Changing the Game Project

Little League® Baseball and Softball has joined together for an official content partnership with Changing the Game Project’s Founder and CEO, John O’Sullivan, to provide its parents and volunteer coaches with educational resources and guidance to create a better Little League experience for all children.

Through this partnership, Mr. O’Sullivan will work together with Little League International to create a number of written and video-based content aimed towards parents and coaches within the Little League program. All of the content will be made available on Little League University in addition to the thousands of already created resources for parents, coaches, umpires, league officials, and District Administrators.

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Highlights from Project Play Summit 2021

National Athletic Trainers' Association Releases Statement on Sports Specialization

16 October 2019
National Athletic Trainers’ Association Releases Official Statement of Recommendations to Reduce the Risk of Injury Related to Sport Specialization for Adolescent and Young Athletes

Newswise — DALLAS, TX – In anticipation of National Youth Sports Specialization Awareness Week (third full week in October) the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) released an official statement with health-focused recommendations to reduce the risk of injury due to youth sports specialization, which is often defined as year-round participation in a single sport, usually at the exclusion of other sports. Read More....

When You Attend a Youth Sports Event, Know Your Role!

Imagine the perfect summer day. The sun is out, The birds are chirping. And a bunch of 7 year old boys scurry about a baseball diamond, trying to hit, run, throw and catch, all the while smiling and giggling and doing what 7-year-old boys do. But then the game gets tense. Parents and coaches started chirping at each other, at the players, and at the umpire. A call is missed. Then another. The situation worsens.

The umpire, a 13-year-old named Josh Cordova – who umpires so he can pay for his own baseball equipment by the way- warns both coaches and their fans. Yet the tension escalates. Parents are dropping F-bombs, and pointing fingers trying to get others thrown out. Finally, all hell breaks loose. Coaches argue. Parents get into it with one another. And it ends in a fight that goes viral across the globe. Five people are arrested. Two are suspended from their jobs. And Cordova, when interviewed after the game, said the following: “I was scared not only for me but the 7-year-olds who happened to be on the field at the time. We never thought anyone would fight at a little league baseball game. I thought maybe by issuing a warning everyone would just chill, take a step back and realize how stupid they were acting … but [I] guess not.”

Info for Parents and Coaches

WHY SPORTS MATTER

ATHLETIC DEVELOPMENT BY AGE

THE 7 C'S OF PERFORMANCE

SPORTS NUTRITION

COLLEGE SPORTS

Being the parent or coach of a young athlete is an art, not a science. Science is exact, and A plus B always equals C. But sports coaching and parenting are different. Your children are your blank canvas, and years from now, they will be the culmination of the messages they have received, the opportunities they have had, and the values they have learned by being an athlete. Like art, in coaching and parenting there are infinite textures, colors, and styles that all lead to the final product, and no two kids are the same. You will have to constantly learn, to adapt, to listen, and be ready to change on the fly as you navigate your child’s athletic career, but stick with it. Raising a young athlete can be brilliant, it can be exasperating, but ultimately it can be the most wonderful and rewarding experience of our life.

Sports is important, children need sports, and as an adult it is your responsibility to help your children find their passion in life. Articles to the left offer tips and advice on ways to be a great coach and/or parent for your young athlete. The information comes from your kids, when asked what they want from sports. It comes from experienced coaches and parents, who have successfully (and at times unsuccessfully) navigated their way down the youth sports highway. And it comes from the latest science and research about athletic development and parenting. It is certainly not the be all and end all, but hopefully it gives you a good head start as you strive to ensure that athletics is a positive and rewarding experience for your child.

Resources

	Pre-COVID one of the organizations we worked with was the @ColoradoRapids youth soccer club and their "Let Us Play" campaign. They come up with these great cards that they stuck on windshields during their tournament, or handed to a driver sitting in the car. Pre-COVID one of the organizations we worked with was the @ColoradoRapids youth soccer club and their "Let Us Play" campaign. They come up with these great cards that they stuck on windshields during their tournament, or handed to a driver sitting in the car.
	Conventional wisdom holds that youth sports are a positive experience for our children. Unfortunately, 70% of kids drop out of organized athletics by the age of 13. Most of these children quit because our youth sports culture has taken the ‘play’ out of ‘play ball.’ A shift in values, the rise of expensive youth sports models, and the myth of abundant athletic scholarships has led parents and coaches to focus on wins instead of enjoyment, and trophies at the expense of development. As a result, every day increasing numbers of children quit playing sports that are no longer enjoyable. Conventional wisdom is wrong. Changing the Game Book $17.95
	In Every Moment Matters, John has collected hundreds of interviews with top coaches, sport scientists, psychologists, and athletes and distilled them into a blueprint for becoming a more effective and inspiring leader and building a championship team. Every Moment Matters Book $19.95
	Coaching Mastery is our 6-part online course that delves deep into leadership, athlete psychology, building team culture, engaging parents, coaching best practices, and long-term athlete development. Coaching Mastery Course $97.00

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