Parents are ruining sports by getting in the faces of officials

Three-year-old Jasper hits the ball at a charity baseball event in Berlin, Germany. Many parents in the US pour huge investments into their kids' sports careers in hopes of securing them a college scholarship. Researchers say the pressure may be contributing to parents' aggressive behaviour on the sidelines. — dpa

ON A WARM evening, Devon Goree settled into his portable chair to watch his son, Drew, 9 play second base in a Deptford Little League baseball game.

Parents yelled out encouragement. No one jeered the umpire – a refreshing change, said Goree, 41 a corrections officer: “It’s quiet tonight. But we had some rowdy parents not long ago.” Things are different now.