Wellness and sports are meant to go hand in hand, but it’s important for parents and guardians to recognize the ways in which the sport environment can shape athletes’ experiences in both positive and negative ways.
At the U.S. Center for SafeSport, we believe that youth need a safe and
supportive environment to access the full benefits of sport, from increased self-
esteem, to enhanced leadership skills, to reduced stress. That’s where parents and guardians come in. They can help build a lifelong foundation of wellness for the young athletes in their life by taking an active role in shaping sport culture.
Here are some steps you can take to create supportive sport environments:
- Make sure your child knows that, while winning matters, their growth and well-being are the most important. Emphasize the value and importance of sports as a way to learn new things, to work with and encourage others, to overcome challenges and to try your best.
- Help set behavioral expectations with your athlete upfront, both in terms of how they should be treated and how they should treat others. Be sure your expectations are age- and developmentally appropriate. Give examples of positive behaviors.
- Model appropriate and respectful behavior with other athletes, parents, officials and coaches. Do not use slurs or other demeaning language when talking to or about others. Keep things positive and constructive.
- Keep lines of communication open. Ask your athlete open-ended questions—
things like what they like about a sport, what they’ve learned or what they find most challenging. Make sure your child knows they can come to you if they
make a mistake, or if they experience anything that doesn’t seem right. - Report any misconduct or harmful behavior immediately.
- Be consistent in communicating and holding people accountable to core values, expectations and policies.
- Talk to your young athlete about the importance of positive bystander intervention. Talk to your young athlete about standing up for others. You can model positive bystander intervention by saying or doing something when you see inappropriate behavior.
- Ask about the policies that are in place. What rules and guidelines does your child’s organization have to support athlete safety and well-being? Some important questions for sporting bodies and administrators include: How are core values, policies
and expectations—such as how program participants should treat one another—communicated? How frequently? What kind of abuse prevention and response training do volunteers and coaches undergo? What screening and background checks do coaches and volunteers undergo? What are the established processes for reporting and responding to abuse and misconduct?
Are there policies in place limiting one-on-one interactions between adults and minors?
Check the U.S. Center for SafeSport’s Centralized Disciplinary Database to see if any adult coach or volunteer interacting with your young athlete has been restricted by the center from participating in U.S. Olympic and Paralympic sports at uscenterforsafe
sport.org/response-and-resolution/ centralized-disciplinary-database.
Everyone has a role to play in creating positive sport environments. As an adult in the life of a young athlete, your guidance and leadership matters. Ask questions.
Have conversations. Model behavior. No matter your child’s age, if you are prioritizing their wellness and well-being, they are winning.
For more information and resources, visit the U.S. Center for SafeSport website at
uscenterforsafesport.org/abuse-prevention- resources. The center also has a new mobile
app, SafeSport Ready, available for download at uscenterforsafesport.org/safesport-ready-app. The app gives access to safety tools, even when you are on the go.
Report to the U.S. Center for SafeSport if you have experienced abuse or misconduct—or if you have reasonable suspicion of abuse or misconduct—inflicted by someone in the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement. You can make a report online at
uscenterforsafesport.org/report-a-concern or leave a message by calling the center at 833-587-7233.
Ju’Riese Colón is the chief executive officer of the U.S. Center for SafeSport, the nation’s only nonprofit organization committed to ending all forms of abuse in sport. As CEO, Colón leads the strategic vision and direction of the organization to ensure
every athlete is safe, supported and strengthened. An experienced child advocate who serves as an expert on issues related to child safety, Colón has led prevention and outreach initiatives with youth-serving organizations working with families, educators, law enforcement and diverse communities.
