Supporting Kids Sports
“All kids need is a little help, a little hope, and somebody who believes in them.”
Practice Supporting Kids Sports
Ask what sports the kids in your neighborhood are in.
Get a schedule of their games. Ask what is a good game to attend.
Show up and cheer. Be a positive example of a fan. Don’t yell at referees, or the opponents, or at other parents. :)
Say the six most important words. “I love to watch you play.”
Take photos and share them. Remind kids they have adults who support and care for them.
An unexpected way to love your neighbors is to show up and cheer for their kids. If you have neighbors with kids who are involved in sports at any level, you are aware of the investment of time they make into practices, games, and tournaments. If you want to communicate to them that their family is important to you, go stand next to them on the sidelines and cheer.
Kids sports, like every other arena in life, has a shadow side. There are easy examples of over-pressuring parents, all-consumed coaches, and the unhealthy attachments of an identity to athletics for kids. But there are countless benefits from participating in athletics including: physical fitness, social relationships, defining success, learning teamwork, facing adversity, managing time schedules, and being connected to a larger community. Kids athletics often require a significant amount of time, but that time also provides the context for extended conversations and meaningful connection.
The practice of encouraging kids in sports creates an important network of trusted adults. In a city where many kids do not have extended family in the stands or on the sidelines, showing up is not only meaningful for the kids who are on the court or field, but is invaluable for the parents and caregivers to know there are other adults invested in the outcomes of their children. Children with a web of adults rooting and rallying for them have a deeper sense of belonging.
Researchers Bruce Brown and Rob Miller interviewed college athletes about what their parents said that brought them the most joy when they played sports. There were six words they wanted to hear their parents say: “I love to watch you play.” Showing up and saying you love to watch a kid from your neighborhood play sports, at any level, cultivates joy. It is a playful practice of showing love for your neighbors, and builds confidence and connection with their kids.
