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American Morning

Interview with Ashley Hammond

Aired August 27, 2002 - 08:49   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Cue up the Queen CD, they are the champions. The new Little League World Series winners from Louisville, Kentucky. They received a heroes' welcome, a welcome home last night, and they are greeted by 10,000 screaming fans. Louisville beat Japan 1-nothing Sunday to win the World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
Well, the little boys of summer are example of what is good in kids sports, ending each game with a handshake. But as you know, that is not always the case. In many instances, it's the parents that have disrupted the action. Now New Jersey governor Jim McGreevey has signed into law a bill with a plain message for all those soccer moms and little league dads out there in New Jersey, abide by certain rules of conduct, or be banned from games until they complete their anger management classes.

To talk about the New Jersey law, we turn to Albany, New York, Ashley Hammond, a 20-year Little League soccer coach and author of a book called "Goal" -- coach, good morning. Thanks for being with us here this morning.

ASHLEY HAMMOND, AUTHOR, "GOAL": Good morning.

KAGAN: Please do share. What is the worst parent behavior you have ever seen in 20 years of coaching the little ones?

HAMMOND: I think the worst behavior that I have ever seen is where parents actually physically drag their children off the field or when they're abusive to their children at the end of game, either verbally abusing them or hitting them at the end of the game.

I certainly have witnessed a number of parents going at it with one another, but any time a child is involved, that to me has to be the single worst behavior that can be demonstrated.

KAGAN: Yes, what do you do as a coach when that happens?

HAMMOND: It's obviously very difficult to try and intervene any time a parent is heated, or any time another coach is heated, that's the worst time to try and talk reason to a person. Obviously, calmness is required. You have to lower the tone, you have to talk quietly to them, but it's a cat and mouse game. You know, how far do you go with them? Do you step in? Do you -- obviously can't physically touch them, but you can talk to them.

KAGAN: Right. What do you think about what they're doing in New Jersey? Do you think this is a place for the government to get involved?

HAMMOND: I'm delighted that someone has made that step. I think, you know, it's clearly a stormy issue, but at some point someone had to step in and do something. Now at least there is some form of realization that if parents are going to do this, they're not going to be allowed on the sideline.

KAGAN: Let's follow the process through. The parents are given a list of guidelines, saying this is how you are going to have to behave. If you don't want to agree to this, guess what, your kid can't sign up to the league. That's a good first step?

HAMMOND: I think it is a great first step. We, for example, in a number of our clubs and towns that we work with have tried to educate the parents. I'm not sure that legislation is going to solve the problem completely. It really is a process of education. For example, we have a no verbs rule on our team, which means that the parents are not allowed to instruct the children. The more and more the parents get involved with the team and the game, the more heated they become, so if we can diffuse the situation before they even arrive at the field, if they know before they even arrive at the field, if they know before they arrive, that we -- the team and the kids are only going to allow certain behaviors, we naturally keep them calmer.

KAGAN: So you're finding if you put -- lay the law down early on, keep things from getting out of control, that that's the real trick of providing a good environment for these kids to play sports?

HAMMOND: Right. This allows for organizations to lay codes of conduct, and I think that's terrific. But even within the teams, like I say, those codes of conduct need to be very specific. For example, no instructions. If you ask the children what they like and what they dislike, they will tell you, they hate to be instructed by their parents other than their coaches, and this is where the trouble brews. Parents get hot, they see their child maybe not play so well, frustrated when they strike out, frustrated when they miss a goal. They get heated, and where does that anger get taken out on? It gets taken out on either other parents on the sideline, or they kick and they scuff, they yell and they scream, and that's when other parents get involved, and if -- heaven forbid they pass a comment on a player from the other team, that's an automatic red flag. That is an automatic red button. So if we can avoid them getting hot under the collar before we even start the game by them knowing that they're not going to be allowed to do certain things, that's where I think we'll solve the problem. So it is an education process more than a legislation process, although that will help.

KAGAN: At least they are trying to do something about it in New Jersey.

HAMMOND: Absolutely.

KAGAN: Coach Hammond, thank you so much. I want to plug your book, we didn't give it a proper plug at the beginning of the segment.

HAMMOND: Thank you.

KAGAN: So it's out there, it is called -- well, why don't you tell us. It is called "Goal: the Ultimate Guide for Soccer Moms or Dads."

HAMMOND: For parents -- absolutely. For coaching youth soccer.

KAGAN: And I bet there's some good etiquette lessons in there as well.

HAMMOND: Absolutely.

KAGAN: Coach Ashley Hammond, thanks so much and good luck with the season when it begins.

HAMMOND: Thank you very much.

KAGAN: I appreciate it.

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