Importance of games

[Nevadaref]

Originally Posted by mbyron

Just a comment about this particular point. I have a theory about why the parents of 4th graders are typically worse than the parents of 7th graders, who are in turn typically worse than the parents of varsity players.

Apart from just getting old and tired like me, the parents of teenage players have been watching kids play for years. For the most part, they have learned the game better, they have learned what to expect from amateur referees, and they have learned how little good they can achieve by hurling abuse at anyone (officials, opponents, coaches, etc.).

But I think maybe the most important thing they've learned is: their kids are going to lose sometimes. I think that this fact is hard for parents of younger kids to accept and motivates the obnoxious behavior that officials at that level must endure.

So I don't think it's just the "relative importance" or whatever that parents need to learn. They are so invested in the outcome because they haven't discovered that learning to lose with grace is one of the great lessons sports can teach.

An excellent point, very eloquently stated.

I'll note that I have made a similar observation before concerning youth games about parents learning to understand that little Johnny or Suzie will fall down or even get knocked down at some point in the contest and the official may or may not deem the action to be an offense, but either way it isn't the end of the world, nor likely that the kid will suffer permanent damage or the loss of a D1 scholarship.