Whose Game Is It, Anyway?: A Guide to Helping Your Child Get the Most from Sports, Organized by Age and Stage – Sports Psychology for Parents in a Win-At-All-Costs Culture

In an era when parents and kids are overwhelmed by a sports-crazed, win-at-all-costs culture, here is a comprehensive guide that helps parents ensure a positive sports experience for their children. In Whose Game Is It, Anyway? two of the country’s leading youth sports psychologists team up with a former Olympic athlete and expert on performance enhancement to share what they have gleaned in more than forty years of combined experience.

The result is a book unique in its message, format, and scope.

Through moving case studies and thoughtful analyses, Ginsburg, Durant, and Baltzell advocate a preventive approach through a simple three-step program: know yourself, know your child, know the environment.

They look at children in age groups, identifying the physical, psychological, and emotional issues unique to each group and clarifying what parents can expect from and desire for their kids at every stage.

They also explore myriad relevant topics, including parental pressure, losing teams, steroid use, the overscheduled child, and much more.

Illuminating, impassioned, and inspiring, Whose Game Is It, Anyway?

How can parents help their child build character, navigate the pressure, and keep the joy in the game?

• A Three-Step Preventive Approach: Learn the simple but powerful framework used by sports psychologists—know yourself, know your child, and know the environment—to proactively shape a positive experience.
• Age-Appropriate Guidelines: Discover what to expect physically and emotionally from your child at every stage, from the “joy of movement” in the early years to identity development in the teens.
• Character Development in Sports: Move beyond the scoreboard to focus on what truly matters by fostering the resilience, integrity, and emotional control that serve children on and off the field.
• Navigating Common Pitfalls: Get expert advice on handling tough topics like intense parental pressure, burnout, dealing with difficult coaches, and the risks of steroid use.

Amy Baltzell, Ed.D. is a former Olympic-level athlete and a recognized expert on performance enhancement.

Richard D. Ginsburg, Ph.D. and Stephen Durant, Ed.D. are directors of the Program and the Performance and Character Excellence in Sports (PACES) Institute.