfortunate Sign of the Times |
| Perhaps the most distressing
aspect of the recent incident involving an "out of control"
parent at a recent high school soccer game is that it did not surprise
FHSAA (Florida High School Activities Association) Associate Commissioner
of Athletics, Ron Allen. According to a report in the Florida Times Union,
Allen is quoted as saying "This [fan behavior] is quite common in
soccer, statewide, so it doesn't surprise me at all." By virtue of
his position, Allen is required to review such incidents and make judgments
regarding appropriate sanctions, so it is likely that he knows where of he
speaks, at least as far as high school sports are concerned.
Allen's words may surprise those who refuse to acknowledge the rising tide of inappropriate behavior by adults in youth sports today. Sports rage - the current buzzword for "out of control" individuals and actions - in youth sports is not unique to soccer nor is it isolated to high school athletics. It exists in all sports, at all youth levels. Nor are the "out of control" adults limited to parents or spectators. Often times it is the coach who is out of control. According to Dr. Daniel Wann, an expert on parent and spectator behavior at sports events, the problem with parental rage at games results from the spectators' natural tendency to identify with players on the field. "They don't go to games to cause trouble," Wann said, "but they so identify with their children on the playing field that they can't get a grip. Because this becomes so important to them they often lose all sense of control." Fred Engh, head of the National Alliance for Youth Sports refers to the problem as sideline rage. "From road rage to airplane rage to cell phone rage, children in sports aren't immune to all of this. Now we have sideline rage." Engh believes that today's parent is much different from the parent of just five years ago. "It used to be maybe 5 percent of the people stepped over the line. It's grown now to about 15 percent, "said Engh. The ultimate sports rage tragedy occurred a year and a half ago when the father of a young Massachusetts hockey player killed another father during a practice. Sideline or sports rage has reached the point that many
umpires and referees are quitting and those who stay are taking out assault insurance.
As a result, local, state and national movements aimed at controlling the Prompted by a brawl involving more than two dozen
spectators at a youth
football game, the city of El Paso, Texas implemented a
sportsmanship-training program for parents in an attempt to combat sports The Rhode Island state senate recently approved, by a 41-0 vote, a resolution requiring that youth sports organizations adopt a "No Tolerance" policy toward parental violence. Illinois passed a bill mandating penalties for those who assault sports officials and 15 other states have similar laws. It's getting harder and harder to ignore sports rage or to deny that it is a problem. It's only a matter of time before the next overzealous adult loses control during a youngster's athletic event. The individual who accosted the referee during the Nease-Orange Park soccer game last week has been banned from all extracurricular activities for one year. It's a shame that it has come to that but let's face it - Sports rage is an outrage!
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