Parents Should Show Sports Kids They Care About More than the Win

Sports parents need to show their young athletes that they care about more than the score and the win.

That’s the word from Wayne LaMarre, clinical professor and director of the athletic training program at the University of New England. LaMarre is also on staff for the Women’s National Ice Hockey team and was recently a guest on our Ultimate Sports Parent podcast. 

For example, elite athletes–like the female hockey players LaMarre works with– worry someone else is going to take their position if they stumble in any way or get injured, he says.

“These athletes are dealing with the constant knowledge that there is someone waiting in the wings to take their place,” he says. 

This can cause the players to feel anxious and impacts their ability to form a cohesive team. 

If young athletes experience the same type of worries about being replaced, their teams can feel less cohesive, too. It’s  important to avoid threatening them with being replaced if they perform poorly in a game. It’s also important for parents to show players they care about their mental and physical health–more than the score or win, he says.

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