LAST EDITED ON 05-17-12 AT 11:01 AM (EST)

OK -- I've been involved in youth sports (baseball and football) since the Carter Administration. I've had teams from age 5 up to 15, park league to travel teams.

1) This "coach" was way out of line. Dressing down a player (No matter the age or playing level) publicly on the field is beyond inappropriate. It borders on bullying, IMHO.

2) The parent of that child (Gawd forbid if "coach" is also dad...) should have a sincere talk with him (maybe include a quick kick to the nads for emphasis, but I digress...)

3) No matter the level, my main mantra has always been

IT'S A GAME!

Thought I'd come back to add a little wisdom (or what I think of as wisdom...)

Youth sports can be, by-in-large, a wonderful experience. Every kid should get involved in something. Naturally, there are those fools like the one above that could spoil it, so please be cautious.

IMHO, youth sports are there for something way beyond winning trophies, awards, ribbons, or winning anything for that matter.

There are valuable life skills that can be taught via youth sports -- things like working together with others, carrying through with a commitment, realizing that adversity isn't the end of the world, and there is always room for improvement. The kids need to have fun along the way. We also need to get our kids off the couch and away from the video idiocy that has invaded our homes.

Of course, we do play games with the intention to win. I never coached a game without planning to win, but I also made sure the players understood that no matter what the outcome of a particular game or season, the important things in life were still the important things in life. This worked for a baseball traveling team that won a national championship as well as a football team that was 0-9, scoring one touchdown the entire season.

<steps off soap box>