I know my writing tone can be a little bit preachy sometimes. I spend a lot of time talking, thinking, writing and praying about the state of our sports culture, and sometimes people disagree with me. Or maybe they agree with me mostly, but don’t feel quite as strongly as I do about different topics.
But here’s one I think (or I hope) we can all agree on. Sports that involve children should be structured to protect and meet the developmental needs of those children. They should not be set up primarily to meet the needs of parents, coaches or any other adults.
So when I saw this article a few weeks back, I was saddened but not surprised. You can read the whole article, but the best quote is from the Broward County Sheriff. “It’s about kids being exploited unfortunately by greedy parents and greedy grown-ups and coaches who were basically nothing more than criminals,” Sheriff Al Lamberti said.
The story of this youth football gambling ring that got busted in South Florida is an extreme example to be sure, but is in many ways indicative of what we’ve become within sports culture. All too often, the primary question is no longer ‘how does this activity benefit our children?’, but rather, ‘what can I get out of this for me?’ It’s crazy. Let’s take it back. Whether they’re 6 years old or 20, we owe it to our kids.
80’s Lyric