Where do we go from here?

The status of youth sports in 2024 is rather scary. Players are more disrespectful than ever before, coaches are as confrontational as ever, and parents are more aggressive than we have ever seen.  If things don’t change soon, there could be some irreversible damage done to the sport. Players getting into it with other parents, parents challenging coaches on the field, coaches getting into confrontations with players, coaches challenging officials, and parents attacking officials, physically and verbally, all are having a negative impact on the sport. Out of all the negatives surrounding youth sports in 2024, officials being attacked seems to be the most concerning. There have been scores of stories coming out over the last few years of officials being physically threatened and/or attacked by parents in the stands. One such incident transpired recently to long-time Winston-Salem official Jerry Riley, while he was officiating a youth flag football game in Charlotte for five-year-olds. Riley is 66 years old and has been officiating sports for over 30 years. “It was a running play that went to the right and when I looked back, there were two little boys and a little girl down on the ground,” said Riley. “I went...