Five burning questions to help you and your kid 'survive' youth sports

NEWPORT, R.I. - Is it what your kid wants or is it whatyouwant?

It’s a question perhaps we don’t ask ourselves enough regarding our sons' and daughters' sports.

One takeaway from my discussion about “Surviving Youth Sports” with parents at St. Michael’s Country Day School last week was that we all can get worried about the circumstances surrounding their sports experiences.

What is my son or daughter getting out of it?

Why aren’t they playing a certain position more?

Why doesn’t he or she want to play a team sport, or on a particular team?

I presented to the group10 misconceptions (often delusions) about youth sports, which can be driven by our anxiety. It’s a discussion that goes well beyond the walls of this toddler-eighth grade independent school.

I got the sense the parents in coastal Newport, who at times have to rely on co-op teams with neighboring communities (even at the high school level), found unusually deep value in their kids’ sports.

“Parents in Newport and the neighboring communities rely on each other,” says Kate Standifer, whose son, Alex, 10, attends St. Michael’s.

And they have many universal concerns, which I addressed during our discussion.

Here are my responses to five burning questions about youth sports. They likely are queries many parents can appreciate:

How much pressure is it OK to apply to your kids with youth sports?

This question was posed by a couple from Norway, a country thatconsistently racks up gold medals at the Winter Olympics. However, unlike in America, youth sports in the country revolve around unorganized free play and kids finding a fundamental enjoyment of athletics through fun and friendships.

“The model and the philosophy is so simple that they don’t believe us,” Inge Andersen, a former head of Norway's Olympic Committee, told NBC’s Mary Carillo for adocumentary on youth athletics in the country.

Norway begins to identify its most promising athletes and invests in them around 13. However, if a kid shows an interest in something, we can start to raise the standards before that age, but those standards don’t come from us:

What happens if kids (or their parents) only want to play one position?

It’s a question that can weigh on youth coaches, as well as us. It’s so gratifying when our kids show an ability in something, whatever it is. Even at young ages, it allows all of us to dream about their future.

We don’t want to crush dreams – dreams are part of being kids – but we can also use them as part of our sons’ or daughters’ athletic development. As they get older, and perhaps strive to play in high school or college, being flexible will be an advantage.

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Why not let them learn about it while they’re younger?

YOUTH SPORTS SURVIVAL GUIDE:Order Coach Steve's new book

What do you do if your kid really likes to play sports but has hesitation about being on a team?

A mom asked this question, which concerned her fifth grader who loved to play sports at recess.

Pickup play, a generation ago the impetus for our love of sports,gave rise to a number of future USMNT soccer players, while it continues to mark the development of future basketball players.

The Aspen Institute’s Project Play, an initiative with a goal to get 63% of kids playing organized sports by 2030, also emphasizes the value of pickup. It sees opportunities in areas like New York City and North Jersey to capitalize on it,especially when it can be spurred by interest in the World Cup.

“Pickup play is a way that you can learn about yourself and enjoy the game just for the love of the game, and be able to play more consistently,” says Jon Solomon, research director for the Aspen Institute’s Sports & Society Program.

Here’s how it might lead to a future in team sports:

How can we guide our kids through the emotional strains of sports and getting injured?

I mentioned to the parents in Newport how both of my sons (now high school baseball players) developed overuse injuries when they were around 11. We consulted doctors and they both stopped throwing for several weeks.

It’s tough to sit out but, when someone is injured, it’s an opportunity to develop everyone’s skills as teammates. Being a good teammate themost important quality we can gain from youth sports.

And when are kids are otherwise healthy, we can damage their psyches when we don’t let themexperience sports themselves:

WHEN SHOULD YOU SPECIALIZE IN A SPORT?It can be a very personal decision

Why is it important to have regular check-ins with your kids about their sports?

I wrote last week how acommon misconception among parentsis that it’s a good idea for us to stay and watch our sons’ and daughters’ practices. We want to give our children independence and autonomy but as parents, we also need to know they are healthy and content.

