ASSIGNMENT #2

f. '

Putting the Youth Back Into Youth Sports SusanP.Mullane,Ph.D,AssociateProfessor,Univers#yof Miami-

Introduction It is generally.•acknowledged

a that sports participa­

tion teaches character and leadership skills that can be·appUed later in life. Teamwork, communica­ tion, peaceful resolutionto conflic~ goal setting,

W motivation,·and development of a strong work ethic are seen as some of the positive aspects of sports

~ participatio~.In addition,certain values and princi- ples are associated with being engaged in athletic·

W activities,such as respect (for rules and people), - integrjty,competition,honesty,safety,fairness,trust,> responsibility,compassionand sportsmanship.

W.The extent to which ethical issues play an important N role in the climate of contemporary schoolscan be LL seenin the results of a number of recent studies. In

a 2004 survey of 4200 high school athletes by the rv CharacterCountsCoalition,12% of males and 3% ~ of feqi:tles admittedto using performance enhanc­ W ing di.'ugs in the past year. l\.dditionaliy, 69% of

males ®,d 50% of the females in the study admitted W that tlie~ h~d bullie4, teased, or taunted someonein a.the p~frear, and 55% of males acknowledged

using rj!.cial slurs (New Survey Shows, 2004). A 200ti~tirveyof 5,275 high schools athletes revealed that1µgli. involved cheatschool students in athletics irisi:)lct9lat a higher rate than their non-athlete coupt~i:parts(JosephsonInstitute,2006).In yet an-

. qtlfei}tiidy, 27% of participants admittedacting like'~~~d sport, 14% said they believed cheatingis atlac~~ptablebehavior,32% consider arguingwith o~~~ to be a part of the game, and 13 % admitted tijilig'.t'r1111rt Bredemeier,;m opponent (Shields, i~Y?t:&;Power, .2005).

YqWig'athletesare increasingly the subjects of news s.ts~#jout negative incidentsin sports.' Recently,a 1~. ear, pld boy was. chargedwith murder for a fatal a • a baseb~ bat on another boy who

· t .•. about losing a basebali game ("Califor- n,µi..~-year-oldchargedin a baseball bat kllllng," i.QOz)J.,¥thica!,issues involving school settings are !J,Qf~ted to students,but also involve coachesand g./ll'e~~fln.arecentstudy of 803 athletes rangingin (lg~fr~ni9 to 15 years old, 189 parents, and 61 Y.?ii!iP poor behavior parentsOrtcoaches, among .a,n~c9~cheswas consistently repo1ied.Amongpar­ ~~;1_3.%acknowledgedangrily criticizing their lilld'

of parents and coaches steppingover the line at sportingeventsand engaging in aggressive and vio­ lent behavior. Heinzmann(2003), defines sports rage as "any physical attack upon another person (withina sport setting) such as striking, wounding, or otherwise touchingin an offensive manner, and/or malicious, verbal.abuseor sustained harass­ ment which threatens subsequentviolenceor bod­ ily harm" (p. 1). Examples can be found of a father shooting a football coach because of the coach'streatmentof his son, a father being beaten to death by another parent at a youth hockey game, 4 and 5 year olds watching parents brawling at a t-ball game, and parents poisoning the members of an opposing team (Heinzmann, 2003).

Sportsmanship '(.ersus Gamesmanship :Understandingthe difference betweensportsman­ ship and its counterpart, gamesmanship,is essen­ tial to a discussion regardingthe problell1s plaguingsports, and specifically, youth sports. Sportsmanshiprefers to the virtuous perspectiveor the way that sport participation ought to be. It in­ cludes winning the right way, being willing to lose gracefully,having appropriate respect for oppo­ nents and officials, understandingand abiding by the spirit of the rules, and putting competition into perspectiveGosephson,2005). Good sportsman­ ship occurs when teanimates, opponents,coaches and officials treat each other with respect. Itcan take the form of small gestures or heroic deeds;' or somethingas simple as shaking hands after a game and acknowledging good plays made by others and acceptingbad calls with grace. It includesaccept­ ing losing and losing gracefully. In addition, sports­ manshipincludesplayingfair,playinghard, and full commitmentto participation, followingrule{>,re­ i;pectingthe decisions of officials and coaches, and demonstratingrespect for on-eself, one's team­ mates, officials, opponents,and coaches on ·both sides. Good sportsmanship involvesself control, courage,and persistence, and avoiding displaysof bad temper. To be a good spo~ one does not have a "win at all costs" attitude, but rather a love and appreciationof'the sport and a genuine sense of enjoymentfrom participation.

