VIDEOS Esquire’s Friday Night Tykes youth football reality series sparks controversy

Thanks to shows like Dance Moms and Toddlers & Tiaras we’ve all been given a glimpse into what it’s like when young girls are put under a ton of pressure to succeed by their coaches and parents, and now Esquire is doing their part to provide a little sexual equality with a new reality series titled Friday Night Tykes, which documents the highly competitive 8-10-year-old Rookies division of the Texas Youth Football Association.

The promo clip above starts off with a coach screaming, “You have the opportunity today to rip their freaking head off and let them bleed! If I cut ’em with a knife, they’re gonna bleed red, just like you!” One coach counsels a player on the sideline before sending him into the game by telling him, “If that kid comes across, I want you to put it in his helmet, you understand?” “Yes sir!” the young player responds before the coach adds, “I don’t care if he don’t get up. Let’s go!”

That coach’s sentiment seems to be backed up by game footage included in the clip, which features no less than four rather brutal helmet-to-helmet collisions.

As you might imagine, the show has sparked a bit of a debate online among those concerned about the treatment of these 8-9-year-old boys. “The trailer is definitely troubling to watch,” an NFL spokesman told the Los Angeles Times. The spokesman points out that the Texas Youth Football Association is not part of the NFL’s Heads Up Football Program, which seeks to improve player safety in youth football.

And speaking of Texas and the motivational speech techniques of football coaches, I felt I had to share this King of the Hill clip in which Hank Hill tries to help his wife Peggy “buck up” for her Boggle tournament by channeling his high school football coach:

An Esquire spokeswoman addressed the criticisms by saying Friday Night Tykes gives an “authentic and provocative glimpse into an independent youth football league in Texas.” She then added, “We believe Friday Night Tykes brings up important and serious questions about parenting and safety in youth sports, and we encourage Americans to watch, debate and discuss these issues.”

The show’s website seems fully aware of the debate and points out that throughout the series “coaches and parents offer insight into why they believe they’re teaching valuable lessons about discipline and dedication, but also grapple with serious questions about parenting, safety and at what price we’re pushing our kids to win.”

Here is the description of the series from the Esquire network followed by more Friday Night Tykes preview clips:

In America, football is king … and nowhere is football bigger than in Texas. With exclusive access to the 8 to 9 year-old Rookies division of the Texas Youth Football Association, the 10-part docuseries FRIDAY NIGHT TYKES follows five teams on and off the field throughout the 2013 season. Along the way, cheerleaders cheer, tailgaters barbecue and the crowd goes wild, but intense rivalries flare, parents and coaches clash and the young players face some very adult pressures and concerns, from extreme training drills to heckling from rabid fans. For many of those in the series, football is the centerpiece of their community and, in some cases, even a substitute family. Throughout, coaches and parents offer insight into why they believe football is important, what motivates them as individuals, and what valuable lessons they believe the children learn from their discipline and dedication. But in a youth football league where participation medals mean nothing and winning means everything, the adults in Friday Night Tykes also grapple with questions like: How much competition is too much? Is the sport safe for young children? And at what price are we pushing our kids to win?

Friday Night Tykes – Meet The Teams: San Antonio Outlaws

Friday Night Tykes – Meet the Teams: Jr. Broncos

Friday Night Tykes premieres with back-to-back episodes on Tuesday, January 14 at 9/8c on Esquire. (FYI – Esquire used to be known as The Style Network before being rebranded by parent company NBCUniversal.) Also, you can watch the full premiere episode online now at UPROXX.com.