As a teacher and coach, I often see the positives and negatives that come with youth sports. Sports are a wonderful thing. It teaches kids how to compete, how to work hard, how to learn from success and failure, as well as being greatly beneficial for physcial fitness. Unfortuantley, all too often those life lessons are tossed aside due to the overly competitive and over-zealous nature that many sports parents possess. 

      In the book, Tangerine, Paul's father is one of those parents. He uses the excuse of "it's all about getting a scholarship for Erik." But is it really? There's nothing wrong with wanting a free ride to college for your athlete, but Tangerine begs the question- at what cost? Why must Paul pay a price for his brother's anti-social behavior? Why does Erik feel no remorse or empathy concerning a teammate's death? Why does Erik feel he can do anything to anyone without there being any consequences? Despite being a well-meaning parent, Mr. Fisher fails to teach his oldest son what it means to be an athlete. He is too wrapped up in his job and hounding recruiters to see the true problems that are right in front of his eyes.

     Although Mr. Fisher and Erik are fictional characters, out of control sports parents are all too real. Do a Google Search for "dad arrested at youth football game." How many different stories pop up? You can do the same for basketball, soccer, baseball, etc. and get the same result- adults who care more about winning than setting proper examples for their children.

     As a coach, I've heard horrendous things shouted from the stands. Parent insults have been directed at coaches, referees, opposing players, and even at their own kids. The worst I ever heard was a father yelling at his son that he needed to change his diaper (this parent would later be arrested at a game for public intoxication). The player had just got hit hard on a play and limped off to the sideline. One of his teammate's asked him if it hurt, and I'll never forget his response: "That tackle? Nah, it wasn't that bad. But what really hurts...is hearing my dad call me a baby." And this was one of our toughest, hardest-working players on the "A" Team (a player who would go on to earn a scholarship at a D1 school). 

     A coach's job is tough enough- long hours, high expectations, balancing work and family, etc. But how do we manage players who aren't learning the right lessons at home? And in the case of the Lake Windsor High School Football program- what happens when those lessons are being ignored by the people that parents trust to enstill the values of sportsmanship, competition, and work ethic? For me, Tangerine is a good reminder that every player has a backstory and has a need to be coached in the right way. Do I make mistakes in doing so? Of course, just as well-meaning parents make mistakes in guidance of their children. I believe parents and coaches truly want kids to succeed in sports, but as Tangerine demonstrates- the price of success is high, but it can't come at the expense of learning what is truly valuable in life.