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What About Scouting?

Thank you for taking the time to read this question. The YMCA in my area runs a youth flag football program for 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th graders. Lately, there have been concerns over the videotaping of rival team games by their coaches. I would like to know if you shed some light on what your thoughts on this matter are.

I believe you were at one time managing a Pop Warner league and are a currently a coach for a youth team. It is my understanding that many coaching books and coaches engage in scouting the opposing team. Is scouting allowed in your leagues? If so, what are some of the reasons for scouting. If not, what are some of the reasons for not allowing scouting?

Your report that coaches are scouting/video taping their opponents flag football games is just another example of the hyper competitiveness that exists today at so many levels of youth sports. It is a clear indication of the importance of winning for too many of the adults involved in kid's games.

Wherever you look and no matter the sport, if kids are playing and adults (parents) are coaching there will always be those coaches who simply have to win - at any cost. Winning may come at the expense of participation and enjoyment by ALL members of the team and when it does it is at best a shallow victory in my mind.

There is far too much emphasis on outcome (winning) and not enough on player development, teamwork and sportsmanship. This is why highly competitive coaches focus on and play only their best players - the "play the best and bench the rest" mentality - while many of the less skilled youngsters are standing and watching from the sidelines or are dropping out of youth sports entirely.

Scouting and video taping unfortunately is common in competitive youth sports such as Pop Warner football and travel team baseball. I did not scout teams as a Pop Warner coach and I do not support such practices although I recognize that those things happen routinely.

Extending scouting to "recreational" programs such as the YMCA's flag football program is absolutely ridiculous. Coaches who engage in these activities in this in this type of program should be relieved of their duties. They are involved for the wrong reasons. Youth sports and especially "recreational" youth sports, should be about participation, enjoyment and skill development. YMCA programs should not condone such action and behavior. I am in charge of a 400+ player flag program at the local YMCA and do not allow scouting of other teams by coaches. However I would not be surprised to find that some coaches might be doing it on the sly. We have rules that require each player to play in at least half the game and despite those rules I spend a great deal of time monitoring games to ensure that coaches don't violate that rule - I am sorry to say there are coaches who are so caught up in the game and the score that they "fail" adhere to the "everybody plays" rule.

You ask "What are the reasons for scouting?" and conversely "What are the reasons for not allowing scouting?" The answer to both of those questions is simple and essentially the same. The only reason coaches scout is to obtain a competitive advantage. In my mind, that constitutes adult interference in a kids' game that is simply not warranted or justified. It puts too much emphasis on the outcome of the game. These are not "revenue sports" and this is not the Super Bowl or the World Series. These are little kids playing a game for fun and adults who treat youth sports like "revenue sports" are ruining the game for all the kids.