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Former NFL Star Torrey Smith: Parents Are 'Ruining' Youth Sports In America Today
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- Former NFL Star Torrey Smith: Parents Are 'Ruining' Youth Sports In America Today
A former NFL star believes that parents in America are "ruining" youth sports across the country today.
Former NFL wide receiver Torrey Smith, who played in the league from 2011-18, is a two-time Super Bowl champion. Smith, now 37, was a standout player in college, starring at the University of Maryland. He was a first-team All-ACC player in 2010 and led the nation in kick return yards in 2009.
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But Smith, like many former professional athletes, is getting into youth sports with his kids. But he's noticing a lot of problems.
"Parents are completely ruining youth sports in so many ways. I completely understand why good people throw the towel in," he shared on X.
Smith is hardly the only one to make this point. The former NFL wide receiver has a lot of parents agreeing with him on Sunday.
Parents agree: There's a huge problem in youth sports
The biggest problem, parents agree, is that too many adults are trying to live out their dreams through their kids, when 99.99 percent of these kids are not even going to be playing in college, let alone the pros.
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"A lot of Parents are trying to live through their kids 🤦🏾♂️," one parent wrote on X.
"It's crazy been coaching for last 5 years and the adults ruin it for the kids," one parent added on X.
"At my old HS, we had to put a fence around the field to stop parents from trying to come down and stand on the sidelines with the players. Lunacy," another parent added on X.
"My thoughts are, parents shouldn't be allowed at practices. That should be the first change. Second is zero tolerance at games. Warning, then kicked out and not allowed to come back for a full season," one parent added.
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It's a growing problem across the United States.
This story was originally published by The Spun on Oct 18, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
