My Monthly Sports Minute: Sports Advice for Parents
What should parents tell their kids about sports? It starts with making sure youth see themselves as being much more than just athletes.
Growing up, I was well-rounded. I played popular Black sports like basketball and track plus mostly White sports like baseball and bowling. In many ways, I wanted to “be like Mike.” But, I could draw. I wrote poetry. I spoke publicly. I played video games. I excelled in all school subjects. Math and science were my favorites.
I’m now doing research on American sports and high demand fields like science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Although I’m not yet a father, I do teach and mentor many youth. To prepare the next generation, I’ve used my childhood experiences and professional pursuits to create this list of sports advice for parents:
#1 — Exposure to diverse youth plus both popular & less known sports can expand kids’ future opportunities and overall thinking
#2 — Ability is a combination of God given talent plus hard work, so it should be recognized and rewarded both in and out of sports
#3 — Size can be an uncontrollable limiting factor or a kid’s best weapon, so they can maximize it by picking their optimal sports path
#4 — Enthusiasm from within is the best motivator, so kids should pursue sports they truly love instead of playing popular or familiar ones
My sports tips can be summed up using the same letters (EASE) but different words (Exposure, Ability, Size & Enthusiasm) as my research group — Team EASE. Parents can use my sports advice to further protect their kids from short and long-term physical, mental, and emotional harm. The current health and racial pandemic makes my sports advice even more relevant.
Ultimately, God has a unique plan and purpose for every kid in and out of sports. Our job is to help them walk in their true calling. We have to help kids “use sports” and not get “used by sports.”
— Leroy Long III, PhD
For more info. about me and my work related to sports checkout my site via: leroylongiii.com
You can also follow me on social media: Twitter, IG @drleroylongiii
