WS Chronicle

The status of youth sports in 2024 is rather scary. Players are more disrespectful than ever before, coaches are as confrontational as ever, and parents are more aggressive than we have ever seen. 

If things don’t change soon, there could be some irreversible damage done to the sport. Players getting into it with other parents, parents challenging coaches on the field, coaches getting into confrontations with players, coaches challenging officials, and parents attacking officials, physically and verbally, all are having a negative impact on the sport.

Out of all the negatives surrounding youth sports in 2024, officials being attacked seems to be the most concerning. There have been scores of stories coming out over the last few years of officials being physically threatened and/or attacked by parents in the stands. One such incident transpired recently to long-time Winston-Salem official Jerry Riley, while he was officiating a youth flag football game in Charlotte for five-year-olds. Riley is 66 years old and has been officiating sports for over 30 years.

“It was a running play that went to the right and when I looked back, there were two little boys and a little girl down on the ground,” said Riley. “I went over to help the little girl up and that’s when the guy came down on the field.  

“He began talking a lot of junk, including profanity, and I backed off him, but he still came over to me making threatening remarks. I told officials to put him out because he crossed the line. After the game, I went to the restroom before the next game. I walked across the track and stopped to talk to an older gentleman and when I walked off, the guy was coming straight to me.

“He came over and started talking more junk and I said something to him. His wife walked up, and she started going off and one thing led to another and next thing you know, I was put on my back with my feet to the sky. Then I saw a blood puddle on the ground.”

Riley was attacked by the man and woman and was being punched and stomped on by the attackers. He suffered lacerations, fractured bones in his face, blurry vision, headaches, and multiple stitches on his face. He was placed in ICU for several days due to his injuries and high blood pressure.

Riley is the founder of Tri City Track Club here in Winston and worked in the school system for 34 years. He says he has never had anything like this ever happen to him, but he has noticed a change in the behavior of kids and parents over the last 15 to 20 years. 

“I worked in a special school and nothing like this has ever happened,” said Riley. “I have been punched in the eye before, but he was a special child.”

Riley doesn’t have plans on retiring because he loves the game and the exercise he gets from it. He says his wife is urging him to not officiate as much, but he still wants to work.  

Jerod Miller is a veteran official and has been in the game for over 40 years. During his time as an official, Miller has noticed the negative changes in behavior for players, parents and coaches.

“I feel that kids today are more entitled, and some are being exploited,” Miller said. “Youth sports used to be about getting kids off the street and teaching them the game. Now it’s not really fun and games anymore because of the type of pressure, the scrutiny and ramifications that come from playing kids games at six or seven years old. They are telling these kids they have to win and go to nationals and not worry about grades or the community.”

Miller has witnessed betting on games, coaches taking out their frustrations on the kids and other things that should not take place in youth sports. He feels a lot of these issues popped up when Forsyth County eliminated middle school football, which forced the young players to choose a youth football organization. For Miller, he believes a big part of the problem is the people running many of these youth organizations.

“A lot of it goes on the people running the respective organizations,” he said. “They have allowed certain things to take precedence and that thing is winning. That has taken precedence over development and these parents are spending money on all these trainers because they know the kids are not getting that from their respective teams.

“A lot of people out here are taking people’s money, telling parents they are going to make your kid into this and that. These organizations take in a lot of money and a lot of it goes to winning. These kids don’t have any alternative, and the parents are relying on these people to run their programs decently. It just depends on the coaches and who is running the teams.”

Miller recounted a story of him being assaulted on the field by a coach where he was pushed. He was also confronted on the field where things could have escalated more, but cooler heads prevailed. He feels AAU does not protect their officials as much as they should.  

“It happens more than you would think that officials get confronted over kids’ ball games,” Miller went on to say.  “It used to be the exception but it’s becoming more and more the rule at this point. Back then if you had 10 moms, you had one that was acting crazy, now if you have 10 moms, you have 6 six or seven that are acting crazy or going off.

“As officials, the people are right up on you, behind you saying stuff and you never know if that person is joking or serious. I can’t say when I saw the shift, but it was gradual from where it was then to where it is now. We let more and more go as officials and people have become more emboldened now.”

Dr. Debbie Daniels is an educator and the shift in behavior has been different for her than what officials have seen in the world of youth sports.

“Just in terms of their behavior, lack of respect and accountability, there has been a change,” said Daniels about the change in behavior of kids. It comes from home due to the lack of parenting, parents not knowing how to parent, and being absent as a parent. Kids today have become more entitled; they lack communication skills, and they lack the ability to build strong relationships due to the technology they have in front of them and what they see on television and social media.”

Daniels says the relationship between the school and parents has deteriorated over the years. Daniels says the teaching profession has become more difficult and would probably find another job if she was starting her career today due to the landscape of the school system now.

Jack Walton was a booking agent for officials, along with officiating himself. He says the behavior of players has “gone downhill” since the year 2000.  

“There is just a big difference in the way the kids and coaches reacted now versus back then,” said Walton.  

He has also been assaulted on the court physically and verbally, but still recommends officiating to other people.  

All in all, youth sports are in a little trouble; however, it’s nothing that can’t be reversed. The question is, who has the courage and fortitude to be the first to start making the necessary changes?