Our friends at USA Hockey produced a great Public Service Announcement a few years back in which they implored parents to act like adults at their kids’ games and stop yelling at them from the stands. And their counterparts in Canada had a similar campaign. The spots perfectly capture the embarrassing and damaging behavior we see too often on the sidelines across youth sports.

While there are far more examples of good sports parenting, the vocal minority is getting louder and more abusive.

Last week one of our leagues had to take the dramatic and unfortunate step... [Read more...]

Sports Illustrated featured Pop Warner as a leader in a player safety trend advancing through high school and college into the NFL in its recent article "For the Three- and Four-Point Stance: Is This the End of the Line?". The story looks at football’s move away from the three-point stance. Pop Warner was the first to implement the change for its youngest players in 2019 with the goal of lessening head impacts between offensive and defensive linemen. Corey Simon, a former NFL standout and current president of Big Bend Pop Warner in Florida, thinks the move makes sense.

“Though Simon takes pride in having played through pain himself, he applauds the effort to make football safer than it was when he played and knew little of the risks.” You can access the full story here.

Also this month, Pop Warner used National Concussion Awareness Day to advance the conversation about player safety, pointing to its game-leading rules, coaching education and partnering with organizations like TechAids that promote concussion awareness. Read about the specific safety measures Pop Warner has instilled to create a safe and better game here. 

As part of Pop Warner's new relationship with gaming partner Rival, we'll be offering our first Fall Series for Pop Warner Esports. Open to Pop Warner youth and their friends, kids can join virtual tournaments throughout the next two months in Madden NFL 22 and Rocket League. These events are available on both Xbox and PlayStation.

The first two tournaments on the schedule:

Both event start at 5:00pm ET.

Want to go to the Super Bowl? Panini is searching for its next Super Bowl Kid Reporter. Enter now and you and your kid could both score a trip to Super Bowl LVI or win other great prizes. Pop Warner athletes can enter with a special one-time code. [Get the code...]

In an effort to create athletic opportunity and mentorship for young people in one of the most gang-affiliated areas of South Central Los Angeles, members of the LAPD launched Watts Rams Pop Warner in 2013. Over the last several years, the Watts program and LA Rams have had each other's backs on and off the field. The LA Rams have served as mentors to the youth community, inviting Watts Rams players to training camp, providing academic supplies and even helping send some kids to better schools.

This year, that special bond was cast on the big screen in a commercial for the 2021 NFL season kick off. As the Watt Rams huddle up on the field after a hard practice, one player reminds his teammates that as long as they have each other, nothing else matters. When he asks which one of them has his back, his call is answered by LA Rams star Aaron Donald who leads the team into a frenzy as they show their support for each other. Watch the video titled “We Run as One” here.

Cheer and dance associations interested in starting a Challenger program can learn more here. For football, click here.

Q: “My kid wants to play multiple sports. Is that a good idea or should they just focus on Pop Warner?”

A: There was once a time where each season had a sport or two. Kids cheered or played football or soccer in the fall, basketball or hockey in the winter, and maybe softball, baseball, field hockey or lacrosse in the spring. Those days seem like a distant memory. Kids – and parents – are often told they need to devote more time to their sport if they want to excel, eventually make the high school team, earn a college scholarship or maybe cash a paycheck playing it some day. First of all, playing a sport as a kid should never be about making it to the pros. It should be about having fun, getting physical activity, competing and being with your friends. Along the way, you will develop skills to progress in that sport. There will come a day as a child gets older where they may focus more of their time on a single sport but the data has shown us that younger athletes are better off playing multiple sports. Sports specialization – when you focus solely on one sport year round – can possibly lead to repetitive stress injuries and burnout. Anecdotally, college coaches often tell us that they would rather have an athlete who has played multiple sports. So, do yourself a favor, mix it up and play different sports over the course of the year.  

We'd love to hear what your Pop Warner league or association is up to. Please send any human interest stories to media@popwarner.com.

A. Heart

B. Lungs

C. Kidneys

D. Liver

This is a 5th grade science question from an educational resource by our new partner SOLARO. They provide on-demand practice quizzes along with detailed lessons to help kids prepare classes and final exams. This resource is available in all 50 states with materials for grades 3 to 12 in Math, English Language Arts, and Science.

Save big with discount code POPWARNER. Learn more at Solaro.com/PWLS.

With championships right around the corner, YCADA shares 11 essential tips to help clean up your routine. From slowing down your teaching to better define technique, to focusing on one 8-count at a time, to adjusting your music speeds, these 11 essentials will help give your team a boost for any major competition. [Read more...]

With regional and national championships just around the corner, check out Super Fan Sports Fundraising for help with fundraising. Your group makes 40% profit. Easy. [Learn more...]

B. Lungs