{"product_id":"9780996194464","title":"Just Let 'em Play: Guiding Parents, Coaches and Athletes Through Youth Sports","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe stories seem more prevalent today than ever: coaches and parents pushing kids to the point of burnout before high school, parents fighting with referees and umpires, coaches berating kids in front of teammates and parents, and even kids using performance-enhancing drugs.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Renowned sport psychologist Dr. Andrew Jacobs, longtime Major League Baseball pitcher Jeff Montgomery, and Hall of Fame swimming coach Peter Malone have seen first-hand the issues that are making youth sports increasingly difficult for parents, coaches, officials, and especially kids to navigate. Jacobs' clients, who range from elementary school to professional athletes, regularly talk to him about burnout - even before high school. Montgomery, who almost walked away from baseball after four years in the minor leagues, stuck with it and went on to become a three-time American League All-Star and the 1993 A.L. Reliever of the Year during a 13-year major-league career. He learned about today's win-at-all-costs mentality while coaching youth baseball for almost a decade. Peter D. Malone coached more than 10,000 swimmers during his 44-year career. During his last 35 years of coaching, he was the general manager and head coach of the Kansas City Blazers, a program featuring swimmers from recreational to Olympic levels. He coached four Olympic gold medalists.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn July 2013, Time magazine published an article titled \"Final Four for the 4-Foot Set.\" The article describes a national AAU basketball tournament - for second graders. In the article, one of the coaches states he tells his kids he's going to treat them as full-grown 14-year-olds, because this isn't baby ball.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIndeed, it is not. It's a group of eight-year-olds.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBucking this trend, Dr. Jacobs, Montgomery, and Malone continue to teach lessons youth sports have taught for generations - working with others for the team's sake; hard work and commitment; setting and achieving goals; learning how to win; learning how to lose or to fail; respecting coaches and officials; coaches and officials serving as strong role models for young athletes; and, most importantly, having fun.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eIn Just Let 'Em Play: Guiding Parents, Coaches, and Athletes through Youth Sports\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e, Dr. Jacobs, Montgomery, and Malone utilize decades of experience and training with amateur and professional athletes to explain the importance of winning and losing, success and failure; why it's okay that not every athlete receive a trophy; and the role of parents, coaches, officials, and athletes.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ascend Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47010265825520,"sku":"9780996194464","price":16.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780996194464_p0.jpg?v=1763902238","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780996194464","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}