Parenting When Your Child is Cut from a Sports Team

Children love playing sports and they should. Sports provide a fun environment for children, while allowing them to stay physically fit. Many youth sports teams will accept all individuals wanting to participate; however, middle and high school sports are different. Beginning at the middle school level, many sports teams have try outs and cut some students from the team. If your child is cut from a sports team, you will need to help them cope and deal with the fall out of one of their goals.


Basketball, baseball, softball, cheerleading, volleyball and football normally have a limited number of positions on the team. If your child was intending on playing basketball and got cut from the school team, they may be faced with some difficult emotions. When I was in high school, I remember being cut from the softball team. I had played softball for my school for more than two years prior and considered myself a somewhat decent player. I assumed that since I had made the team before, I would again this year. You do not want to discourage your child from becoming excited about trying out for a sport; but, you do want to keep them realistic. Before I was guaranteed a spot on the team, I convinced my mother to buy a new glove, bat, and cleats. After I was cut from the softball team, I was upset and had all this new gear with basically nothing to use it for.


Some coaches use different methods of informing your child that they will not be able to play for their team. Typically schools used to hang a public list of every student who had made the team. There are some schools that still do this; however, many coaches have starting giving one-on-one meetings. Many times when a child is cut from a school sport, they fell upset, mad, and embarrassed. If you child seems embarrassed or mentioned being picked on because he or she did not make the team, you may want to contact the school. Some schools only resorted to individual meetings once parents or student complained about the posted list. This meeting will also allow the coach to give your child areas to possibly improve on for next season or encourage them to try other activities.