One of the biggest complaints you’ll get from people about sports today is that it’s all about winning…and they’re not just talking about professional sports where winning should be the priority. Pretty much the same is now true of big-time college sports programs where success attracts high-caliber talent, TV revenue, sponsor support and ticket sales to fill large stadiums and arenas…bottom line money.
However you need look no further than you own town or school to know winning is what it’s all about. When our children first started playing recreation soccer, youth basketball or even tee-ball as 5 and 6 year-olds we celebrated the smallest signs of achievement. Making that first basket or scoring that first goal while we were videotaping the game is one of those Kodak moments we say will last a lifetime. We insist the priority at that age is for them to learn the basic fundamentals and rules, how to get along with others and most of all have FUN.
That my friends often goes out the window pretty quickly, especially for parents who believe their son or daughter has more talent than the others on the team.
Soon just playing the game is not good enough and the coach who stresses that everyone participates equally regardless of the score comes under fire from his own team parents. They want to win and if that means “little Johnny” plays the entire game because he’s the best player while others get two minutes…then so be it. After all the kids are now 8 years old…this is no longer baby stuff.
Before long the better players gravitate to select or travel teams and the goals become even bigger. Pursuing local, state and even national championships…practicing and playing 12 months a year…seeking better coaching and training….fundraising….and of course winning, winning, and winning. Those tapes you used to make which often brought laughter and even tears are now used as tools to show the kids what they are doing wrong.
Eventually it’s off to high school sports where the parents have now become experts from years and years of watching. They have no problem second-guessing just about every move the coaches’ make and can’t understand why the team does not win a state championship. They also feel their child is certainly good enough to earn a college scholarship and have a hard time accepting the fact that the offers
from Division One schools are not pouring in. This is the circle and cycle of sports today and it’s often not very pretty.
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