Inappropriate Sideline Behaviour at Childrens Sporting Events
Picture a typical Saturday at a school/ club sporting event- a blur of motion and sound. Majority of parents are there cheering positively and enjoying the day. Then there are those who are prowling the sidelines. The prowlers mean business. This minority of parents become field generals, scowling, barking orders and commanding their kids to excel.
Physical activity has been clearly recognised to provide social, physical and mental health benefits for youth, bar none. Parents and coaches are key influences in their children’s uptake, enjoyment and ongoing participation in sport (Walters, 2012). However, concerns have been regularly expressed in the media, both in New Zealand and internationally, about inappropriate sideline behaviour displayed by parents at children’s sporting events.
Many ethical behaviours are being conflicted by this issue. I have chosen to focus on what I believe to be the most important being, respect, citizenship and self-discipline.
Parents’ behaviour on the sideline therefore contradicts the Peter J Arnold’s quote which states “It is argued that sport, is a valued human practice and is characterised as much by the moral manner in which its participants conduct themselves as by the pursuit of its own skills, standards and excellences. Virtues such as justice, honesty and courage, are not only necessary to pursue its goals but to protect it from being corrupted by external interests.”
The extract from the quote “by the moral manner in which its participants conduct themselves” could be interpreted that it does not apply to the parents, as they are not actually participating in the sports. But the application to parents is established later on in the quote “to protect it from being corrupted by external interests”. These parents, who relive what they may have missed out on in their own childhood, are placing demands on their kids by emphasising the importance of winning at all costs, as opposed to participating. This is a major reason why
Physical activity has been clearly recognised to provide social, physical and mental health benefits for youth, bar none. Parents and coaches are key influences in their children’s uptake, enjoyment and ongoing participation in sport (Walters, 2012). However, concerns have been regularly expressed in the media, both in New Zealand and internationally, about inappropriate sideline behaviour displayed by parents at children’s sporting events.
Many ethical behaviours are being conflicted by this issue. I have chosen to focus on what I believe to be the most important being, respect, citizenship and self-discipline.
Parents’ behaviour on the sideline therefore contradicts the Peter J Arnold’s quote which states “It is argued that sport, is a valued human practice and is characterised as much by the moral manner in which its participants conduct themselves as by the pursuit of its own skills, standards and excellences. Virtues such as justice, honesty and courage, are not only necessary to pursue its goals but to protect it from being corrupted by external interests.”
The extract from the quote “by the moral manner in which its participants conduct themselves” could be interpreted that it does not apply to the parents, as they are not actually participating in the sports. But the application to parents is established later on in the quote “to protect it from being corrupted by external interests”. These parents, who relive what they may have missed out on in their own childhood, are placing demands on their kids by emphasising the importance of winning at all costs, as opposed to participating. This is a major reason why