One mom said she has found having check-ins with them has been a valuable tool. Maybe they’re getting bullied  or something else is making them upset or they’re feeling they misstepped with something and are embarrassed.

As sports parents, try to avoid getting in the way of their connection with the experience but we can always give them opportunities to talk about them:

Borelli, aka Coach Steve, has been an editor and writer with USA TODAY since 1999. He spent 10 years coaching his two sons’ baseball and basketball teams. He and his wife, Colleen, are now sports parents for two high schoolers. His Coach Steve column is posted weekly.For his past columns, click here.

Got a question for Coach Steve you want answered in a column? Email him atsborelli@usatoday.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Five burning questions to help parents, kids 'survive' youth sports

byVaclavien Pynzarien

in

May 04, 2026

Five burning questions to help you and your kid 'survive' youth sports

NEWPORT, R.I. - Is it what your kid wants or is it whatyouwant? It’s a question perhaps we don’t ask ourselves enough regarding ou...

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Rudy Giuliani hospitalized in critical condition: Spokesperson

Rudy Giuliani is hospitalized in critical condition, his spokesman said on Sunday.

The spokesman, Ted Goodman, said in a statement the 81-year-old former New York City mayor is critical but stable.

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The statement does not say what happened.

"Mayor Rudy Giuliani is currently in the hospital, where he remains in critical but stable condition," the statement said. "Mayor Giuliani is a fighter who has faced every challenge in his life with unwavering strength, and he's fighting with that same level of strength as we speak. We do ask that you join us in prayer for America's Mayor -- Rudy Giuliani."

Giuliani served as New York City's mayor from 1994 to 2001.

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Nato is ‘disintegrating’, Donald Tusk says in urgent call to action

Poland’s prime minister has saidNatois “disintegrating” after theUnited Statesannounced it wouldwithdraw thousands of troopsfromGermany.

Donald Tuskwrote on social media: “The greatest threat to the transatlantic community are not its external enemies, but the ongoing disintegration of our alliance. We must all do what it takes to reverse this disastrous trend.”

His comments come after the US announced a plan to pull around 5,000 troops out of Germany over the next six to 12 months.

WhileDonald Trumphas called for a reduced military presence in Germany as far back as his first term, the downsizing was accelerated this week after the German chancellor said the US is being “humiliated” duringnegotiations with Iran.

Mr Trump said on Thursday in a Truth Social post that Mr Merz should focus more on ending the war in Ukraine and “his broken Country” rather than interfering with negotiations.

A senior Pentagon ⁠official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said ​recent ⁠German rhetoric had been "inappropriate and unhelpful".

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"The president is rightly reacting to these counterproductive remarks," the official said.

As part of the decision, a Biden-era plan to deploy a US battalion with long-range Tomahawk missiles to Germany has also been dropped - a blow to Berlin, which had pushed for the move as a powerful deterrent against Russia.

However, Germany’s defence minister took the US decision in his stride as he said the partial withdrawal was expected and would affect a current US presence of almost 40,000 soldiers stationed in Germany.

"We Europeans must take on more responsibility for our own security," Boris Pistorius ⁠said, adding, "Germany is on the right track" by expanding its armed forces, speeding up ​military procurement ⁠and building infrastructure.

Germany is the US military's biggest basing location in Europe, serving as a key training hub with more than 35,000 active-duty military personnel.

The Pentagon did ⁠not say which bases would be affected, nor whether the ‌troops would return to the US or be redeployed within Europe or elsewhere.

A NATO spokesperson said the alliance was working with the US to understand the details of the decision.

byVaclavien Pynzarien

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NBA Playoffs 2026, odds: LeBron James enters Oklahoma City Thunder series as a historic underdog

LeBron James and the shorthanded Los Angeles Lakers finished off the Houston Rockets in their2026 NBA Playoffsfirst-round series on Friday night with aresounding 98-78 winin Game 6 to take the series 4-2.

Without Austin Reaves for part of the series and Luka Doncic for all the series, the Lakers entered as big +425 underdogs against the Rockets. But Kevin Durant didn’t play in five of the six games due to a variety of injuries, Reaves came back and James carried Los Angeles to the playoff series victory.

