What if the biggest threat to youth sports isn't the kids, but the adult culture in the stands and on the sidelines? Why is youth sports culture reaching a boiling point and what can coaches, parents and league directors do to fix it? What actually fixes youth sports culture, tighter rules, better parent education or changing how coaches build relationships?In this episode of Beyond the Scoreboard, Coach Justin Furtado sits down with Morgan Schill, founder of the Positive Play Project, to discuss how adult pressure, ego and sideline chaos are impacting young athletes and how coaches and parents can build environments where players thrive both on and off the court. Morgan shares the personal catalyst that led her to launch the Positive Play Project after experiencing extreme sideline conflicts and coach misconduct in youth basketball. Together, Coach Justin and Morgan unpack why toxic coaching behavior is often tolerated in grassroots sports, how parents can avoid common sideline mistakes, and why being competitive and having fun are not opposing ideas. In this episode, they cover:→ Why adult behavior on the sidelines drives kids away from sports and how league leaders can set clear expectations. → How coaches can push athletes to excel and compete to win without sacrificing joy, safety, and long-term athlete development. → Why coaching your child from the stands creates confusion, and how parents can support their athletes intentionally. → Applying business leadership frameworks like Radical Candor ("care deeply, challenge directly") to manage players, coaches, and parents effectively. → The importance of increasing female representation in coaching, league administration, and youth sports decision-making. This episode is for youth basketball coaches, travel/AAU directors, sports parents, athletic administrators, and trainers who want to create better team cultures, improve communication on the sidelines, and protect the athlete experience. Whether you are leading a team, managing a league, or raising a young athlete, this conversation offers practical strategies for long-term athlete development and sports leadership.==========================================CONNECT WITH US!Coach Furtado IG: https://www.instagram.com/coachfurtadoo/?hl=enPodcast IG: https://www.instagram.com/thebeyondthescoreboard/BTG Basketball IG: https://www.instagram.com/btg_basketball/Newsletter: https://btgbasketball.org/bts-newsletter-subscribeWebsite: https://btgbasketball.org/Positive Play Project IG: https://www.instagram.com/positiveplayproject/Substack: https://positiveplayproject.substack.com/==========================================CONNECT WITH BTG BASKETBALL!If you are a parent on the West Side of Los Angeles looking for a basketball academy that develops athletes on and off the court, visit us at https://btgbasketball.org/SUPPORT OUR MISSION!Join us at the Beyond the Game Athletics Foundation and help keep elite coaching sustainable and accessible for the next generation.Support athlete scholars:https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/spring-summer-scholarship-fund Beyond the Scoreboard is hosted by Coach Justin Furtado of BTG Basketball, each episode digs into the leadership, mindset, and culture that shape young athletes into people, not just players. Because the most important things happening in youth sports never show up on the scoreboard.#youthsports #basketball #sports #sportspodcast #aau
