Trophy Kids Essay

“I will never be satisfied!” Many athletes may have heard this statement once or twice in their athletic careers from their coaches, but to hear it come from a parent is very unexpected. In the documentary Trophy Kids, follows the story of five families whose life is centered on their child’s success in sports. It goes behind the scenes of what each of the parent’s strategies are in order to push their child to the next level of becoming the next all-star athlete. Although, what they fail to realize is they loose sight of what is important. That is, what is important is for their children to enjoy the sport and for the parents to not get caught up in the hype that the child will one day be a professional athlete. They are kids; they need to …show more content…
When these standards are not met, the parent’s sense of worth goes down because it depends on how their child performs in the game (Morrison). The parents put great dedication into their kids and their wants to play sports, so when they see their child not performing a drill or a play correctly, the aggression shows because they are wanting perfection every time due to the amount of commitment they put into their child. When a athlete makes a mistake in a game or in a meet they do not look to their coach for reflection, but their eyes dart to their parents. When a child is in the competition setting, their focus should be on the game and to listen for their coach’s feedback, but when they automatically look to their parents, it is noticeable that the parents have a heavy influence in the child’s athletics. Although, it could be argued that aggression could be seen as a way of encouragement for the child to be truly committed and that the hardiness is needed in order to reach the peak of their athletic goals. However, there is a difference between encouraging the child and yelling out their mistakes. Along with this, parents often loose the focus on what is really important when their child participates in sports, which is to have fun, learn new skills, and acquire competency. But what parents are truly attentive to now would be if their child wins or looses a game (Smith). There is more to the sport …show more content…
If a parent is keeping the child to play a sport they do not like or are not good at, the child develops a false impression that they are a good player. When in reality, they may not be good at all and thus causing them to put an idea in their mind that all other sports will end up having the same bad experience, preventing them not try out for other sports because of the false experience they had in the in the past. Secondly, there is more of a physical and time demand that is called for as sports become more competitive at younger ages. For example from the documentary Trophy Kids, parents and coaches promote the responsibility to their athlete to workout in the weight room and to make up special diets for them so they can reach the ideal physique that is needed to be able to perform at highest peak in the sport. Like in the documentary, two dads of fourteen and fifteen year old boys admit to using special nutritional supplements and drinks that give their child the nourishment they need so they can grow and reach the height and weigh that is deemed satisfying for the sport, ideally, setting them apart from other competitors. According to Tavis Piattoly, who is a registered dietician, says 35 percent of middle school and high school students consume protein supplements so they can reach the