All Articles by Brooke de Lench

Youth sports organizations say they want more women involved, but the simple fact is that far fewer women coach youth sports then men. Of the 4.1 million youth sports coaches only 654,000 are women.

It seems to be popular these days to blame the parents for their out-of-control behavior at youth sports events. There is probably no way to completely eliminate the emotional pressure a parent feels when they are attending their child's athletic event (pressure that naturally increases as the child moves up the competitive ladder), but are parents who act out a symptom of what is wrong with youth sports or the disease itself?

Clearly, some parents are taking children's games far too seriously. The games are for our children, yet time and time again, we are witness to parents losing control. What lessons are our children learning when they see mothers and fathers yelling insults at referees, hands clenched, faces red with anger?

There are certain situations when complaining about a youth sports coach by going over his head is necessary. When a parent has already talked to the coach about the problem without success or where the coach has acted in a way that is so egregious that it needs to be brought to the attention of higher authorities, it's time to go speak to an age, club, league or athletic director.

Studies have shown that among the many effects of physical abuse are depression, anxiety, cognitive and learning difficulties, even a lowering of IQ (especially verbal IQ), disordered sleep, flashbacks, loss of empathy, aggressive behavior, chronically high stress levels which can lead to chronic health effects such as high blood pressure and increased risk of cardiovascular disease, and inability to maintain relationships.

Not only do youth sports cost a lot of money, they also soak up an incredible amount of time, both yours and your child's. While there are a lot of positives to sports participation, you need to gauge your level of commitment before getting your child seriously involved in any sport.

Often overlooked in the quest to keep youth sports in perspective and balance for your children and your family is the need to keep sports from overwhelming the family budget. Participation in youth sports can be, and often is, expensive. One mother estimated that her family's expenses for her three children at $100,000 over a 10 year period.