<:. •. S,Performance(Shields,et al.) Gamesmanship, aton the other hand, is the winning all costs mentality, and is the way that sports "is" ?0~~~~ are increasingly reportedas being involved rather than how it should be. ItincludeslookingforJf.~~gttsmanllke b~haviors, behaviorsthat often exceptionsto the rules, fake fouls, illegal maneuvers, 3:v~ ~ethical overtones. For example, a 2005 sur- or strategies such as head starts, taunting to gain an vey reveaJed that 8% of coaches admitted to en­ advantage,intentionallyinjuringanother player, andc~ill:~g their players t~ hurt an opponent, 7% intimidationor espionage Gosephson,2005). While c91~dpnedcheating,and 33% admitted yellingat winningis commonly the goal in an athletic conies~pliiy~rsfor making mistakes Shields,et al.). it is the pervasive notion that it is the most impo1iant

A r.eiativ~ly ne.wphenomenon,sports rage, has de-, aspect of the contest that often causes unethicalbe­ velopedlnrecent years with an increasing number havior and even violencein sports.

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A popular Nike adve1ilsement in the 1996 Olympic Gamessent the message that "you don't win the sil­ ver, you lose the gold" and the famous NFL football coach, Vince Lombardi,is often quoted as saying "winningisn't everything, it's the only thing." These examplesperpetuatethe notion that winning is the ·mostimportantgoal in sports, and to be successful, one must attain that goal in whatever manneravail­ able.Itis also a perspective that is not necessarily consistentwith what ls considered appropriateethi­ cal behavior.

The Problem In our current society, youth sports are more or­ ganizedthan ever for a pl~thora of reasons, includ­ ing increasing neighborhoodcrime, !IlOre working parents, and fewer opportunities for informal par­ ticipation.These reasons, in addition to competi­ tion and pressure for limited spots on high school teams, have led parents to enroll their children in organizedsports, and sometiIJ?.es Inevitably,several. adult volunteers and coaches talce over. Depending on their values, philosophies, and perspectives on "winning,"a new set of pressures is introduced,

A i990 survey of 10,000 high school athletes con­ ducted by the Youth Sports Institute at·Michigan State University, revealedthat the number one rea­ son boys and girlsparticipatein sports is to have fun. Further, lack of having fun was identified as the leadtngreason for participants droppingout of sports. Though winning in itself is funand losing can be painful, winning is not essential to enjoy­ ment or even a major incentive to participate. In fac½winningwas ranked 12th by girlsand 8t\1 by boys as a reason for sports participation. Approxi­ mately70-80% of youth athletes drop out of sports by age 12, and 50% of youth athletes drop out by age 10. It is estimated that 46 milllon American childrenparticipatein youth sports; thus 34.5 mil­ lion are expected to drop out by middle school (OrganizedYouthSports, 1999).

