Time to Take a Stance in Youth Sports ... From A Parent's Perspective

Parents of any young athlete, whether your child has been identified as elite or just getting started in sports.  This conversation is for you.  Let's address the first elephant in the room - UVA guard Kyle Guy said at the Final Four that he and fiancée Alexa Jenkins were told to remove their wedding registry from being open to the public because accepting gifts from outside parties could potentially violate NCAA rules given Guy's status as a Division I athlete.  PLEASE, EXPLAIN HOW A REGISTRY WORKS? 

The next hot topic is Duke.  Duke will look into allegations that basketball star Zion Williamson and his family received benefits to commit to the school.  AD Kevin White states, "We are aware of the allegation and, as we would with any compliance matter, are looking into it. Duke is fully committed to compliance with all NCAA rules and regulations. With regard to men’s basketball: all recruits and their families are thoroughly VETTED by Duke in collaboration with the NCAA through the Eligibility Center’s amateurism certification process."

Our third topic comes from the thoughts of a 9 season NBA retired veteran, Etan Thomas.  He stated, “The behavior Tom Izzo displayed during that timeout was alarming and should have raised much more than the few eyebrows it did before everyone quickly moved on. There’s nothing praiseworthy or “old-school” about the teeth-clenched, balled-fist frothing anger he showed: It’s not OK and should not be acceptable behavior for any coach, or pardoned simply because your players got you to the Final Four.”

Finally, we will close close with hearing words from a parent who truly understand the importance of her role as a sports parent.