Psychologist explains the problem of angry parents and coaches
A Massachusetts woman hung up her whistle and high school soccer referee jersey after almost a decade on the job, fed up with ongoing abuse from parents and coaches, the Boston Globe reported recently. It’s a familiar story. According to a 2017 survey by the National Association of Sports Officials, adult behavior is the reason more than 75 percent of all high school referees quit. The report also found that 80 percent of new officials stop after only two years. Many say the problem is contributing to a shortage of high school referees nationwide, and extends to the youth sports level. Richard Weissbourd is a psychologist and senior lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where he co-directs the Making Caring Common Project, which focuses on moral and social development priorities in child raising. The Gazette spoke with him about the problem and what can be done to fix it. Q&A Richard...