Former Baltimore Ravens
wide receiver Torrey Smith enjoyed a decorated football career, earning All-ACC honors in college before winning two Super Bowls in the NFL. Since retiring, Smith has focused on philanthropy, fatherhood, and coaching youth football. However, his experience on the sidelines has exposed him to a troubling side of youth sports, prompting him to call out parents whose behavior is making the experience increasingly difficult for everyone involved.
"Parents are completely ruining youth sports in so many ways," Smith wrote on X
. "I completely understand why good people throw the towel in."
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Like many former NFL players, Torrey Smith has become involved in youth sports through his children. The former Ravens wide receiver married his longtime girlfriend, Chanel Williams, in 2013, and the couple shares three children.
Their first child, a son named Torrey "TJ" Jeremiah, was born in April 2014. They welcomed their second son, Kameron James, in 2016, followed by their daughter, Kori Lynn Smith, in 2018. With his children growing up, Smith has also stepped into the world of youth sports, gaining firsthand experience of what happens beyond the field.
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His comments about the parents "ruining" youth sports are supported by a growing body of research into youth sports, particularly concerning how parental behavior affects coaches, officials, and young athletes.
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A U.S. Center for SafeSport, 2025 National Coaches Survey, specifically designed to examine coaches' experiences, explored abuse and misconduct, burnout, satisfaction, and the challenges of coaching. Its findings identify interactions with parents as a recurring difficulty, including negative attitudes, parents refusing to hold children accountable, and, in some cases, abusive behavior.
The numbers reveal a troubling reality for youth sports coaches. While 92% agreed that coaching had a positive impact on their lives, 46% said they had experienced verbal harassment or abuse while coaching, with parents of athletes identified as the most common source of mistreatment by 56% of those affected.
The problem extends beyond parents, too, as 46% of coaches were aware of other coaches shouting at young athletes in a frightening, threatening, or belittling manner within the previous five years.
Although 76% felt confident that athlete safety concerns would be addressed by their organizations, 35% pointed to poor communication, unfairness, and mistrust as barriers to enforcing safety policies.
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The contrast is hard to ignore: coaching can be deeply rewarding, but the behavior of adults around young athletes can make it a difficult environment to remain in.
Ultimately, Smith's frustration highlights a problem that goes beyond the sidelines. Youth sports are meant to help children develop their skills, build confidence, and enjoy competition, but that becomes difficult when adults turn games into battlegrounds over playing time, decisions, and results.
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