Tom House thinks outside the box after nearly six decades as a collegiate and professional athlete and coach. He has four degrees, including a doctorate in performance psychology, but also has learned from being a reformed sports parent. He knows firsthand how parents’ actions, though delivered with love, can be destructive to children’s playing careers at young ages.

Here are 10 tips for young athletes and their parents House shared in an interview with USA TODAY Sports

Today, youth sports has taken on way too much importance. The reaction of many parents to success and failure on the field is out of proportion. Sadly, for kid athletes, that disproportionate reaction raises the stakes of each game -- of each play! -- to unhealthy levels.

Today -- right now -- give your boy or girl the very best teaching tool in the world. Give him or her permission to fail.

I’ve spent over 25 years getting a firsthand look at Dad/Coaches. In my opinion, far too few of them think about how those two roles can often be in conflict. If you are going to coach or have already started to coach your own child I strongly suggest you give your priorities and process some thought. At the end of your child’s playing days – whenever that arrives – you won’t be his or her coach any more, but you will still be his or her dad.

In 2022, the majority of 10 – 14 year olds never play in a ball game that isn't run by grown-ups. Today's children only know baseball and softball environments where adults constantly give orders and direction. But, with coaches and parents yelling instructions on every pitch, our kids don’t learn to think for themselves and react instinctively, using skills they learned in practice. Rather, without realizing it, we train our players to listen for and wait for instructions.

During the Little League World Series, Eli Jones from Sammamish, Washington threw the first solo no-hitter since 2015. What made that story better was that Mark Jones, the coach of the team that just got beat, was the first person to congratulate Eli on his remarkable feat.

I’ve been to several MLB ballgames this season. On the field, the players compete, bringing all of their skills to play for and support one another. In other words, the team and winning as a team are all that matters.

In the stands, it can be much different. I sat behind people in two of the games who were much more interested in themselves than in watching the ballgame. In both cases, I watched as those people shot selfie after selfie, then posted those pictures for their legions of social media admirers to see and comment on

…in today’s sports scene, we are so concerned with making cuts, picking all stars, and tracking “elite players” at younger and younger ages that we often think the sky is falling if our child does not make the “A” team at 9 years old. But it certainly is not.

But all great athletes understand one thing. Results can vary based on many things, some within their control, some outside of it. And so the key is to concentrate on process, instead of results.

Please talk to your own doctor. Or listen to one who is also a baseball dad in our own community.

Dr. Gregory Huhn is an infectious disease expert and Associate Professor at Rush. He has been front and center in this battle…I want to thank him for everything he has done for us and ask that you read his important thoughts below.

The life lessons that the kids get out of playing a game that they run themselves are so important. And the opportunities for our young players to learn those lessons are too few.