Help young athletes embrace who they are
Lately, I have been lucky enough to view some of the interviews the National Alliance for Youth Sports is collecting from top experts for a free, new training that will be offered to coaches, parents, and youth leaders, which deals with understanding good mental-health habits. One of the areas of discussion is how boys deal with body image in sports, and the staggering figures on how many are encountering difficulties, just as many girls have for so long.
While watching a friend coach 8- and 9-year-olds at a baseball game the other day, I noticed the catcher was easily the most overweight child on the team. Immediately, I thought of my playing days some 40 years ago and remembered that the heaviest kid on a team was always the catcher. The tall kid who played first base needed to be left handed, the best athlete played shortstop, and the worst player was stuck in right field. As I scanned the field, sure enough, there was a left-handed boy playing first base. To no surprise, the right fielder wasn’t very adept and batted last in the line-up. He was replaced by what I can only assume was the next “worst” player after two innings of required play—and he certainly was the smallest boy on the team.