Christian Families and Youth Sports (pt. 2)

In part one I discussed the impact of youth sports upon families and how we must seek to manage our involvement with sports.  All of these thoughts I am sharing found their stimulus in Mike Matheny’s book The Matheny Manifesto.  Mike is the current manager of the St. Louis Cardinals.  The book was excellent.  It is an outgrowth of a viral letter he wrote to parents of a youth baseball team they were forming in the St. Louis area before he became manager.  Matheny is passionate about youth sports and shares some valuealbe insights in the book.  While I can’t do justice to the book in a short blog posts, I want to share with you some of the concepts I found insightful from the book.

• You can read the original letter at his website.  It is a powerful read on this topic.
• Parents are the problem with youth sports.  They have made the sports about their pride and their child’s accomplishments.  There is too much focus on attaining scholarships, specialized instructions, and expensive travel teams and tournaments.  On their team they asked parents to agree to be a silent supporter of their kids.  To cheer for them, but not to yell and scream instruction or criticism to players, coaches, or officials.  He feels kids often don’t want to play because of the actions of their parents.
• Youth sports should be about the kids!  It should be about their skill and character development.  It is not about winning and losing, the coach’s record, or the parents living their dream.
• Sports should be fun and should also include non-organized forms with parents and friends in the backyard.
• Coaches should focus on the kids, not themselves!  They should always work to preserve the dignity of each player and the game.
• Officials and coaches should be respected.  He was taught by his father, “the coach is always right, even when he is wrong.”  Referees are getting harder to come by today, because of the abuse they take.  Often with youth sports another kid only a few years older may be calling the game.  Coaches should respect officials and teach their players to not show disapproval or make gestures toward officials.
• Don’t be afraid to let your kid quit.  Mike believes that letting your child walk away from the sport is often the best way to foster a true love of sports within them.
• Understand the value in playing a variety of sports.  There is too much specialization in youth sports today.  He encourages kids to play a variety of sports. This also develops more skills and helps reduce injuries.
• Some of the most entertaining chapters in the book had to do with his keys to success he tries to live by and teach to youth players.  These involve qualities like leadership, teamwork, faith, character, and humility.

I think Mike’s ideas need to be considered by Christian families today seeking to get the most out of youth sports.  Check out the book for yourself!