A youth football coach in the greater Pittsburgh area went viral for all of the wrong reasons after a heated brawl at a game over the weekend. He should never be allowed to coach again.
The 24-year-old has a history of violence toward children.
This latest incident directly correlates to a concerning trend in youth sports over the last decade+. Not only does the cost to participate continue to increase, the competitive nature of competition overshadows the teachings of morals, values and behavior.
Youth sports are plagued by bad behavior.
There is no easy way to eradicate every bad apple from every bunch. Even the good apples are going to have bad days and act outside of their character. Things are going to happen. People snap.
However, in direct correlation to the rise of smartphones and social media, there is a rise of poor behavior in youth sports. ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky even went so far as to say “youth sports are completely broken” because the “emphasis on ego from the coaches,” “emphasis on winning and losing,” and “lack of commitment to develop” has completely overwhelmed the ethos.
He is not wrong!
There is more money attached to youth sports than ever, including the financial backing of private equity firms, which has made a lot of the major players (parents, coaches, even the kids) lose sight of why youth sports exist. Everything is overblown. It is no longer about community or sportsmanship. It is only about winning
Of course, there are exceptions to every rule and/or statement, but the proof is in the pudding. Kids are often focused more on their image than enjoyment. The focus often shifts toward viral clips for social media than having fun. An emphasis on winning creates heightened pressure for kids whose frontal lobes are nowhere near full development.
And, to make matters worse, the coaches are often unable to behave. They lost sight of what really matters and act irrationally.
A youth football coach in Pennsylvania should not be allowed back on the sideline.
A recent video from a youth football game between Carlynton and Keystone Oaks serves as the perfect example of everything that is “broken” with youth sports. Two coaches were suspended indefinitely after an on-field confrontation escalated to a brawl.
The coach who served as the instigator claims that several of his players — in the third and fourth grades — had approached him in tears after being called racial slurs. He told the referees to investigate the allegations before he “lost his cool.”
The Steel City Youth Football League will investigate the situation. Both coaches will receive the opportunity to present their individual cases this week.
Unfortunately, the instigator has an alleged history of violence. Another video surfaced from last season. It shows the coach pick up a player by his facemask. One parent said he removed their child from the program after multiple incidents.
UPDATE: a second video has emerged.
If this above videos do show the same coach (Dequay Canton) act in such a manner, he should be removed from the sideline. A youth football game is not that serious. No coach should handle a player by his facemask. Not even racial slurs excuse a full-blown brawl.