The Sadness of Youth Sports

Last Saturday I went to a friend’s house and found a parking nightmare because of a pee-wee football game going on at a middle school a half a block away. Finally finding a parking place on the street adjacent to the field I paused to watch the game in progress. I was appalled at what I saw. Here are tiny 6 and 7 year old football players in full uniforms with their individual names printed on the back of their jerseys! Standing, screaming on the side lines were parents with grown up versions of the same jerseys with their son’s name and number on their jersey also. Both coaches were actually screaming instructions to their tiny minions. Now if that wasn’t appalling enough, there were also a bevy of little girl cheerleaders complete with uniforms and pom-poms trying to remember cheers far beyond their years! What in the hell has happened to being a kid? When I was playing youth sports 45 or so years ago, a kid would have died of embarrassment if their parents would have shown up for a game. When my children were playing youth sports, and yes I did coach them on occasion, the parents who were able to attend sat pleasantly beside the field and cheered on both teams.
What do these children have to look forward to when at age 6 they have uniforms with their name on their back? The local high schools do not have the players name on the uniform and for that matter, neither does the local university, (along with Notre Dame and Penn State, to name a few). Only in the realm of some major college and professional sports do you see the players name on the jerseys. I can remember playing sports at all levels including college and on the day we received our uniforms it was a glorious day indeed. No name was necessary, just the uniform instilled pride enough. Walking to my friend’s house I saw cars and SUV’s painted with their son’s number and name in the window. It made me sad. What do these young kids have to look forward to when their parents make them little adults and attempt to live out their youth failings vicariously through the lives of their children?