Unfortunately, the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder — after a 4-0 sweep of the No. 8 seed Phoenix Suns — have been waiting for Los Angeles and oddsmakers have installed James as the biggest playoff underdog he’s even been in his illustrious career.

The Lakers are currently +950 underdogs in the series against the Thunder, which is the biggest playoff underdog the Lakers have been at this point in the playoffs as a franchise since at least 1988 — as far back as theSports Odds History databasegoes.

It’s the second-biggest underdog a James-led team has been in a playoff series. The largest was all the way back in 2006 — James’ first year in the postseason — when the Cleveland Cavaliers were 12-1 underdogs against the Detroit Pistons in the second round of the playoffs. The Pistons won that series in seven games.

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The Lakers are currently 16-point underdogs at the Thunder in Game 1 at sportsbooks, which would be the biggest underdog LeBron has ever been in a playoff game.

The previous high was back in Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals, when James’ Cavaliers were 12.5-point underdogs and lost 124-114 in overtime to the Golden State Warriors — also known as theJ.R. Smith Game.

It doesn’t help matters that the Thunder beat the Lakers all four times this season, with three of the wins coming by at least 29 points.

Can Los Angeles pull off a historic upset?

Game 1 of the series is on Tuesday night.

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Ukraine is hitting oil facilities deep inside Russia. Soaring fuel prices could blunt the impact

Ukrainian drones are flying deep into Russia tostrike oil facilities, sending up plumes of smoke that can be seen from space and bringing toxic rain to tourist destinations on the Black Sea.

Russia-Ukraine-Oil-Attacks

The attacks are aimed at slashing Moscow’s oil exports, a key source of funding for its grinding invasion of Ukraine. But the economic impact is so far unclear, as the rise in oil prices fromthe Iran war, and a relatedeasing of U.S. sanctions, have helped replenish the Kremlin’s coffers.

Still, the range of the attacks and their environmental impact is bringing the war home to ordinary Russians far from the front lines.

Oil spilling onto the street

Ukrainian drones have hit the oil refinery and export terminal in the Black Sea town of Tuapse on four occasionsin just over two weeks, sparking fires that prompted local evacuations and sent up massive plumes of smoke. The town is roughly 450 kilometers (280 miles) from the front lines.

In a video posted by local Gov. Veniamin Kondratyev after the third attack on April 18, an emergency official said boiling oil products had spilled onto the street, damaging cars.

Ukraine said Thursday that it hit an oil pumping station in Russia’s Perm region, more than 1,500 kilometers (900 miles) from Ukraine, two days in a row. Russian media reported the attacks, though Perm Gov. Dmitry Makhonin said only that drones had hit industrial facilities.

Ust-Luga on the Baltic Sea, one of Russia’s largest oil and gas export terminals, was hit three times in the space of a week in late March. It is more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) away from Ukraine.

In a broadcast several weeks later, regional Gov. Alexander Drozdenko declared that the area around St. Petersburg, Russia’s second largest city, was a “front-line region” due to aerial threats.

Ukraine says the attacks have cost Russia billions

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has compared such strikes to the international sanctions on Russia. They are seen as even more crucial now that Moscowis collecting windfall profitsfrom theglobal energy crisislinked to Iran’s closure of theStrait of Hormuz.

Zelenskyy said Friday that Russia has lost at least $7 billion since the start of the year as a direct result of attacks on its oil sector. Earlier in the week, he said Ukrainian intelligence indicates a drop in exports from key oil ports such as Ust-Luga and Primorsk.

Drone strikes have also disrupted Russia's oil refining capacities, while sanctions make it difficult to acquire replacement parts, experts say.

But the full economic impact remains unclear as Russia benefits from the Mideast crisis.

Russian crude and oil product exports rose by 320,000 barrels per day month-on-month to hit 7.1 million in March, the International Energy Agency said. Rising prices meant that oil export revenues almost doubled, from $9.7 billion to $19 billion. It is unclear whether April's strikes will disrupt that trend.

