The whistle blows and a dull thud sounds throughout the stadium as a football is kicked high into the air.  The clashing of the hard, plastic pads quickly follows.  The whistle blows a second time.  Both stands on each side of the field go berserk as they cheer and yell while the players clear the field.  But these aren’t full grown NFL athletes.  These are the players of the Rookie division of the Texas Youth Football Association.

The new reality show, “Friday Night Tykes,” is dedicated to highlighting five youth football teams in Texas throughout their season.  Controversy has come with the show due to accusations of harsh language, a lack of sportsmanship and even borderline child abuse.

There are good coaches out there who do promote player safety.  In one episode, a parent was yelling at the other team during a game.  At the next practice, the coach confronted the parent from his team and told her it was disrespectful, and the way he went about it was great.  He didn’t yell at her in front of his players.  Instead he took her aside and tried to talk to her.  It isn’t surprising what teams are seeing success.  The winning teams are the one with the respectful coaches leading them.

On the flip side, two coaches have been suspended since the beginning of the season.  The head coach of the Junior Broncos, Charles Chavarria, came under fire for telling one of his 8-year-old players to lower their heads and hit other players, which could result in a serious neck injury.  This style of tackling is so dangerous it has been banned in the NFL.  In the most recent episode, Chavarria’s wife and children left him because he was spending any extra time he had to coach.  The other coach, Marecus Goodloe, was suspended for six games for leading his team in a chant using profane language against another team, the Rockets.

So even though the main selling point of “Friday Night Tykes” is the controversy that has come with it, it is important to remember that some coaches are attempting to guide their players in a positive way and trying to help them become well-rounded adults.