Have you noticed the trend in youth sports today? Sports was always a wonderful vehicle to learn about teamwork, hard work, competition, sportmanship, and that old fashioned idea fun. These days it seems the focus is only about winning. What used to be great experience on the little league team, township basketball team, or local football team has morphed into a version of professional sports win at all costs mentality. From coaches to parents to fans, we've taken the fun out of youth sports.
What Happened to Fun
We have removed the simple pleasure of competing in sports. We now have 8 year olds playing a particular sport full time, with professional trainers. We have children playing 120 basketball games in a 3 month timeframe at the age of 11 years old and younger. I know parents want the best for their children but it seems we often live vicariouly through them trying to recapture our glory days. We're pushing them to win the game, be their best, obtain the scholarship. As parents and coaches, we've taken the fun out of sports. Instead of letting the children enjoy themselves, we've used the event to build up and support our own egos. We've made the sport more about us than the children.
Play Nice
At the very entry level of competitive sports, it should be about participation, competing, having fun, and learning how to both win and lose. Part of competing in sports is learning how to lose as welll as win. But more importantly is the idea of playing. We pushed the idea of competing and winning down to the lowest levels that even participating in a local recreation team becomes a burden for the children. We forget that youth sports is about skill and character development, about lettiing the children be kids and enjoy themselves.
A Time and Place
I understand the competitive nature of sports and as children mature and begin playing high school sports, they can make their own decsion of what to focus on and how much time to devote to the sport. Most top performing athletes have the innate talent and desire to get better, to learn more, it's simply in them. We should support them and guide them. Let them come to their own decisions. As they grow, sports and life become more competitive, but in the meantime, let's keep the fun and enjoyment in youth sports. Childhood should be a time of learning, nurturing, teaching, exploring, participating, and enjoying. They grow up soon enough, let them be kids.
Continued Success.
Coach K