“U.S. action against Iran has saved both the Russian oil sector and the federal budget from a crisis that was clearly developing in late February,” said Chris Weafer, CEO of Macro-Advisory Ltd. Consultancy.

The damage to Russia’s oil infrastructure has meanwhile been far less significant than the massive explosions would suggest, he said.

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“If you hit an oil tank, particularly an oil tank that’s not full, the vapors ignite and you get the flames. So it looks very spectacular.” But that only delays deliveries by a couple of days, he said.

“It’s much less damaging than hitting the pump stations or the compressors or the loading infrastructure. And that appears to be well protected. The tanks are not.”

Long-range drones stretch Russia's defenses

The ability to strike key infrastructure deep inside Russia has highlighted Ukraine’s growing military capabilities and put pressure on Moscow’s overstretched air defenses. It has also forced more Russians to confront the consequences of a war their government claims to be winning.

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry says its forces have more than doubled the range of their deep-strike capabilities since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. The increased range also allows drones to attack locations from different directions, complicating countermeasures.

“Drone attacks have so far been a very successful case of leveraging simple technologies and domestically assembled technology to attack Russia in places that, at the start of the war, they just would have never expected to be attacked,” said Marcel Plichta, a Ph.D. candidate in the School of International Relations at the University of St Andrews.

“This capability just didn’t exist” four years ago, he said.

There could be long-term consequences

Russian officials are usually reluctant to comment on deep strikes.

But the Tuapse attacks and the images that followed gained traction in Russian media. Russian PresidentVladimir Putinwarned of “serious environmental consequences” while insisting things were under control.

Officials warned that high levels of benzene, a carcinogen found in oil products, had been recorded in the air while fires burned and urged residents to limit time outdoors.

Residents also widely reported“black rain,”oily droplets falling on their skin and clothes. Local news outlets posted images of stray dogs and cats with their coats stained gray. Oil spills along the coastline have coated birds and fish, and Russian media recently circulated images of beached dolphins.

Those images are shocking to Russians accustomed to vacationing on the Black Sea coast.

Vladimir Slivyak, co-chairman of the Russian environmental group Ecodefense, said there could be long-term consequences for human health and the region’s ecosystem.

“There is a lot of oil in the sea,” he said. “In the next few years, every storm will be bringing more oil pollution onto the coast.”

There has not yet been a public backlash to the strikes, as authorities wagea crackdown on dissent. But that could change as the damage spreads.

“I think a lot of people understand that there is a very big difference between what Putin says and what regional authorities are saying, and what’s really going on,” Slivyak said.

byVaclavien Pynzarien

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Ukraine is hitting oil facilities deep inside Russia. Soaring fuel prices could blunt the impact

Ukrainian drones are flying deep into Russia tostrike oil facilities, sending up plumes of smoke that can be seen from space and bringi...

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Where Is Don King Now? All About the Promoter's Tumultuous Life After Working with Michael Jackson

Don King is a prominent boxing promoter whose career has faced several controversies

NEED TO KNOW

• King worked with the Jacksons to promote their 1984 Victory Tour

• He reportedly feuded with Michael both during and after the tour

Don Kingis a longtime boxing promoter who has organized several major events over the years — includingThe Jacksons' 1984 Victory Tour.

King made a name for himself in the boxing world after working withMuhammad Alifrom a young age and went on to promote matches with several major names — includingGeorge Foreman,Mike Tyson,Julio César Chávez,Joe FrazierandChristy Martin, among others.

However, many of his former clients later sued him on allegations of fraud and several of them have criticized him for allegedly worsening the boxing climate. Between 1954 and 1966, he killed two people; one was deemed "justifiable homicide," perThe New York Times,and the other charge was reduced to manslaughter in 1972 after he served over three years of his original sentence.

After his legal problems, King was chosen byJoe Jacksonto promote and organize his sons' The Jacksons' Victory Tour in 1984. Joe reportedly encouraged his sons, includingMichael Jackson, to work with King, because he promised the family an advance of $3 million, according toTIME.

