Sports parents are out of control

An unfortunate episode happened at the Metro Youth Football Association Championship Under the Lights 7-on-7 Tournament held in Cedar Rapids.

On the surface, it doesn’t appear that the ruckus had anything to do with a game being played or the way a coach was coaching. It happened off the field when one father began running after the coach when the father and his son were told they were too old to play in the tournament, which was for age groups 10U through 14U. Several other fans got involved and eventually the game and the rest of the tournament was canceled.

The father is being charged with simple assault and the coach’s girlfriend is recovering after being hit by the father, according to tournament officials.

Iowa 7on7 provided tournament administration. Twenty-three teams were participating.

“These people have no clue about the damage they are causing,” Iowa 7on7 founder Trevor Bollers said.

Other venues in the state have canceled two tournaments and he has decided to cut teams from Cedar Rapids and Des Moines from future tournaments.

One of the purposes of Iowa 7on7 is to “provide real fun football to players, teams and families,” Bollers said. “Every year since 2018, 7on7 has worked diligently to innovate and modify our events to provide better experiences for people …

“Unfortunately, we have been met with many challenges that we could not control or foresee, as many of the processes put in place rely on sportsmanship.”

Bollers said as a result of the “selfish actions” of a few people, Iowa 7on7 has lost partnerships and community support, but most of all, “lost the trust of our participants and their families. Our task now is to work diligently to build the lost trust back.”

Though incidents such as this are few, parents’ behavior at events are failing the kids. Officials don’t feel safe. Even if the parents aren’t threatening officials’ safety, they at times behave as if they are entitled to inject themselves into games by coaching from the stands or sidelines, interrupting the smooth running of the events and embarrassing their own kids on the field or court.

Most school associations have spectator policies, including requiring a person ejected from a game to sit out the next game or to complete a parent credential course before returning. Some policies state if a person is kicked out twice, they don’t get to return for the remainder of the season. It’s a privilege, not a right, to watch kids play sports and that privilege can be taken away.

Bollers said his organization has no tolerance for violence. His coaches will be required to sign a violence statement:

“As a community of coaches and players, we stand together in unity to denounce all forms of violence. Our commitment to sportsmanship, respect and camaraderie extends beyond the field. We believe in fostering a culture of mutual support and empowerment. Let’s continue to stand up against violence and work together to build a safer and more inclusive environment where all can compete and enjoy competition.”

The organization will “enhance” its processes and procedures to include regulations to disqualify organizations, teams and individuals from participating in Iowa 7on7 Football events, including partial-season and full-season disqualification for incidents investigated and found to be in violation of the document.

Finally, Bollers said they will require roster verification to be completed prior to participants entering the venue for any Iowa 7on7 managed or affiliated event. Clear penalties will be defined for any organization violating these rules. This will be published prior to the state tournament to be held July 20.

Bollers said Iowa 7on7 strived to “impartially” obtain facts and information to determine the cause of the altercation and that it did not stem from the event as a whole or the specific game.

“Instead, the origin for the incident was caused by circumstances, individuals and acts that were outside of the 7v7 event being hosted,” he said. “However, several groups did join in causing additional harm.”

As the grandparent of a 7-on-7 player, I have seen the benefits of the program. It is designed to provide training for the skill positions in a mostly non-contact environment. The fact that the contact and unsportsmanship behavior came from the sidelines is very disappointing. It ruined an otherwise professionally run event for coaches, players and parents alike and set a very bad example for those young athletes.

Adults can and must do better.

Nancy Justis is a former competitive swimmer and college sports information director. She is a partner with Justis Creative Communications and the founder of Iowa Youth Sports Initiative. She can be contacted at najustis120150@gmail.com