Joe Ehrmann (@JoeEhrmann76), a PCA National Advisory Board Member and winner of PCA's Ronald L. Jensen Award for Lifetime Achievement, is a former NFL Pro Bowl defensive lineman, founder of Coach For America and author of InSide Out Coaching. Ehrmann gained additional prominence when Parade Magazine dubbed him “the most important coach in America” for his unorthodox, but highly effective, coaching at Gilman School in the Baltimore area. Ehrmann was also the subject of Season of Life by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jeffrey Marx.

Joe Ehrmann believes in the power of youth sports to positively shape young people, and in this video he discusses how that affected his parenting decisions. He wanted his children to feel empowered, and he knew that sports could provide a platform to help them grow into productive, contributing adults. That is why he encouraged his kids to play sports.

As a sports parent, you may make sacrifices to let your children play sports. But this sacrifice is worth it because you are helping your kids learn powerful life lessons and develop interpersonal skills that are invaluable to their future successes. Ehrmann believes that this outlet is a positive way for parents to help children grow.