#DearSports offers outlet
Gives youths a chance to express feelings on missing fun and games
“Dear Baseball, Where are you?”
One of the first letters the New England chapter of the Positive Coaching Alliance received for its #DearSports initiative started with that question. The author, a Wayland youth named Tommy, wrote the letter by hand, describing how much he missed not only the chance to pitch this spring in Little League, but watching the Boston Red Sox on television.
“What I miss most about baseball is playing with my friends,” he wrote.
Youth sports and recreation activities have largely drawn to a halt during the pandemic, with the only organized activities surrounding them taking place online. For children who are struggling to understand the coronavirus to begin with, the loss of their social and physical outlets have only frustrated them more.
The Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) started the #DearSports letter-writing initiative on April 29 to give both children and teenagers a chance to process their sports withdrawal. #DearSports, which was piloted by the PCA’s Minnesota chapter earlier in April, wants young athletes to write letters to their favorite sport, describing what they enjoy about it and what elements they miss during the current stay-at-home orders.
“For so many kids, sports is a lifeline,” said Beth O’Neill Maloney, Executive Director of PCA-New England. “It is the reason they get up in the morning. Even if sports aren’t your No. 1 thing, it balances you. You can take a break from everything else for an hour or two.”
Athletes from elementary school to college can submit their letters to the PCA via their website until June 19. Letters, which can be handwritten and include drawings, will be shared via the Alliance’s social media channels, and letters will be chosen from four different age groups to receive a gift certificate from Stoughton’s Franklin Sports.
The letters share similar themes so far. For some young athletes, they mourn the loss of opportunity. “I have a letter from a little girl who was really disappointed because this was the spring she was going to try softball for the first time,” said O’Neill Maloney.
Others are craving the social interaction that sports provide. “A lot of high school athletes talk about the bus rides, and how important they are to them,” said O’Neill Maloney. “Especially the discussions and the bonding that happen during them.”
Now in its 22nd year, the PCA seeks to create more positive and characterbuilding youth sports experiences, and the #DearSports campaign reinforces that mission. O’Neill Maloney hopes that the letters they receive echo the positive influence youth sports can have. “Part of the reason we play sports is for the social aspect of it,” said O’Neill Maloney. “It’s a way to be a part of something bigger than you and achieve a common goal.”
Whether they participate in the #DearSports campaign or not, PCA-New England hopes that parents take some time to talk to their kids about what they are missing out on the field, court or rinks, and have them process their emotions surrounding not having it in their life. “Sometimes, it is only when we lose something that we appreciate its value,” says the campaign’s advertisement.
“Having them sit down and think about it with pencil and paper can be helpful,” said O’Neill Maloney. “It can be therapeutic and helps them realize what they miss.”