Why do we play Sport?

A spate of violence at junior sporting events has prompted me to write an article, perhaps out of frustration more than anything.

As a father and junior AFL Football coach and at the risk of sounding biased and fixated on my youth, I can’t recall junior sport in my younger days being as violent or as serious as it appears to be these days.

A couple of years back, news bulletins across Australia were lit up with violent scenes from a junior rugby league game in Queensland. Players, spectators, officials and parents alike have been implicated in what was a distasteful scene, highlighting a major problem with junior sport in this country.

As children we ran, skipped and jumped in the name of fun. We lifted ourselves up on monkey bars, twisted into awkward crazy positions and laughed like there was no tomorrow. We rode our push bikes everywhere and raced up the road and back with the winners and losers being forgotten within seconds. It was play and sport at its rawest and most basic.

As far as “official” sport, well that was always played on the weekend. Footy, basketball, little athletics and cricket were the mainstays. Being a child of the ’70s and ’80s there wasn’t much to do after that, sport was it and everyone took part in some type of activity. It was just how it was.

You played with your mates and you looked forward to the weekend. Somebody’s dad was the coach and it was innocent childlike fun. Winning and losing meant absolutely nothing. Sure it was better to win but it didn’t really matter did it? I played footy as a youngster, and for the life of me I can’t recall any scores in any games that I played as a junior. My recollection of sport was that it was fun and from memory I can’t recall any aggression or violence on or off the ground.

Where has it all changed??

Having seen the vitriol and hostility that can accompany junior football matches, I find myself consistently disappointed with both coach and parent behaviour.

With bad language a mainstay and aggression toward teenage umpires, opposition players and teams a consistent problem, it appears the objective in junior sport is to win at all costs.

For me we have lost the point of why our children play sport.

A few years ago, the police air wing were called to an under 17s AFL game in the Northern Football League where two people were hospitalized due to injuries sustained in an all-in brawl.

In 2011 a 16 year old was suspended for 200 games after breaking the jaw of a 14 year old in a country football match.

Perhaps a more worrying trend has been the increase in crowd violence and ugly parent syndrome at junior sporting events.

At a recent Netball game, a parent was taunting her child’s opponent with a verbal barrage to such an extent that this 13 year old girl was severely distressed. No-one confronted the parent.

Two years ago, security guards had to intervene in three junior rugby league finals in QLD.

With one brawl involving up to 50 players and spectators, the greater Brisbane Junior Rugby League association have indicated that lifetime bans would be handed out to those spectators and parents that jumped the fence and went onto the ground.

Described as “sickening” there have been reports of first aid officers being attacked whilst attending the injured.

In the Parramatta Junior Rugby league competition in 2010, seven referees were assaulted over a nine week period, a staggering statistic.

In an effort to curb the violence, part time body guards and secret cameramen could be used to stop offenders assaulting the referees.

And this is junior sport!

Sport Psychologist Phil Jauncey felt parents link their own self worth to the success of their children.

“They are identifying vicariously with their DNA on the field, and if the DNA is going well they feel really good, and if the DNA is not doing well, they have to project,” he said.

And project they do, with violent outbursts that are sure to see junior players leaving football codes as a result.

Perhaps it is more about phantom family legacies or parents hoping that their children can be better than what they were themselves.

Could it be more about parents thinking that an elite career is in store for an 11 year old that takes part in a junior sporting match?

Whatever the reason as parents and coaches we have a responsibility to our children. Sport has the potential to be a powerful teacher of life skills. The confidence and social abilities gained by playing sport is without doubt the most important reason our sons and daughters play.

Sport is a great community binder that creates lifelong friendships ensuring that each player has a sense of belonging. Without sport where will thousands of children be?

It’s not about winning or losing or about parents feeling better about themselves it’s about the children and what they can learn from taking part.

We must control the urge to teach our children that winning is the only thing and realise that the youngsters are only young once and the memories that are obtained from playing junior sport last a lifetime.

Do we want those memories to be pleasant and harmonious or do we want them to remember aggressive anti social behaviour ultimately turning them  away from the sport to who knows where?

 

Here is a recently published Parents Code of Conduct for Nth Townsville Junior Touch Association, now prominently displayed at all junior sporting events.

• Do not force an unwilling child to participate in sports.
• Remember children are involved in organised sports for their enjoyment not yours.
• Encourage your child to always play by the rules.
• Teach your child that an honest effort is as important as victory, so that the result of each game is accepted without undue disappointment.
• Turn defeat to victory by helping your child towards skill improvement and good sportsmanship. Never ridicule or yell at your child for making a mistake or losing their competition.
• Remember that children learn best by example. Applaud good plays by your team and by members of the opposition team.
• Do not publicly question the official’s judgement and never their honesty.
• Support all efforts to remove verbal and physical abuse from children’s sporting activities.
• Recognise the value and importance of volunteer referee’s and coaches. They give their time and resources to provide recreational activities for your child.