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Rick Davis On Sports Parents' Perspective

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Rick Davis, a PCA National Advisory Board Member, is a retired professional soccer player and former member of the U.S. National Team. He played with the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League, and was named Player of the Year in 1979. Davis was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2001 and served as Executive Director of AYSO.

In this video clip, Davis explains why and how sports parents can take a perspective beyond just looking at the scoreboard. This perspective is vital for kids to get the most from their experience, to play sports relatively free of the pressures that come with too much focus on the scoreboard and to be assured of their parents' unconditional love, regardless of athletic performance. All of those factors contribute to keeping kids in sports so they can reap the benefits of life lessons and character development. Parents are in a unique position to help their kids process the overall youth sports experience and frame their successes and failures in a way that leads to growth.

Parents can also help kids deal with stress and nervous emotions that occur in sport. Playing in a game puts a kid on stage, which can turn into an emotional roller coaster when things don’t go as planned. Parents should act as encouragers and support their kids, especially when things on the field don’t go as hoped.