Just Let 'em Play: Guiding Parents, Coaches and Athletes Through Youth Sports - Softcover

The stories seem more prevalent today than ever: coaches and parents pushing kids to the point of burnout before high school, parents fighting with referees and umpires, coaches berating kids in front of teammates and parents, and even kids using performance-enhancing drugs.

Renowned sport psychologist Dr. Andrew Jacobs, longtime Major League Baseball pitcher Jeff Montgomery, and Hall of Fame swimming coach Peter Malone have seen first-hand the issues that are making youth sports increasingly difficult for parents, coaches, officials, and especially kids to navigate. Jacobs' clients, who range from elementary school to professional athletes, regularly talk to him about burnout - even before high school. Montgomery, who almost walked away from baseball after four years in the minor leagues, stuck with it and went on to become a three-time American League All-Star and the 1993 A.L. Reliever of the Year during a 13-year major-league career. He learned about today's win-at-all-costs mentality while coaching youth baseball for almost a decade. Peter D. Malone coached more than 10,000 swimmers during his 44-year career. During his last 35 years of coaching, he was the general manager and head coach of the Kansas City Blazers, a program featuring swimmers from recreational to Olympic levels. He coached four Olympic gold medalists.

In July 2013, Time magazine published an article titled Final Four for the 4-Foot Set. The article describes a national AAU basketball tournament - for second graders. In the article, one of the coaches states he tells his kids he's going to treat them as full-grown 14-year-olds, because this isn't baby ball.

Indeed, it is not. It's a group of eight-year-olds.

Bucking this trend, Dr. Jacobs, Montgomery, and Malone continue to teach lessons youth sports have taught for generations - working with others for the team's sake; hard work and commitment; setting and achieving goals; learning how to win; learning how to lose or to fail; respecting coaches and officials; coaches and officials serving as strong role models for young athletes; and, most importantly, having fun.

In Just Let 'Em Play: Guiding Parents, Coaches, and Athletes through Youth Sports, Dr. Jacobs, Montgomery, and Malone utilize decades of experience and training with amateur and professional athletes to explain the importance of winning and losing, success and failure; why it's okay that not every athlete receive a trophy; and the role of parents, coaches, officials, and athletes.

Dr. Andrew Jacobs is one of the top sport psychologists in the United States. He works with athletes of all ages from youth to professional in areas from concentration to motivation and team building to sportsmanship. Called a pioneer in mental training, he became one of the first sport psychologists to work with the U.S. Olympic team, professional teams, and a major university.
 
Jeff Montgomery pitched 13 years in the major leagues, 12 of which were spent with the Kansas City Royals. While with the Royals, Montgomery became one of baseball's most dominant closers, saving a Royals record 304 games during his career.

Peter D. Malone was the general manager and head coach for the Kansas City Blazers, a competitive swim team in the Kansas City area, from 1975-2010. Before coaching with the Blazers, he coached the Greater Toledo Aquatic Club from 1968-1975. Malone was named to the USA Swimming Top 25 Most Influential People in the History of Swimming.