Kate Voss wonders what the new Esquire Network series Friday Night Tykes has to show us about youth football. Will it help change the values that govern youth sports, which, at least based on the previews, seem so warped?
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The culture of youth football has changed dramatically since its establishment in 1929. Originally, the primary goal of placing young children in sports leagues was to develop them into future leaders, give them confidence and, of course, let them have fun in a friendly environment. It seems these days some youth football leagues, like the Texas Youth Football Association, run their programs more like a rough imitation of the NFL than a kiddie league.
The upcoming docu-series, Friday Night Tykes, documents the interactions between the coaches, parents and rookie players of the Texas Youth Football Association. These young 8 to 9-year old rookies, from what the previews show us, are beaten down mentally, physically, and are even encouraged in games to “rip their [opponent’s] freaking head off and let them bleed.” The show, which previews January 14 on the Esquire Network (available from Direct TV and most cable providers) is already stirring quite the controversy among various football programs, including the NFL, and parents alike.
Whether it intended to or not, the show asks audiences an ever-important question: are we pushing young athletes too far?
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Whether it intended to or not, the show asks audiences an ever-important question: are we pushing young athletes too far? Similar to other recent football features such as Hard Knocks, HBO’s State of Play, and The United States of Football, the negative aspects of the sport are brought to light as viewers witness the aggressive coaching and dangerous outcomes of a full-tackle contact game. The hard takedowns and painful-sounding blows young players receive in the previews of Friday Night Tykes is a scary look into the current state of youth football.
Concussions in football, especially in the NFL, have received widespread coverage in recent years. In August, the league settled a law suit with some 4,500 former players, who claimed the league failed to educate them on the long-term effects of concussions. PBS even made a documentary, “League of Denial: The NFL’s Concussion Crisis,” which examined the NFL’s withholding of knowledge of concussions and their long-term effects on players, so that the athletes could and would continue to play the game. Sadly, concussions are believed to have contributed to several professional football players’ suicides, including Junior Seau and Ray Easterling.
NFL players are, for obvious reasons, stronger and more mentally developed than the 8 and 9-year old “Tykes.” You can imagine, then, the repeated damage being done to the young developing brains in the TYFA. According to the Institute of Medicine, young players are nearly twice as likely to get concussions as college football players and high school athletes, which makes the young athletes in Friday Night Tykes extremely susceptible to concussions.
It is the parents’ and coaches’ responsibility to protect the children from dangerous contact and plays, yet it appears that these are the very people pressuring players to be excessively aggressive, placing them and their opponents at higher risk of injury.
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It is the parents’ and coaches’ responsibility to protect the children from dangerous contact and plays, yet it appears that these are the very people pressuring players to be excessively aggressive, placing them and their opponents at higher risk of injury. Perhaps it is the result of this attitude that the nation’s largest youth football program, Pop Warner, saw participation drop 9.5 percent between 2010 and 2012. Over 23,612 youth football players have been pulled out of youth leagues.
It is important to note that not every football program is like the one shown in Friday Night Tykes and, as parents, we shouldn’t allow faulty programs to keep us from teaching children how to compete, since competition is undeniably integral to many life lessons. But we should be looking to rediscover the positive aspects of youth sports, which can be used to teach kids how to work towards goals, take initiative, be creative, and work as part of a team.
Friday Night Tykes may be successful in entertaining the nation with this violent Toddlers in Tiaras-like look at competitive youth football, but it might also do some good toward changing the warped culture of the leagues themselves. Hopefully this show will promote the idea that youth football needs to return to its roots, in the process boosting confidence, promoting teamwork and encouraging kids to go out there and have a good time.
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Photo: Esquire Network Promotional Photo
Great piece Kate. I raised similar issues in an earlier GMP article called Dog Days of Little League. Its a tremendously important issue – how hard to push our kids in youth sports and making sure we keep sight of the reasons for youth sports. Sounds like by glorifying this all-out-balls-to-the-wall style of play and coaching young children, Friday Night Tykes may indeed shine a light. Thanks for contributing!