Whose Game Is It, Anyway?

Starred review from March 15, 2006
With athletic achievement and sports participation both the means to an end (scholarships) and an end in themselves in American culture, parents need guidance as they help their kids experience the best that team involvement can offer while dealing with the pressures of athletic competition. This comprehensive and well-developed book provides just that guidance, whether the kids in question are athletic stars or minimally talented in sports. Youth sports psychologists Ginsburg and Stephen Durant and former Olympic athlete Amy Baltzell focus on the central tenets of -Know your child, know yourself, and know your child -s sports environment. - Chapters address sports participation by age group, working with coaches, finding the best team environments, overweight children and eating disorders in young athletes, and overscheduling and burnout, among other issues. Although there are many good books available on parenting young athletes, this one should be considered essential for public libraries. (Index not seen.)" -Kay Hogan Smith, UAB Lister Hill Lib., Birmingham, AL"

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2006
The authors are all practicing clinical psychologists, and one is a former Olympic athlete. Between them, they have seen all the good and bad outcomes of sports participation by children and adolescents. Based on their experiences, and interviews with athletes, parents, coaches, and teachers, they offer a look at development from age one to early adulthood and how athletics can help or hinder that development. Case studies illustrate the stress of crunch moments in games, high emotions of coaches and parents (on occasion ending in violence), children who lose the sense of fun in sports when competition becomes overwhelming, and children who underperform to maintain friendships. Separate chapters examine the influence of coaches, eating disorders and steroid use, and overweight children. Throughout, at whatever the children's age or skill level, the authors advise parents to encourage their children and remain positive. To prevent abuses by coaches, fans, or even other parents, the authors advise parents: know yourself, know your child, and know the environment. Extremely helpful to parents with children involved in sports.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)