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Verbal abuse in youth sports is a symptom of a much larger problem; namely, adults enforcing intense competition prematurely, according to Dan Begel, M.D., president of the International Society for Sport Psychiatry in Milwaukee.
"The Little League football and baseball teams are structured by adults who have their own rules that determine winners and losers. The emphasis is on improving performance of the club rather than sportsmanship and teamwork," said Begel.
Because 30 million children aged 8 to 18 are playing in organized sports, these pressures from adults can have a profound impact on their development. Instead of having fun, children are sometimes anxious about their performance. Pediatricians have reported an increase in physical injuries due to overtraining and the intensity of competition.
Moreover, there has been a steady attrition among preadolescents in sports, with an estimated 70 percent dropping out after the first year.
To raise the public's awareness of these public health issues, the International Society for Sport Psychiatry is developing a program called "Healthy Choices" that will apply to sports played by student and professional athletes.
The program, which will be implemented next year on a local basis, will cover a broad array of topics including premature training, the temptations and seductions of athletic life, breaches of sportsmanship, and gender and racially based violence, said Begel.
Local society members will supervise student coordinators and make presentations in schools, followed up with discussion in small groups.
Also planned for release next year is the first comprehensive textbook on sports psychiatry edited by Begel and Robert Burton, M.D. (see story), and published by Norton Professional Books. The book, tentatively titled Sports Psychiatry: Theory and Practice, will cover, among other topics, the history of sports psychiatry, the field's scientific basis, the life cycle of an athlete, performance-related problems, and psychopharmacology, said Begel. A collection of essays on psychiatric issues in youth sports will appear in the October issue of the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America.
More information on the International Society for Sport Psychiatry is available by calling Dan Begel, M.D., at (414) 271-2900. His e-mail address is danbegel@execpc.com.