Time to regulate child-like parents
Pickering should implement zero-tolerance policy in sporting events - July 27, 2007
When I was a teenager I used to watch my little brother’s house league hockey games. That was until I could no longer listen to hockey parents yelling and screaming at their eight-year-old children for missing a pass or shooting the puck wide of the net.
And it’s not getting any better.
During an under-eight soccer match in Pickering last weekend, a mom and her husband were charged with various assault charges after disagreeing with the 14-year-old ref’s call. After the soccer game ended, the mother berated the ref, punched the girl’s father - allegedly in the face - and dug her nails into an off-duty police officer who stepped in to help. That’s when the husband also got involved. On top of it all, the son’s team won the game anyway, but the coach chose to withdraw the team from the tournament. Luckily, the kids were still presented participation trophies because that’s what children’s sports are all about.
And, people thought the Under-20 World Cup incident when Chilean players attempted to attack the ref after controversial calls was bad. Aren’t youth sports supposed to be fun and for exercise?
The City of Pickering supports True Sport, a national movement that celebrates respect, honesty, fair play, discipline, commitment, and effort as the core positive values of sport. Now Ward 2 Regional Councillor Bill McLean, a strong supporter of the movement, hopes to implement a city-wide zero-tolerance policy for sports. Parents and coaches - or anyone at the game - will not be able to curse, fight, yell or throw things, for example. If they do, they will be asked to leave. If they won’t, they’ll possibly be removed by police. Also, those displaying negative behaviour can be banned from all of Pickering’s sporting facilities for up to two years.
It’s unfortunate that this type of policy even has to exist, but it’s necessary. Coun. McLean explained 2.2 million children in Canada play organized sports outside of school, but three quarters of them drop out. He believes it’s because sports stop being fun for kids due to feelings of pressure and embarrassment from a lot of coaches and parents, and I agree.
Getting out on a sports team and playing in front of other children can be nerve-wracking enough for kids. They shouldn’t have to feel the same way around parents, and teenage referees should not be afraid to get involved in what’s supposed to be positive activity for kids. If parents can’t control themselves when it comes to sports, Pickering should.
Isn’t it ironic parents have to be regulated for child-like behaviour, not the kids?
