Youth Football and Guns…I’m Speechless

“He’s got a gun! He’s got a gun!” those were the shouts that silenced the words of encouragement this past Sunday at the Pee-Wee football game in Northeast Philadelphia.

“What now?” is all I could think when I read this story in the Philadelphia Daily News . 

Having been involved in coaching of youth sports for many years, I’ve seen and heard a lot of crazy things.  This year has been no different from the coach in California who tackled the 13 year old player on the field to the coach on one of our opposing teams this fall using what amounted to a  racial slur to signal his team’s defensive formation. 

I have had my share of parents who don’t think their kid is getting enough playing time and aren’t shy at all to let me know it.  I have always been mindful of kid’s playing time because I believe the purpose of kid’s sports is to give every kid a chance.  As I tell all the parent’s of the teams I coach, “When scouts start showing up at our games, I might change my strategy.  Until then, everyone plays.”

So apparently in Philadelphia that was not the philosphy of the coach of 6- 7 year old pee wee football players and a parent took offense at this.   So much so, he pulled out a gun.

First, let me talk about the coach of these are 6- 7 year olds.   When asked by the parent when he was going to put in more players he responded,  “he liked to run up the score before he put in other players.”

I’m sorry.  Did I read that correctly? “he liked to run up the score” first.  These are 6 – 7 year olds! What the F- is wrong with you! 6 – 7 year olds!  Why are you worried about the score?  At this age isn’t the point to teach the kids about the basic fundamentals of football? You don’t need to run up the score at this age.  You don’t ever need to run up the score.  This guy should never be allowed to coach kids.

Now based upon the coaches response I can understand the dad getting upset.  But pulling a gun out is not the answer.  In fact, the real tragedy is that he even brought a gun to his 6 – 7 year old’s football game.  What was he thinking having it there?

My heads hurts just trying to comprehend this whole thing.    If you think you need to run up the score on 6 – 7 year olds before you put other kids in; or if you think your kid not gettng enough playing time when they are 6 or 7 years old will damage the college or professional prospects; or if you have any reason to bring a gun to a kid’s football game; or if you think pulling out a gun is the way to settle an argument….I’m speechless.

I am speechless.

Teen Suicide

I received a disturbing note from an old friend today.  The child of a mutual friend of ours had attempted suicide.  I don’t have a lot of details other than the child is recovering from this unfortunate act and the family is still trying to get a full understanding on the reason.

The news of anyone trying to commit suicide, especially a child,  is disturbing enough.  But see, this was the third young person I knew of who had attempted suicide in as many weeks.  Unfortunately, the other two were “successful” in their attempts..

It is so saddening to think what could have possible been going through these kids head to want to give it all up.  In a way, I can empathize with them.  I was diagnosed as being clinically depressed 18 months ago.

My depression had been going on long before I was diagnosed and the damage it caused in my personal and professional life was/is significant.  But that is all for another time.  What I want to convey here is how desperate these teens must have felt that they would take their own lives.

Even though I suffer from depression, any thoughts of suicide that I have had have been just that, thoughts.  I have never had the urge to act on it even though I have thought of several ways to do it.  There are times when life becomes so unbearable that I wish I could just die.  But I would never do it via suicide.

All I can think about with these teenagers is that their choice to commit suicide and to follow through with it could have been stopped if they were more mature.  I am NOT suggesting they were childish in their behavior, but rather that they did not possess the life experiences and maturity that comes with age to think about the full consequences of their actions.  I know that this is a very large part of what stops me when I get those thoughts.

What is it that would drive a child to have grown up fears, and pressures which they can not handle? 

Are we putting too much pressure on kids to grow up too soon?  With the things on the Internet like YouTube and various explicit websites and the type of television programming out there, are we exposing our kids to too many adult type issues which can only be fully understood or appreciated with age? Is this part of the cause of teen suicide?

I am not blaming the Internet or YouTube or television.  I am questioning the content that we allow our children to access.  It is not the technology , it is the message that I wonder which might be too much for a young developing mind to handle.

I don’t know.  I don’t have the answer.  I wish I did.