Possibly the dirtiest player in youth football

I know the title of this post is not nice, but it may very well be true. The video below depicts highlights - check that - lowlights of a youth football game in Oregon (email subscribers click here). This video was submitted to Oregon City youth football officials after the play of mostly one child. Keep your eyes on no. 11 for the first three minutes or so. Blocks in the back, kicking other kids on the ground and face mask penalties just scratch the surface with this kid. If you are appalled by the young man's behavior, you should be outraged by his coach.

Kids are copycats and for the most part do what they're told or otherwise taught. The boy is no older than nine. His coaches taught him to play like this and he's following orders. How do I know? Well, the evidence is pretty clear. The kid was never pulled from the game. Any one of those dirty plays would cause most coaches to sit a kid for the remainder of the contest. This youngster was allowed to pummel everyone in his path.

To its credit, the league suspended the player and coach for one game. That may seem lenient to some, but most youth leagues only play 8-10 games anyway. The larger issue is not the punishment but the poor coaching and instruction that took place beforehand. Make sure this doesn't happen in your league. The Sports Commission is teaming with Coaching Coaches, LLC to provide low-cost training for youth coaches in all sports with the goal of making the youth sports experience as enjoyable as possible for your kids.

If you want to learn more about Coaching Coaches, which has programs for coaches and parents, call 314-345-5130 or email salexander@stlsports.org.  For information on our entire Sportsmanship Initiative, including many programs you can take advantage of right now, please visit our website at sportsmanship.org. Until next time...

Be a Good Sport!

-Sol