Wreck Sports: What Happened to Fun?
PressBox talked with several people involved with recreation sports, including a sports psychologist, a referee, a coach, a "soccer mom" and a young man who actually plays the games to find out what happened to the fun in youth sports.
•  Pop Warner Ref Beaten In Catonsville

Coach’s Buzz: 'Wreck Sports' Scores One for the Kids
Winning at all costs, harassing of officials and the sport being all consuming has to stop, and as the child athlete is telling us, the sport has to be FUN.

Coach's Buzz: Twelve Days Of Football
From Thanksgiving's Calvert Hall-Loyola Turkey Bowl to Monday night's matchup between Carolina and Philadelphia, football fans were blessed with 12 straight days of football. It truly is a great time of the year for Baltimore's gridiron fans.

Coach's Buzz: Here Comes USA Football
Something new and exciting is happening this season... USA Football has arrived. USA Football is a national non-profit  that supports all levels of amateur football.

Coach's Buzz: Bowl Games Success
The Harford/Baltimore County Youth Football season started Aug. 1 and ended last weekend with the top two teams in each age group and in each division squaring off for this year’s championships.

Coach's Buzz: Celebrating 20 Years
The Harford/Baltimore County Youth Football League has survived and thrived for 20 years. The organization is dedicated to the development of youth football.

Coach's Buzz: Keep It In Perspective
November is here, and for youth sports, that means playoff time. It's also time to remind parents and coaches not to go overboard celebrating a rec championship.

Rec Spotlight: The Blue Knights
Each week PressBox is proud to spotlight a local rec team. Hats off to this week's team, the LTRC 7-9 football team, a.k.a. the Blue Knights.

Coach's Buzz: Awards for All-stars in Youth Sports
All-star games in youth sports are far too political. What often starts out as a way to get kids, parents and coaches from different programs to get to know each other ends up causing more friction than harmony.

Rec Spotlight: Light Blue Lightning
Each week PressBox is proud to spotlight a local rec team. Hats off to this week's team, the LTRC Under-10 boys soccer team, a.k.a. the Light Blue Lightning. The team is led by coach Chuck Harrison.

Coach's Buzz: The Kids Need Friday Night Lights
Cumberland Valley is headed in the right direction to bring a Friday night football tradition to Baltimore. With the Ravens Light Nights at Polytechnic and the Friday night Primetime Pigskin games at Johns Hopkins University, high school football has seen some exciting changes this season.

Coach's Buzz: Youth Sports on Trial?
Recently, youth sports were involved in two disturbing courtroom stories. Leagues for young kids need to be instructional in all facets. And everyone needs to remember that the game belongs to the kids.

Rec Spotlight: LTRC Girls Soccer
Each week PressBox is proud to spotlight a local rec team. Hats off to this week's team, the Lutherville-Timonium Rec Council's Under-8 girls soccer team, coached by John Trueschler and Sonya Greenberg.

Coach's Buzz: Tragedy of 300-Pound Teenage Linemen
Every parent of a young football player would love for him to play college or pro football. But parents and coaches should never go to extremes to beef up young athletes. If a child is meant to be a 300-pound lineman, let it happen naturally.

Rec Spotlight: Navy Seals
Each week PressBox is proud to spotlight a local rec team. Hats off to this week's team, the Lutherville-Timonium Under-10 boys soccer team 49, the Navy Seals.

Coach's Buzz: No Place for Supplements
Despite the example set by many pros, young athletes do not need supplements. Anything not prescribed by a doctor for medical reasons should not be taken.

• Rec Sports Archive: August / September | June / July | April / May