Can I say this here?

It is truly a shame the way we treat our high school athletes. It is easier this time of year to hear how badly we treat them. Basketball courts are much smaller than football fields.

For example, let a child (can we all agree that they are all children?) make a mistake, and too often a handful of alleged adults come unglued. Some parents feel free to berate their children right there on the court, in front of God and everybody.

I take some small comfort in young people having told me they can’t hear everything yelled from the stands. I hope they can’t distinguish any of it and only hear the noise. Then they can tell themselves it is people cheering.

Sure; if an athlete makes a mistake, or obviously needs an attitude adjustment, he or she ought to know about it. I think that’s why they have coaches.

Take basic basketball, for example. If a child travels, makes an errant pass, or, God forbid, misses a shot, the player knows he or she did something wrong. Do we really think they need to be reminded by us?

I remember taking a youth group to Sea World once. I was amazed to learn that all the training they do of the animals at Sea World is done by positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement is when the correct or desired behavior is praised or rewarded and incorrect or undesired behavior is ignored or not rewarded.

I’d like to think our children deserve as much.