Sports Rage
(July 30, 2000)

It was a beautiful July afternoon. A group of boys were practicing hockey. What happened next is ugly.

When they should have been enjoying their time on the ice, three brothers watched as their father fought with the father of another hockey player in a hallway near the rink.

Two days later, doctors declared their father brain dead and took him off the ventilator that was keeping him alive.

Fighting Over Violence

Ironically, the two fathers were fighting over the very fact that the practice was getting too rough.

Thomas Junta, 42, of Reading, Mass., was watching his 10-year-old skate during a summer “stick practice”. Worried about the aggressive play, he called from the stands to Michael Costin, 40, of Lynnfield, Mass. who was on the ice coaching.

“That’s what hockey is all about,” Costin reportedly replied.

Within minutes, the fathers’ fight spilled over into the hallway. The 275-pound Junta overpowered Costin who was 100 pounds lighter. With his knee on Costin’s chest, Junta allegedly punched Costin in the face repeatedly while his sons begged Junta to stop. Another adult broke up the fight, but it was too late.

If Junta is convicted for manslaughter, he could spend 20 years in jail.

How Could It Happen?

What could make a father angry enough to beat to death another parent in front of children?

The Costin tragedy is probably the nation’s first fatal instance of parental violence at a youth sporting event, but there's been a long chain of “sports rage” incidents.

A father knocked down and kicked a baseball coach when his son was not chosen for the all-star team last year.

Police arrested two soccer parents for disorderly conduct and assault after they fought at a boys' under-12 tournament over Memorial Day weekend.

Just weeks later, a youth baseball coach was charged with breaking the jaw of an umpire whose call he disagreed with.

Rage Against Other Parents and Coaches

You’ve heard the term “road rage,” describing violent, angry drivers. Some school psychologists say this country is experiencing an outbreak of “sports rage"-- when parents of athletes lose control.

This aggression is usually aimed at the other team’s parents or coach.

“One father I know has been thrown out of rinks for years," says Tim Daniels, 17, a senior at Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass. "If you are in the rink, you’ll hear him screaming. He just goes nuts - he is out of control."

The behavior of parents of younger kids is worse than parents of high school athletes, since high schools have more rules about conduct, says Richard Palermo, Superintendent of the Lynnfield Public Schools.

Rage Against Kids

Sometimes parents yell at their own children.

"I’ve heard parents use derogatory remarks towards their kids. It is just amazing-- they don’t remember that it's just a game. It is a major problem,” Palermo says.

"It's sad to watch my friend beat herself up because of her father [who makes negative comments at games]," says Kerri Doherty, 17, a basketball, soccer, and field hockey player. "It shouldn’t be getting that serious. It is supposed to be for fun. ”

Too Much Pressure?

Parents, coaches and psychologists agree that pressure and competition in youth sports are increasing. Even 3-year-olds are playing in uniformed league games.

Parental sports rage stems from two factors: parents living through their child; and parents’ unrealistic expectations, according to John Hyater, an assistant basketball coach for Prince George’s County, Md.

Hyater says the demise of spontaneous neighborhood games is bad news. Instead of playing an informal game of touch football in the backyard, kids are suiting up and playing for an audience at younger and younger ages.

“Now you have the pressure to compete at an organized level and the psychology changes," he says. "Kids today haven’t learned the social aspects of playing.”

Parents are also affected when their kids are thrust into the spotlight too soon.

“They think that if they’ve had their little one in hockey since they were 5 years old, then they could end up with a scholarship to Boston University and playing in the NHL," Palermo says. "I think there are big expectations. The tremendous investment of money and the nature of the competitiveness for these select teams just brings out the worst in people.”

Couple this with the fact that parents are naturally protective of their children.

“Parents are often much more sensitive to perceived insults to their children than they would be if the same experience were directed at themselves," says Beverly Hegedus, a public school psychologist.

Why So Violent?

America has always been a competitive society, and people have long been driven by quests for money and fame.

“But there is less of a societal emphasis on teaching individuals to control their emotions," says Hegedus.

"Even terms like ‘road rage’ or ‘sports rage’ give the impression that these actions are normal."

Is sports rage just a reflection of the fact that our society is becoming more violent?

Should Sports be Agression-Free?

Many sports fans say fighting and hitting is part of some games, especially hockey.

They say the death was a rare tragedy.

One solution has been to ban any sort of cheering, at certain games, but not everyone thinks this is a good idea.

Hyater says banning noise from the crowd is “just plain silly.” He says parents put a lot of effort, money and time into their children’s sports and they should be allowed to cheer.

“I think you should cheer and yell for your kids - and a little booing isn’t such a terrible thing if it is a home field type of situation," Hyater says. "But when you start to curse, swear, lose control, as an adult, I think that’s where the line is crossed."

So What's to be Done?

Another solution is the implementation of signed oaths for parents.

In order for kids to participate in organized sports, parents have to sign an agreement to face the same penalties as their children for misconduct, such as being banned from games for poor sportsmanship. Of course, any parent who hits or throws things can be charged with assault or other crimes by the police.

Even if parents disagree about what should be done, most say something has to give.

No one wants to see another person killed over youth sports.

What do you think? Maybe your community has considered introducing parental sportsmanship oaths. Do you think introducing oaths will help prevent tragedies?

-contributed by Heather H. Hegedus.
Hegedus' mom was interviewed for this article.