Why Civil Rights Were at Stake in the Pilaro Field Hockey Case
By Doug Abrams Fourteen-year-old Keeling Pilaro will play field hockey for Long Island’s Southhampton High School again next season after all. On Tuesday morning, his continued participation was approved by a close vote of an appeals panel of Section 11, which supervises Suffolk County’s high school sports. The ultimate issue was whether Title IX would … Read more
Perhaps the hardest question that today’s sports parent have to confront….
I felt the time had come this AM – on Mother’s Day no less– to ask the question that Moms and Dads everywhere have to confront these days: whether it’s okay to let their youngsters play contact sports, like football, soccer, ice hockey, lax, and so on — when it’s clear that there’s real growing … Read more
Title IX and the “Level Playing Field”
By Doug Abrams Rick Wolff and I had another stimulating conversation on “The Sports Edge” last Sunday morning, this time about Title IX’s dramatic effect on the lives of boys and girls in sports. Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972, of course, is the landmark congressional legislation that prohibits gender discrimination in … Read more
“You can’t play any more because you’re too good” – A Very Strange Case of Title IX
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the passage of Title IX, the wonderful federal law that mandates equal play for boys and girls in HS and college sports. By all measures, this has been a law which has brought only good things to sports. But that being said, every so often a quirky situation … Read more
A Fresh, New, and Intriguing Way to Do Kids’ Sports
Danny Bernstein grew up on Long Island where he played a variety of sports, most notably soccer. He was the goalkeeper on the Roslyn HS team which won the first NYS HS championship. Danny then went onto Amherst College where he continued playing soccer, and captained his college team. After graduating, he spent a number … Read more
Why Youth Sports Programs Should Seek Input from Pediatricians and How Programs Can Do It
By Doug Abrams In June of 2011, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) reaffirmed its 2001 policy statement on “Organized Sports for Children and Preadolescents.” The policy statement demonstrates the valuable contributions that a pediatrician can make in a local youth sports program that wants to do a better job of serving the emotional and … Read more
What Youth Coaches Should Not Say to Their Players
By Doug Abrams Last month, the Timmins Times of Ontario, Canada reported that the Timmins Minor Hockey Association had imposed a three-month suspension on a coach who made vulgar locker room comments to his 12-year-old team as it prepared for a game. Because Rick Wolff’s blog attracts a polite audience, I will say only that … Read more
My Top Ten Sports Parenting Predictions for 2012…
So much has happened in recent years in the ever-changing world of sports parenting, that I thought I’d finish out 2011 with my Top Ten Predictions for the coming year. Here we go: 10. LL Baseball will follow the NCAA and the Nat’l HS Baseball Federation and allow only BBCOR (and of course wood) bats. … Read more
Mike Milbury Allegedly Assaults a 12-year-old Hockey Player: What Sports Parent need to know…
According to several eyewitnesses, former NHL player and head coach and GM of the Islanders did something that lots of sports parents do – -when Milbury saw his 12-year-old son getting into an altercation with another 12-year-old on the ice, Milbury went onto the ice and separated the two boys by grabbing the other boy … Read more
Should we keep kids under 14 from playing contact sports?
This is the general direction that Chris Nowinski, the president of the Sports Legacy Institute – the world’s premier research facility regarding the dangers of brain concussions – – feels that we as sports parents ought to be pursuing. Nowinski, who is the main driving force behind our awareness of the long-range effects of concussions … Read more
"The Sports Edge"
Rick Wolff
Steve Kallas
Doug Abrams
