Your thoughts caused me reconsider some generalizations I'd developed over the years. I grew up in Seattle in the late 60's and 70's and saw a significant shift away from emphasizing competitiveness. In the early 70's, youth sports teams changed from awarding a trophy or two to the team's most valuable players to awarding every kiddo a p…
Your thoughts caused me reconsider some generalizations I'd developed over the years. I grew up in Seattle in the late 60's and 70's and saw a significant shift away from emphasizing competitiveness. In the early 70's, youth sports teams changed from awarding a trophy or two to the team's most valuable players to awarding every kiddo a participation trophy. High schools didn't recognize valedictorians. These struck me as deemphasizing competitiveness in exchange for participation.
I thought the deemphasis of competitiveness was a loss as participation in sports are a great forum for developing character. And some of the dynamics that come along with competitiveness are useful in life:
- Many aspects of one's career are competitive.
- Outcomes in sports and life aren't always fair.
But as you note, the other values one gets from participating in sports are probably more important than aspects associated with winning.
- Work hard. Improve your skills. Try your best.
- Work together. There's no I in team.
- Win and lose with dignity.
- Enjoy the ride. You'll cherish the friendships you form and your collective efforts for your lifetime.
I don't think emphasizing competitiveness and character development are mutually exclusive. I tried my best to do both in the couple of decades where I was fortunate enough to coach youth and high school sports.
Your thoughts caused me reconsider some generalizations I'd developed over the years. I grew up in Seattle in the late 60's and 70's and saw a significant shift away from emphasizing competitiveness. In the early 70's, youth sports teams changed from awarding a trophy or two to the team's most valuable players to awarding every kiddo a participation trophy. High schools didn't recognize valedictorians. These struck me as deemphasizing competitiveness in exchange for participation.
I thought the deemphasis of competitiveness was a loss as participation in sports are a great forum for developing character. And some of the dynamics that come along with competitiveness are useful in life:
- Many aspects of one's career are competitive.
- Outcomes in sports and life aren't always fair.
But as you note, the other values one gets from participating in sports are probably more important than aspects associated with winning.
- Work hard. Improve your skills. Try your best.
- Work together. There's no I in team.
- Win and lose with dignity.
- Enjoy the ride. You'll cherish the friendships you form and your collective efforts for your lifetime.
I don't think emphasizing competitiveness and character development are mutually exclusive. I tried my best to do both in the couple of decades where I was fortunate enough to coach youth and high school sports.