Competitive sports can be a great experience for children who participate. It is also quite exciting for their parents, who get to share the experience of practicing, playing and attempting to win at their sport of choice. Parents want their children to succeed and do well, but they cannot behave in a way that draws attention to themselves. In many organized sports, parents are required to sign a code of conduct that will keep them from getting involved in a headline-making incident.
Function
Organized sports leagues want adults to help teach children how to play a particular sport and how to help them accept all that goes with the game. Not every player will succeed, and the player's team will also lose games. Sometimes the child may not get as much playing time as the player and his family wants, a referee or umpire will make a call that hurts the player, or the child may play poorly. The code of conduct for parents covers all of these situations. Parents may not argue with coaches or umpires, they cannot harshly criticize their children and they can never get physical with their demonstrations. Parents sign these documents and pledge to behave properly.
Considerations
When a parent signs a code of conduct, it helps the coach of a team feel secure that she can teach and lead her team without interference. Parents can certainly talk to coaches before or after a game or practice and present their thoughts and feelings, but they cannot do it in a confrontational manner. It must be thoughtful and respectful.
Benefits
Children who are involved in youth sports are doing it to have a good time, to improve and perhaps make friends. If they are constantly worried about the way their parents will react if they struggle or fail, the enjoyment will be drained from the experience. When parents realize it is about their children and not themselves, their perspective changes and the experience is more enjoyable.
Features
Parents are going to get emotional when they watch their children perform in a game or practice. That is not going to change. However, when parents who have signed a code of conduct see something they don't like, they need to check themselves before they react. They may not say anything abusive to their children or any of the other kids in the game. They may not enter the playing area to criticize coaches, umpires or referees. Finally, they may never put their hands on anyone connected with these events. These are things that parents are supposed to know before their child plays a sporting event, and the code of conduct helps drive this point home.
History
Perhaps the most notable incident involving parental behavior at a sporting event occurred in a 2000 youth hockey game in Massachusetts in which one parent confronted another about his son's rough play. The two men argued about the incident and fought twice. The second fight resulted in the beating death of one of the parents. Physical confrontations escalate quickly and can turn tragic. The code of conduct can help eliminate such an incident from happening again.
