How Responsible Sports Parents Help Coach Their Kids 
Last month, 16 youth baseball teams - eight from the US and the other eight representing countries from around the globe - descended on the small town of William sport, Pennsylvania to compete in the Little League® World Series. These teams were joined in Williams port by their supporters - parents, aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters, grandparents, family friends and others from the community. They were also joined by thousands of sports fans who make the pilgrimage to Howard J. Lamade Stadium and Little League Volunteer Stadium to watch the exceptional play of these youth athletes. Thousands of people tuned in to watch these athletes compete - from the opening round all the way through the Championship game. Even the astronauts at the International Space Station tuned in, "throwing" out the ceremonial first pitch from 250 miles above Earth! In the end, the crowd of supporters was - well, pardon the pun - out of this world!
The team from Responsible Sports had the distinct pleasure of watching some of the games in person. We were inspired by the level of sportsmanship these young athletes demonstrated to their teammates as well as their competitors. We also were pleased to hear coaches supporting their athletes before, during and after games with terrific positive reinforcement.
But perhaps the thing we were most struck by was the parents and supporters in the stands. Watching them engage with their respective teams reinforced a major Responsible Sports principle: the power of the stands is extraordinary! What we witnessed was not only how their positive energy helped their youth athletes succeed on the field, but also how their silence affected these kids.
LIBERTY MUTUAL
