Building Respect in Sports

As a board member of Chaucie's Place - a child advocacy center in Carmel that takes in and helps young victims of abuse - former Indianapolis Colts linebacker Barry Krauss is well familiar with the horrible things that can happen to children. So when he was approached about becoming involved in a new program called "Respect in Sport USA," he jumped at the chance. "Anytime I can work to help protect children," said Krauss. "And anything I can do to help influence children in a positive way." But this program, because it is centered on abuse in youth sports, struck a particular chord with Krauss. "Obviously, I've been around sports my whole life, and I understand how, for young athletes, their coaches may be the most influential people in their lives," he said. "So they need to understand that sports are about more than winning. They're about teaching character and respect." Thus, when Krauss first heard about "Respect in Sport," a program for youth coaches that had its origins in Canada, he was happy to hop on board and join three Indianapolis businessmen, Terry Anker, Jerrod Carter and Kent Burns, in bringing it to the USA. Anker, Carter and Burns founded CrossConfirm, which will market the program to sports organizations across the country. The on-line training program is certified by the American Red Cross. Indianapolis-based USA Track & Field and USA Gymnastics already have signed on. Krauss said they've targeted 2,000 sports organizations in the country, including high schools. "It's the most comprehensive program I've ever seen," said Krauss. "We have so many ways to help coaches with X's and O's, or the logistics of running practices. But there is nothing that helps youth coaches deal with abuse or bullying or harassment. There's nothing that teaches them how to identify abuse, or how to perhaps modify their own behavior. There's nothing that teaches them what to do next, and how to do it with class and respect." Krauss said many coaches believe the only way to motivate young athletes is through threats, intimidation, screaming and shouting. Sometimes it crosses the line into physical abuse. On the contrary, however, Krauss offers two examples: his college coach at the University of Alabama, the late, legendary Paul "Bear" Bryant, and Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy. Respect is/was the cornerstone of coaching and motivating for both. "Dungy has built an incredible program built on respect," Krauss said. "At their practices, there's no screaming or cussing or fighting. He teaches his players respect for themselves, and respect for others." Krauss also cites a daunting statistic: 70 percent of youth cease participating in organized sports by the time they reach age 13. Why? "Because they become discouraged, because their coaches, or mentors or volunteers take away the fun of participation and place the emphasis on winning," he said. Especially in youth sports, Krauss appreciates the willingness of volunteer coaches to become involved. At the same time, he said, children need to be protected. "We need to set standards for those who are coaching our children," he said. "At the very least, there should be a mandate that they go through programs like ours." Again, Respect in Sport is an on-line program, consisting of six "30-minute modules." It's also inexpensive, with a $45 access fee. Is it worth it? As a parent, you must first ask this question: How well do you know who is coaching your child? Leaders of youth sports organizations must ask: What have you done with regard to risk management and mitigating liability? And all of us must ask: Are we doing everything we can to place our children into sports programs that will shelter them from potential abuse while inspiring them to respect their coaches, their teammates, their opponents, the officials and the rules? For more information, go to www.respectinsportusa.com.