West Hartford Youth Football Coach Stops Handing Out Gift Cards to Players

A member of the West Hartford Youth Football League has resigned after a coach was found to be giving out monetary incentives to players who performed well, according to a Hartford Courant report.

Stephen Merkel, assistant coach in the Pony Division gave $25 or $50 gift cards to GameStop to his seventh- and eighth-grade players for about three weeks before it was stopped at the request of League President Walter Hussey, according to the report.

Merkel, director of the Midget Division, is quoted in the Courant as saying a lot has been “made out of nothing” and said he started the practice at the suggestion of his son.

At first, Merkel reportedly gave out a few but the practice was so successful that Merkel gave out 10 the following week, prompting a parent to report it to Hussey, according to the Courant report.

But it was Brian Cohen, vice president in charge of by-laws and scheduling who is leaving the board over the issue.

Cohen reportedly called for immediate action and sanctions in relation to the practice but was ignored. He stepped down of his own accord, the report says.

Hussey further said that incentives such as pizza parties are used in youth sports all the time.

It's not unusual for players in leagues across the country to receive helmet stickers for playing well or cleaning up after a practice.

However, in September 2012, a California Pop Warner coach came under fire for allegedly giving cash incentives to his 10- and 11-year-old players for big hits and for knocking opposing players out of games.

Merkel told the Courant that his practice of handing out gift cards was not tied to a bounty system or pay-for-play.

What do you think of the practice of using incentives in youth sports?