Emotional Experiences of Youth Sport Parents I: Anger

Abstract

Although there is general agreement that some sideline behavior at youth sport events is problematic (Goldstein & Iso-Ahola, 2008), the reasons why parent spectators sometimes act inappropriately are not well understood. Given that the most problematic behaviors appear to be motivated by anger (Omli & LaVoi, 2009), the purpose of this study is to identify sources of anger from the perspective of parents. Participants (n = 773, 59% female) described specific instances in which they got angry during a youth sport event. A grounded theory analysis yielded three types of perceived offenses—uncaring, unjust, and incompetent—and four categories of perceived offenders—referees, coaches, participants, and other parent spectators.