Crazy Parents

Ok Last night I went to another one of my Nephews Football games. And I was amazed at the Parents watching their children. I dont know why parents are crazy... Is it something that happens when you have a child... Do the Doctors hand your new baby to you and give you a side of crazy pills?
On every baseball, basketball, football or soccer team I have seen my sister's and friend's children play on, we always had that one parent who couldn't keep things in perspective. Sometimes it was the coach, who thought he was coaching a bunch of 11-year-olds in the World Cup, and sometimes it was some mom or dad who felt like the referee was unfairly trying to penalize his or her child more than anyone else.
While you might think this would be more prevalent as kids get older -- and the competition becomes more intense -- parents are apparently at their worst when their kid is just starting out. According to one sports columnist, the reason moms and dads are "unruly" when their kids are 7 or 8, is "because there's so much hope."
Essentially, the idea is that because kids have such varied skill levels at that age, parents of good players think their kid is on track to professional stardom, while those whose children don't play as well assume it's because politics, officiating, etc.
And if you're a parent who's never been successful in athletics, you're more likely to cause problems.
As someone who played sports throughout my childhood, I believe that there's a number of positive things about being on a team, trying your best for a common goal -- even winning and losing. This is all besides the fact that it's important for kids to be outside and exercising. However, when parents lose perspective, I think it teaches kids an equally unhealthy lesson about obsessive competition -- winning at all costs, demonizing your opponent, etc.
Because let's be honest, chances are extremely high that you're not raising the next Barry Bonds, or Michael Jordan, or Peyton Manning. So just let them have fun, and keep your ego out of it.
A little competition can be a healthy thing, to be sure, but do you really want your child to live and die by how she measures up to the rest? Your child needs places where they can explore his/her strengths, learn from his/her weaknesses, and develop his/her own sense of self. They don't need to turn everything into a winner-takes-all sudden-death match.If the lesson you teach your kids is that you need them to win at everything, they'll never meet your expectations, and you'll both spend a lot of time miserable.
Crazy Parents! Sports are for Fun!