This parent would argue that the game was lost because his or her child was not in the game at a critical moment when perhaps a younger, less experienced player was on the field or up to bat. Sometimes, however, the player would stop coming to practices and games. More vividly, I remember the screams of joy and the feelings of confidence that were bursting from those players in these moments and the pride that was beaming from their parents' faces. It is these moments that reinforce to me how important it is not to forget to teach good sportsmanship when teaching the other basic skills of a game. This can sometimes be difficult to remember, however, when we see professional athletes fighting with each other, fans booing players at a stadium, and parents at little league games criticizing other players.
Research indicates that participation in sports can promote healthy development.
In order to better understand these benefits, much of the research on youth sports has examined how sports enhance aspects of children's social development. Self-esteem, on the other hand, is developed through both evaluation of one's own abilities as well as evaluation of the responses received from others. Lack of feedback and criticism is often interpreted as a negative response to the behavior. Unfortunately, given the influence of other factors such as maturation and previous knowledge of a sport on one's ability to perform a sport skill, children often reach incorrect conclusions about their abilities. Thus, the role of parents and coaches is significant in helping children interpret their strengths and weaknesses in a sport.