In the Fieldhouse

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Recent incidents across youth sports — from parents attacking referees to massive on-field brawls — have raised an important question: how should coaches and parents actually handle officials during games?

In this episode of In The Fieldhouse, we break down several real incidents from around the country and talk about what they reveal about the current culture of youth sports. More importantly, we share practical advice on how coaches should approach referees and umpires before, during, and after games.

We discuss why building respectful relationships with officials matters, how players mirror the behavior of the adults around them, and why arguing with refs almost never helps your team. We also explore a controversial idea: whether youth sports leagues should introduce financial accountability for teams and parents who repeatedly cross the line.

If you’re a coach, parent, official, or anyone involved in youth sports, this episode dives into a topic that affects every game on the schedule.

Because competition is part of sports — but respect has to be part of it too.

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In this episode, Coaches Jim and Keri Tarro tackle a hard but necessary truth: the pressure in youth sports isn’t irrational — it’s a rational response to a system that has fundamentally changed.

From scholarships and NIL to revenue sharing, recruiting rules, and the professionalization of college athletics, they break down how today’s college sports landscape is pushing pressure further and further down — into high school, middle school, and even elementary-aged athletes.

This conversation isn’t about blaming parents. It’s about understanding why families feel trapped, why spending keeps rising even though scholarship odds haven’t changed, and what happens when kids’ identities get tied too tightly to their sport.

Jim and Keri explore the real economics behind college athletics, the ripple effects on youth sports, and the uncomfortable question at the center of it all: what is all of this actually for?

If youth sports feels heavier than it used to, this episode explains why — and why you’re not imagining it.

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Season 2 kicks off with an honest conversation about where youth sports is right now—and how we got here.

Coaches Jim and Keri Tarro reflect on the past year away from the podcast, their own kids’ sports journeys, and the reality of trying to “do it all.” From early specialization and over-scheduling to burnout, anxiety, and the disappearance of recreational sports, this episode dives into the growing arms race of youth athletics.

They explore why parents feel trapped in the system, how skill gaps are widening, why kids are quitting earlier than ever, and whether doing more is actually helping—or hurting—our kids.

This episode sets the tone for Season 2: deeper conversations, real experiences, and a closer look at how kids actually learn, develop, and stay in the game for the long haul.

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In this episode, Coach Jim talks with his older daughter, Kylie, about her experience in sports and how it was having parents as coaches. 

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In this episode Coach Jim interviews his 8 year old daughter, Jenny, about her experience playing youth sports, being coached by mom and dad, and her advice for other kids. 

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In this episode Coach Keri and Coach Jim reflect on the influential previous episode about suicide prevention and how this will impact they way they coach, parent, and run leagues they are involved in. 

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In this powerful episode Coach Jim and Coach Keri talk with Rob Thorsen of the HT40 Foundation about his experience in the wake of his son's death by suicide, their Shoulder Check initiative, and youth suicide prevention. 

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In this episode Coach Jim and Coach Keri talk about burnout in youth sports-- its causes, their own experience, and things we can do to combat it. 

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In this episode Coach Jim and Coach Keri sit down with Kristyn Gontarek to talk about social emotional learning, meeting kids where they are, coaching and parenting strategies to maximize engagement, ideas to connect with athletes that are on the spectrum or have behavior disorders, and Kristyn's own experience as a new youth sport parent. 

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In this episode Coach Jim and Coach Keri talk about toxic adults. They talk about the roles adults play in youth sports, traits that make certain roles toxic, a root cause of the toxicity, and what we can do to solve it. 

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