One of my dear friends asked the question after reading my last post: What do you think about youth sports that don't declare a winner, where everyone win?
After strong consideration, I think that's not quite realistic. Part of the fun that comes with sports is competition. Compeititon is described, among other things, as "a contest between rivals". This, in essence, states that there will be one winner and one loser. Loser is so derogatory here; it simply states that you were not the victorious one.
Why is this better? Kids don't like defeat as much as adults. Losing hurts. You try your best but that weird kid playing left wasn't paying attention and the other team scored two runs as a result. Not your fault right? Team sports should teach teamwork (and all that entails, such as comeradie) that often is difficult to reproduce in other places. Sports can take you through a plethora of emotions. Happy ones that come from making a good play and helping to win the game. Sad ones that come from striking out to losing a close battle.
Is there a place for scoreless games? Sure, let's save that for the beginning leagues. The 5- and 6-year olds that are just starting out. It's more about learning the game there. As the kids grow, so should the expectations. The score won't kill a kid. And hopefully the parent is supportive in this endeavor.
Victory isn't always achieved by having the highest score. The high score only shows a few things, but often times, the most important score won't show up until years later.
Final Quote: "I used to care more about the score than I do now." - Darrell Royal
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2 comments:
The only way to have a game where no one wins is if no one keeps score. I don't ever seeing that happening. But, the WAY that we keep score is what is important. It rests on the coaches and parents to teach how to deal with not being the high scoring team.
I think youth sports, where there is both a winner and a loser, are extremely important. People both win and lose throughout life, and children need to be taught how to handle it when either one of situations occur. How they shouldn't gloat and brag and get in their opponents' face when they win, and how they shouldn't let it get them down when they lose. If children are never taught how to act when they win or lose, they'll grow up to be those adults who don't know the meaning of good sportsmanship. They need to learn good sportsmanship somewhere, anyway.
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