ÃÂLighten Up, Parents!ÃÂ is an article written by Michael L. Sachs. It was written in regards to the over-obsessive actions and involvement by parents with their offspring sport teams and activities. The article received an appearance in the November 2000 issue of USA Today Magazine. Michael L. Sachs is the co-author of The Total Sports Experience for Kids: A ParentsÃÂ Guide to Success in Youth Sports. Sachs is also a sports psychologist and professor at Temple University, in the field of kinesiology. He offers his advice and opinions in retrospect to the documented facts and statistics that he presents about obsessive parental qualities in youth sports. The article is targeted towards the idea that parental involvement in youth activities can become obsessive and overwhelming, in which case creating a bad environment for youth. Although the author states very interesting and relevant information about the topic at-hand, there is an underlining bias that implies that competition should not be associated with youth sports, and that the pressure from some parents to kids is caused by this.
Sachs Moped 1979
National Alliance for Youth Sports
English: Lewis A. SachsSachs begins the article with the attention-grabbing example of one over-excited parent beating another to death. As Sachs explains, ÃÂOn July 5, 2000, in Reading, Massachusetts, Thomas Junta beat Michael Costin to the point that he died two days later from his injuriesÃÂ (Sachs 447). Junta is now facing charges of manslaughter for over-reacting at a youth sports game. Doctors and psychologists have coined the term, ÃÂLittle League Parent Syndrome (LLPS)ÃÂ for the obsessive behavior displayed by parents such as Junta. LLPS also refers to the physical and verbal abuse that some parents display when becoming too involved with their childrenÃÂs play. The American Footwear Association conducted a study on a group of 10,000 students about the reasons why they choose to play voluntary...