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Winning! How Important Is It in Youth Sports?
- Author:
- Michael Clark
- Date Published:
- September 15, 2003
The question is; “How important is winning in youth sports?” The answer to this
question depends upon who is responding. For the young athletes themselves,
the answer evidently is, "Not very."
When a national sample of youth, aged 10 to 18 years, were asked why they
participated in sports, "to win" was not among the top ten reasons for girls and
was only seventh on the list for boys. Moreover, when these same young people
were asked what they would change about sports, "less emphasis on winning"
made the top ten on the list for both genders. Attitudes about the importance of
winning change with the athletes' ages: Younger athletes are more interested in
the "fairness" of their games, while older athletes become more concerned about
winning. But even then, many young athletes say that they would rather play on
a losing team than "sit the bench" on a winning team.
However, if coaches and parents were asked how important winning is to their
child¹s success in sports, many of them clearly would respond, "VERY!" Even
when program directors refuse to keep game scores or won-lost records, the
other adults involved - the coaches and parents - know exactly what the results
are. For them, winning in youth games is important, and so quickly it develops
that "Winning isn¹t everything, it's the only thing," as legendary football
coach Vince Lombardi is supposed to have observed.
Adults who believe that an accent on winning is essential to success make much
of the best record or leading scorer. They place overweening emphasis on which
division they play in on the travel level. They count the trophies they bring back
from tournaments. They peruse the standings to see who has to win and who
has to lose for them to move up. They recruit players to their teams rather than
develop players from within.
Coaches, parents and spectators who focus on winning in these terms are
viewing youth sports as they likely would view adult endeavors. This thinking
often results in mistaking the winning or losing of contests with the success or
failure of the contestants or even with whether the athletes are good or bad
people. Concentrating solely on the final score as the important outcome of
games causes people to develop a very narrow definition of winning. The
consequences of this are potentially damaging to young athletes.
The way out of this dangerously narrow view of winning in youth sports may lie in
what Coach Lombardi actually said: "Winning isn't everything, but striving to
win is." Striving to win is the essence of sports. By placing the emphasis on
the athletes and their effort, winning is redefined in such a way that it comes
within the reach of all.
But how is effort defined and measured?
In part, the answer lies in observing the athletes at play. It is relatively easy to
see whether young athletes are taking the competition seriously or are simply
"playing the game." The former requires a sincere effort, made by athletes who
know the skills and strategies of the sport and who execute them as ably as
possible within the spirit of the rules. The latter may occur at any level of play
and is apparent by and in the athletes lack of enthusiasm and effort.
Each performance must be evaluated within the context of the sport. Scoring
points, lowering times or improving distances are relevant, because they imply
something about the effort made. Equally important are knowing what defense
the opponents are using, knowing when to make a run, or understanding when
to clear the ball from the box rather than dribble it out. Making a kick turn, using
a scissors takedown or shooting a left-handed lay-up and executing these moves
correctly while competing also are expressions of effort and, therefore, success.
In short, making an effort to be competitive involves a complex set of tasks,
which differ from sport to sport.
Moreover, it is obvious when athletes are failing to put forth the proper effort to
make each minute of a contest competitive. "Games" often are referred to as
"contests," and at some time, every coach, player or spectator has been involved
in games that have ceased to be contests. When this happens, everyone "loses."
The clues are many and varied. The players appear to be "going through the
motions." Coaches cease to worry about strategies. Officials make strange
decisions or "non-calls." Spectators lose interest and leave or begin socializing.
But most importantly, as Seefeldt observed, "playing a game as if you don¹t care
with a lethargic effort takes all the fun out of sports." When the games are no
longer contests, playing them ceases to be fun. The players mock "winning" such
games, for they sense how hollow victory is in such situations.
The challenge is for the adults associated with youth sports to redefine winning in
terms of effort and to restructure play to promote effort. Some potential changes
lie in:
! Creating balanced competitions so that outcomes are in doubt.
! Helping players set achievable, individual goals.
! Teaching athletes to measure their success in terms of attaining such
goals
! Celebrating with and rewarding players who reach their goals.
The first point focuses on the motivation of young athletes. Generally, young
athletes want competitions to be fair and for the outcome to be in question. If
these conditions are met, they will make a maximum effort. Otherwise, they are
likely to spend their time complaining about how unbalanced the teams are or
how unfair the game is. It is adults who "stack" teams and want to win by lopsided
scores; young athletes tell researchers that fairness is the essence of the
games they play.
Meaningful and attainable goals are essential to success in any activity, but
never more so than in youth sports. Children should have clearly defined goals
to work for and learn, and they deserve to be intimately involved in establishing
these goals. Individual goals are much more effective than group or team goals.
They allow each athlete to know exactly what needs to be accomplished.
With individual goals clearly defined, athletes should expect to have their efforts
measured against advancement towards these goals. Reaching these goals can
only be accomplished through learning and executing the essentials of the sport
thus, the goals become the means of measuring effort: did the athletes make the
kind of effort in each practice and competition that moved them closer to
achieving their stated goals. If a player¹s effort was aimed at achieving the
goals, then the performance was a success no matter what the score of the
competition.
Finally, when the previously determined goals are reached, the athlete¹s
achievement should be recognized and honored. In addition to motivating the
athlete, this acknowledges the importance of striving to meet the goals, to be
competitive, to make the effort.
Making the effort is within the reach of any athlete and is appropriate for all
athletes Consequently, it constitutes a definition of winning that can be applied
to all situations Adults who use it will go far toward ensuring that young athletes
have positive experiences.
In this context, the proper questions for adults to ask are not "Did you win?" or
"How many points did you score?" Rather coaches and parents should want to
know "Did you give your best effort?" or "Did you do something better than you
previously could?" Young athletes often can answer "Yes" to these questions,
even when the scoreboard stands against them.
This redefinition of winning makes it possible to accommodate a variety of views
of youth sports. The most vocal critics of competition in youth sports are those
able to see the benefits of making it possible for all athletes to become winners.
The staunchest advocates of highly competitive sports generally will recognize
the value of setting goals and weighing performance in terms of effort toward
reaching the goals.
The result of defining "winning" in terms of effort rather than outcome is to make
youth sports more humane, meaningful, satisfying and enjoyable. Striving to win
and giving one¹s best effort are objectives that every coach, player, parent or
adult can and should support.