The Victory Tour marked the only time all six brothers —Michael,Jermaine, Randy,Tito,MarlonandJackie— went on tour together and was also the last time Michael performed with them before fully embracing his solo career. The Victory Tour andMichael's decision to depart from his familyprofessionally was a major plot point in the 2026 biopicMichael, in whichDeon Coleportrayed King.

Here's everything to know about where Don King is now.

Who is Don King?

King is a prominent boxing promoter who has worked with some of the most successful boxers over the course of his 50-year career. He organized the famed 1974 "Rumble in the Jungle" heavyweight championship fight between Ali and Foreman; a 1975 fight between Ali andChuck Wepner; and a 1975 match between Ali and Frazier.

Over the next 20 years, King continued promoting prominent boxersTyson, Larry Holmes, Chávez, Evander Holyfield, Aaron Pryor and Marco Antonio Barrera, among many others.

However, his career was riddled with controversies stemming from past crimes and fraud allegations. Before his career took off, King served nearly four years in prison for second-degree murder. The charge was later reduced to manslaughter, he was released from prison and pardoned by Gov. James Rhodes in 1983.

A year earlier, Ali sued King and accused him of cutting over $1 million from a fight he earned, perThe New York Times. King allegedly ended the lawsuit by convincing Ali's friend to give the boxer a suitcase of $50,000 in exchange for signing a letter dismissing the suit, according to the 2003 book,The Life and Crimes of Don King: The Shame of Boxing in America.

Since then, several of King's former boxers have sued him on similar allegations of fraud.

Holmes alleged that over the course of his career, King cheated him out of $10 million; they eventually settled for $150,000, per the book. Tyson sued King for $100 million before settling for $14 million, according to NBC Sports. Other lawsuits that King settled for millions of dollars included cases with Terry Norris, Tim Witherspoon and Chris Byrd, among others.

"I found out that someone I believed was my surrogate father, my brother, my blood figure turns out to be the true Uncle Tom, the true n-----, the true sellout. He did more bad to Black fighters than any White promoter ever in the history of boxing," Tyson said of King in a 2001ESPN profile.

When did he work with Michael Jackson?

In early 1983, the six Jackson brothers — Michael, Jermaine, Randy, Tito, Marlon and Jackie — met with several promoters to discuss their highly-anticipated Victory Tour.

After meeting with King twice, the Jackson brothers and their father, Joe, signed a contract with him on Sept. 30, 1983, perRolling Stone. The contract stipulated that King was the Jacksons' employee, so the Jacksons still had "final say on all aspects of the tour."

However, Michael's lawyer and manager,John Branca, later claimed that King was "not Michael’s first choice to promote the tour," but he promised to pay an upfront advance of $3 million — $500,000 per brother — if chosen as their promoter.

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"You’re taking the number-one artist in the world; you would normally want somebody who has some experience in the music business," Branca told the publication in March 1984. "Don King was not Michael’s first choice to promote the tour. This tour is important to Michael because it’s important to Michael’s family. I’m not sure the tour was Michael’s first choice. He might have preferred to do other things."

He continued, "But he found it important to tour at his brothers’ request and his family’s request. They very much wanted to work with Don King. So Michael said, ‘If it’s that important to my father and my family, I will work with Don King.' "

The Jacksons made the tour announcement with King as their promoter in a press conference on Nov. 30, 1983.

Did Don King and Michael Jackson have a falling out?

Before the Jacksons even embarked on the tour in 1984, the family and King had already run into issues over how to promote the shows and sell tickets — including causing controversy for forcing fans to buy a minimum of four tickets at an expensive rate in a mail-in lottery system.

Another point of tension came when the Jacksons were prepared to sign a contract with the Quaker Oats Company to sponsor the tour, but King had already signed an exclusive deal with Pepsi for 40% less than Quaker, as Branca alleged toRolling Stone.

The tension culminated with Michael allegedly writing a letter to King where he instructed him on how he should behave moving forward.

