Parents can exert both positive and negative influence on youth athletes' sport experiences. One way through which parents shape youth sport environments is engaging in moral behaviors when attending youth sport events. Given that social norm perceptions (i.e., perceptions of what others think and do) can underlie moral behaviors, this study investigated youth sport parents' and athletes' perceptions of parental prosocial (e.g., supporting athletes) and antisocial (e.g., yelling at sport officials) behaviors at youth sport events through the lens of social norms. Analysis of survey data from 280 parents and 122 youth athletes identified that prosocial behaviors were prevalent and approved of, whereas antisocial behaviors were uncommon and disapproved of. Relative to other parent antisocial behaviors, encouraging aggression was perceived as least common and approved of, and yelling at sport officials was perceived as most common and approved of. There were positive associations between parents' perceptions of other parents' behaviors and their own behaviors, and between athletes' perceptions of their parents' behaviors and their own behaviors. Results suggest that parents' and athletes` prosocial and antisocial behaviors in youth sports may relate to their perceptions of how others behave. Therefore, social-norm message interventions that inform individuals about prevalence of prosocial and antisocial behaviors by others may help promote prosocial, and reduce antisocial, behaviors, ultimately contributing to more positive youth sport environments.
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