Abstract
To what extent does the phenomenon of poor behaviour occur in youth sport? Some experts posit that roughly 10% of athletes are exposed to unacceptable coaching behaviours within the youth sport context (David, 2005). However, few studies have attempted to quantify the extent to which poor behaviours occur by all youth sport participants (coaches, players, and spectators). The purpose of this study is to use data provided by an independent sport monitoring program, Justplay Behavioural Management Program (JBMP), to describe these behaviours. Through the JBMP officials are asked to rate the behavioural conduct of coaches, players, and spectators on a scale from 1 Very Good to 5 Very Poor. Ratings of 4 and 5 are known as critical incidents (CI; conduct deemed unacceptable by the official). This descriptive analysis examines multiple youth sports (hockey, baseball, football) over three seasons with regard to the extent of CI by all the participant groups. Analyses show that CI occurred in 40% of all hockey games, 37% of football games, and 36% of baseball games. Of these CI, coaches account for 42.6% (42.5% hockey; 34.7% baseball, 50.7% football), players for 26.7% (29.5% hockey; 31.1% baseball, 19.5% football), and spectators for 30.2% (26.7% hockey; 34.2% baseball, 29.6% football). These numbers indicate behaviours, which may have long-term negative effects on participants, occur to a worrisome degreeAcknowledgments: 1. David, P., Human Rights in Youth Sports: A Critical Review of Children's Rights in Competitive Sports, Routledge, New York, 2005.