Perhaps because the damage caused by emotional abuse in youth sports is
not obvious, like sexual abuse, or immediately apparent, like a
physical injury, its effect is often overlooked and minimized. But the
damage is no less real, and, in fact, may be much more damaging and
long-lasting.
Emotional abuse is a serious and widespread problem in youth sports and
takes many forms: parents angrily criticizing their child's sports
performance, coaches angrily yelling at a player for making a mistake,
and youth athletes being teased or yelled at by a fan or seen a fan
angrily yell at or tease another player.
