Letter: Bullying in sports needs to stop

Schools have a problem that none of us wants to address — it is bullying. However, it is not in the form of some child pushing another child around in an attempt to steal lunch money.

A little while ago, I was sitting halfway up the bleachers watching a football game as a play fell apart on the field. The player that made the mistake came out of the game and the coach immediately screamed at him. This public screaming at the player continued for quite some time.

A few days later I saw the player and decided to ask him what he did wrong. He told me he had made a mistake. Then I asked him why the coach yelled at him. The player shrugged and said it didn't matter, but he deserved it.

Looking back, he didn't deserve that kind of treatment. No one does. We would call this verbal abuse if it was done by a parent, a spouse or an employer. But no one wants to stand up and say it is wrong for a high school coach to treat a child in this manner. I fully believe this needs to be stopped.

Adicus Smith

Payson