It appears that the focus on winning ls the central theme for the pressure youth participants feel from parents, coaches, and themselves. Though only .02% of high school athletes will makeit to the pro­ fessionalleaguesor even receive a college scholar­ ship (Knox, 2007), the pressure begins early. The Vice President of Youth Developmentfor the Al­ liance for Youth Sports, Fred Engh,·points out that competitionis so emphasized that the recreation has been taken out of recreational sports. He blames this phenomenon on putting too much pressureon the kids. He further notes that across the country, kids are dropping out of sports be­ cause the adults are draining all thefunout of it. He points to burnout, emphasis on competition, and lack of enjoyment. He reminds us that for everykid who quits, there is anotheiless talented

child wanting toplaybutnevergels a chance. Most importantly,the trend comes at a time when public schoolsare cutting back on sports programs, and obesityhas become a national epidemic(Engh, 1999).Indeed, according to Lustberg and Deitch (2005), the very clear message childrenreceive earlyistowin.

ParentalinvolvementJn youth sports has also made . childhoodgames less about having fun and more about training and competing for the topspo4

. landinga college ~cholarship or launching a lucra- five professional career.Whileoften living vicari-

•'" ously through their children, someparents steer . their children Into specializing Inonesport. Burnoutis one serious side effect of the pressure placed on youth participants. mds begin playlng organizedsports at a very young age, somelimes as youngas 3 years old. Bythe lime they are 6 or 7, half their lives have been spent in sports. Given the availabilityof travel teams, in many cases there ls no off-season. Safetyis another issue. Weiss (2006) citesDr.James an orthopedist Anderson, and a founder of the American SportsMedlclneInstitute,

• who points out that often the bestyoungathletes are at the greatest rlsk of injury,somelimesbecause the coach often leaves them in the game the longest,and during championship eventsmight [!Venplay them in back to back games.

~ additionto the issues outlined therep.rev.lously, another serious by-product of the pressures' ced on young athletes. Heinzmann(2003), Isoutthatalthoughseekingexcellenceisvalu- ; the winning-at-all-costs can und~ mentality

. e a child's physical and social development, ni an educational perspective,this, above all, implicationsfor teachers, who often take on

g responsibilities, and volunteer coachesln ~th sports.

j

,otential Solutions

ferms of solutions, shnPJrput, we should reduce . pi;essureon w.illning and emphasize teaching ·dren the positive aspects of sports participation. ox (2007) suggests that as adult fans we have to

e that every player on each team goes out and to do his/her best, and that the everyday emo-

tio.nalstress that teenagers experience can have a · -effecton their performance in a game, He calls . biinging back sportsmanship and civility tohigh

, _ool sports. Josephson advocatesa "T.H.A.M." trach, enforce, advocate, mod~) strategy for char- Jer building in -sports. His emphasis lies in the

ortance of the coach to exhibit good, ethical be- .: v.ior that youth athletes willhopefullyemulate. , . elds and Bredemeier (1995) offer specific sug- !!5tlonsfor coaches, Including concentratingon e integrated development of the child, tailoring !!irstylestothe appropriate agelevel of the pat'-

.., cipant, mlnlmizing external motivation for particl- J?.ation,givingparticipantsas much responsibility as

possibletopromotedecisionmaking skilis, and meetingwith parents to make them aware of their coachingphilosophy.For example, if a coach wants to focus on winning rather than equal particlpation, then that coach needs todeliverthat message to parents and part!clpants who might then be able to make an alternate choice.Itisimportantthat par- enls and coaches do not send outmixed messages.

Addltionalremedlesmight Include certification programs,ethics and sportsm3!1shlp andtraining, clinicsfor both coaches and parent9i and sportsmanshiprewards for athletes and coaches. Accordingto Lancaster (2002), there are 7 prlnclplesthat should apply to youth sports programs:(1) makeitfun, (2) limit standing around,·(3) everyone plays, (4) teach every positionto every participant,(5) emphasize fundamentals,(6) Incorporatea progresslon of skill development for every participant,and(J) yell encouragementand whisper constructivecriticism.

