Making parents good sports

Ever feel yourself burn with rage when the ref makes a bad call on your kid? Ever wonder what to do if you don’t agree with your child’s soccer coach? Ever worry that your high schooler is spending too many hours on sports and not enough on school?

Rick Wolff just might have some answers.

Wolff, a nationally known expert on sports parenting, will give two talks in Spokane on Wednesday. Wolff, a former player for the Detroit Tigers, has appeared on Oprah, ESPN, The Today Show, Good Morning America and many others. He hosts a weekly radio show in New York on sports parenting and has had writing on the topic for Sports Illustrated, GQ, The New York Times and USA Today.

He has also written several books on youth sports, including “Sports Parenting Edge” and “Coaching Kids for Dummies.”

Wolff is chairman of the Web-based Center for Sports Parenting (www.sportsparenting.org/csp/).

The issue of how parents behave at the kids’ sporting events is a big one. A 2004 survey in SportingKid magazine found that 84 percent of parents had witnessed “violent parental behavior” toward children, coaches or officials at kids’ games. And 80 percent of parents said they had been victims of such behavior.

“This town is very sports-oriented,” says Erle Furbeyre, a volunteer with the Saint George’s School parent association and father of a fourth-grader and an eighth-grader. “I think overall they’re quite responsible and respectful. We let the kids play; it’s their game and their team … (But) what do you do when the ref makes a bad call?”

Wolff will speak at a Children’s Miracle Network luncheon Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. at Red Lion Inn at the Park. That night, he’ll have a book signing and give a speech at St. George’s School.