From the day you are born, your biggest supporters are your parents. Their main role in your life is supporting you financially, mentally, and most importantly, loving you unconditionally. When it comes to sports, student-athletes need their parent’s support more than ever. It can be difficult for athletes to deal with conflicts, expenses, and
travel.
A lot of times players don’t always get along with each other or players have issues with the coach. Your parents might not be able to help resolve these conflicts but they can provide guidance and advice for the player to resolve the disputes themselves.
Playing sports is not cheap, especially for serious high school athletes. Parents are there to pay for their athletes to get them to the level they need to be at. A lot of parents do everything they possibly can to pay for their child’s sports. Parents do fundraising and side jobs along with their main jobs, making heavy financial and time commitments.
High-level sports require a lot of travel and parents are there to travel with their child. They pay for gas, plane tickets, housing, and meals. They are also there to stick by their child during travel to keep them mentally healthy.
11th grade varsity basketball player Kyler Theophile says “Not having my parents at the game can
really be a pro and a con. Reason being is you won’t have any pressure on you to impress your parents and also gives you a chance to play freely but, not having anyone in your corner can question your confidence in whether people believe in you or not”
Your parents have an obligation to be your rock. Sports can be mentally draining for teenage athletes and it could get hard to keep a positive attitude. Parents will be right by your side whenever you need support to lift you up and bring you back to your best. Coral Glades 10th grader and varsity basketball player Gavin Reed says “Having parents at the game can definitely put pressure on you to play your best which sometimes makes you overthink and play bad but it can also help you try harder trying to prove to your parents that you’re a good player.”
This statement leads us into the disadvantages of parents being so involved in your sports career. Parents who have experience as athletes playing high school or college sports, tend to try to be the coach. There are instances where parents will overstep their place by overriding the coach’s orders and trying to give their two cents on how the team should function. Parents could also stop their child’s development by making them unaware of their skills, or lack of. Some parents tell their kids that they are better than they actually are, giving them the impression that if the coach isn’t playing them it’s not their fault.
It could also put the athlete in a bad position with the coach. When a parent complains to a coach about play time it could have the opposite effect and result in less play time. A part of being a student-athlete is becoming more independent and being able to communicate your issues by yourself, and by having your parents speak for you, coaches get the impression that you are not mature enough to handle your own situations.