The Montana High Association withSchool joined US Bank in a partnership goodsupporting sportsmanship.It has a sportsmanship programin placethat includes the requirement of an on-site administratorwho has completed coursesand clinicsin sportsmanship,includingthe dl.fference betweensportsmanshipand gamesmanship, rules for coaches, players, students, and fans, and leadershiptraJnlng/workshops.It also has an elaboraterecognitionand sportsmanship reward programfor players, officials, parents, and fans ("MHSAIUSBankSportsmanshipPartnership," 2008). Additionally, the Josephson Instituteoffersa detailedsportsmanshipprogram entitled "Pursuing VictorywithHonor."Characterbuildinglnltiatives areembeddedJn many sportsmanship programs across the country.

Conclusion

In many cases, youth sports and its various con- st!tuencies,(parents, coaches, and athletes), are out of control. Basic principles of recreation, sports- manship,andfunhave been sacrlftced by the need towlnat all costs. Since there appears to be a natu- raIprogressionin sports from one level to the next, <;mecould argue that some of the ethical break- downsseenln collegeand profession sports had their genesis ln high school and youth sports. There- fore, perhaps ifyouthsports could be cleaned up, thiscould help toeliminateproblemsin the future. · The adults, parents and coaches, need to encourage young athletes to participate in• sports for the right reasonsand to put winning in its proper perspec- tive.A renewed empha:;is on sportsmanship and a de-emphasison gamesmanship at the earliest levels is necessary tolay a solid foundation for the future.

References

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2008, from http://www.mo.msteam.com/alpha/ news/13Jeacold charged_in _basebaILbat_ killing.shtrnl..

Engh, R (1999), WhyJohnny hates sports. New York·"Avery.

Helnzniailn,G. (2003, November 25).Parentalvt- o!encein youth sports: Facts, myths, and video- tape.RetrievedFebruary5, 2008, from http:// 11 youthsports.rutgers.edu/pdf/parental.violence.pdf,f11 Josephsoninstituteof Ethics. (2004, September). New survey shows high school sportsfilled with f11 cheatingimpropergamesmanshipand confit· ;a slonaboutsports.RetrievedDecember12, 2007, from http://charactercounts.org/ spo~survey/ 20041. ;a JosephsonInstituteof Ethics (2006, October). f11 2OO6/osephson cardontheinstitut6tvJpor~ ethics of American youth: Part one. Retrieved < January 17, 2008, from http://www.josephson.org/ - pdf/ReportCardpress-release_20o6-1013.pdf. f11 Josephson,M. (2005).,ATrainingprogramfo1• coachesonethics, sportsmanship andcharacter building.Retrieved 18, 2005,.from January http:// charactercounts.org/sports/Olympir/Olympic- report-missionvalues.htm.

Knox,D. (2007), High school and middle school athletics:now ls the lime? Coach&AthleticDirec- tor,January,1-3.

Lancastei;S. B. (2002).FalrP!ay: organ-Making ized sports agreatexperienceforyourkids. New York:PrenticeHall.

Lustberg,R., &Deitch, C, (2005,January 24),The hypocrisy of youth sport. RetrievedFebruary 5, 2008, from http://buzzle.com.editorlals/10-l- 2004-59984.asp:

MHSAlllS pat'lnershipBank sportsmanship . (2008). Retrieved October28, 2008, from www.rnhsa.org/Sportsmanship/Sportsmanship Program2008.pdf.

Organizedyouth sports today-Troubling signals from youth sports. (1999). Retrieved February 12, 2008, from www.thecenterforkidsfirst.org/pdf/ The_Facts_about_Youtb,_Sports.pdf.

Shields,D,L.& Bredemeier, B,L. (1995).Charac- ter development and physical activity. Cham- pafgn, IL: Human mnettcs.

Shields,D,L., Bredemeier, B.L.,La.Vol,N.M., & Power,R C, (2005). The Sport J:iehavior of youth, parents, and coaches: The Good, the bad, and the u'l).y.Journalof Research In Character ,:j Education 3 (1), 43-59,

Weiss,M.J. (2006, April). The Agony of defeat. RetrievedAugust,2007, from http://www.rd.com/

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family/parenting/kids/safety/young-athletes-and- the-danger-of-victory/PVarticle.ht.

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