In the letter, King was allegedly told "not to communicate with anyone on Michael Jackson’s behalf without prior permission; that all moneys paid to Michael Jackson for his participation in the tour would be collected by Michael Jackson's personal representatives, not by Don King; that King did not have permission to approach any promoters, sponsors or any other persons on Michael’s behalf; that King was not to hire any personnel, any local promoters, book any halls or, for that matter, doanythingwithout Michael Jackson’s personal approval," per the publication.

When asked about the letter in February 1985, King said, "I don’t know anything about it."

Amid ongoing feuds with Michael, his brothers and King, Michael stunned everyone involved when he announced during their performance at L.A.'s Dodger Stadium on Dec. 9, 1984, that that performance with his brothers would be his last. The tour, which was expected to continue in Europe and Australia, was cut short.

After the final show, King was allegedly fuming and said, per the 2010 bookMichael Jackson: The Magic, The Madness, The Whole Story, "There's no way Michael Jackson should be as big as he is and treat his family the way he does."

"He feels his father done him wrong? His father may have done some wrong, but he also had to do a whole lot right," he allegedly continued saying, while mocking Michael for thinking of himself as a "megastar."

The comments reportedly left Michael enraged, and he subsequently told Branca to "sue his ass."

"That guy has been pushing my last nerve since Day One," he reportedly told Branca, who later "convinced him to let it go."

Where is Don King now?

As of 2026, King is in his 90s and has taken a step back from the boxing world. While he hasn't promoted a major event in years, he has occasionally promoted smaller fights.

King gave a rare press conference for a fight featuring Adrien Broner in May 2023 and later stepped out for a fight between Broner and Blair Cobbs in Hollywood, Fla., in June 2024.

However, King's legal issues remain ongoing, as a promoting company sued him for $3 billion on allegations of defamation, tortious interference and fraud in January 2025, perNBC News.

Read the original article onPeople

byVaclavien Pynzarien

in

May 03, 2026

Where Is Don King Now? All About the Promoter's Tumultuous Life After Working with Michael Jackson

Don King is a prominent boxing promoter whose career has faced several controversies NEED TO KNOW King worked with...

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Nearly half of people would go into debt to maintain beauty routines - even if they lost their job

Losing a jobwouldn’t stop almost half of American adults from trying tolook and feel good.

Some 46 percent ofconsumersage 18 and older said they wouldgo into debtto maintain their beauty and wellness routines if they lost their job, according to aMarch surveyby beauty and wellness AI software platform Zenoti.

Respondents are ready to make other sacrifices for self-care, too, including a curtailed social life, delayed vacations, reduced funds for savings and debt repayment.

The survey’s analysis of spending trends found that people would most likely go into debt using credit cards to keep up appearances aftera job loss.

Consumer habits indicate that being made unemployed might spur even more beauty spending, the study found. Some 33 percent of respondents said they increased their self-care routines because of workplace stress or burnout.

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Loneliness, financial stress and major life transitions - all situations a job loss could create - are among the top reasons why people increase their beauty and wellness spending. But there was one concession: 45 percent of respondents said they would reduce the frequency of beauty appointments.

The study brings into focus the trade-offs that Americans are making as they negotiate rising costs. While many draw the line at self-care, there are other costs they’re willing to sacrifice to steady their finances.

Entertainment is on the consumer chopping block. Around40 percent of Americanshave dropped at least one streaming service over the past three months, according to astudyfrom Deloitte. The average household spends an average of $69 a month on these services, Deloitte noted.

Another popular target for spending cuts in the past year is eating out. Some 61 percent of U.S. adults, over age 21, have lowered spending at restaurants, according to aMay 2025 studyfrom retail news and analysis firm Chain Store Age. And consumers are making sacrifices in their closets: Just over half (52 percent) say they’ve cut back on clothes and shoe spending.

The cost-cutting reflects a nationwide concern about household finances amid highgas pricesand rising inflation.

Consumers aremore pessimistic about their financial future todaythan they were during the Great Recession. Some 55 percent of consumers said their financial situation is getting worse, according to aGallup pollpublished Tuesday, compared to 49 per cent in 2008.

byVaclavien Pynzarien

in

May 02, 2026

Nearly half of people would go into debt to maintain beauty routines - even if they lost their job

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