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Drawing the line between sportsmanship and winning
As a sport psychologist, I have dealt with numerous issues over the years related to sportsmanship, proper coaching and parenting.
It is quite common for a parent or coach to discuss with me issues about motivation with young athletes, when should you push them and when should you ease off on them. Almost always the topic of winning comes into play.
When does it become important and how important should it be? Where does the fun become secondary to the importance of competitiveness and winning the game? For me, it doesn't matter if I am working with a young athlete who is playing recreational baseball or a major league All-Star pitcher, having fun should always be the priority. When sports are not fun anymore, it doesn't matter if you win or lose, you won't have a good time.
Recently, a controversy occurred in Bountiful, Utah. At the championship game in a nine- and ten-year-old Pony League baseball game, the Red Sox were batting in the bottom of the last inning. There were two outs and a runner on third. The Red Sox best hitter, Jordan was coming up. On deck, was Romney, the worst hitter on the team, who happened to be a cancer survivor, who was taking human growth hormone and has a shunt in his brain.
The coaches of the opposing team, the Yankees, decided to intentionally walk Jordan, so they could pitch to Romney. Romney struck out and the game was over. The coaches almost had a fight when the game ended. So here is the question. Should the Yankees have pitched to Jordan or was intentionally walking him the correct thing to do?
I presented this question on my weekly radio show and almost unanimously received the same answer from almost a dozen callers, they should have pitched to Jordan, not intentionally walk him.
Why? Because it was a recreational league game. It should not have mattered that it was the championship game; it was still a rec league, nine- and ten-year-old game.
Obviously, the Yankee coaches wanted to win the game. No one plays sports wanting to lose. But, what is more important. Winning the game by applying "good baseball strategy" or pitching to all the players, good or bad and let the chips fall where they will? For these coaches, it is obvious that winning was more important.
In the end, these kids will remember this controversy more than they will remember why they were there: to have fun. Recreational league sports is about playing, having fun and enjoying the experience.
Winning and losing should take a back seat to the opportunity to compete and play a sport that you can improve at. - By Dr. Andrew Jacobs
Note: Dr. Jacobs has been a sport psychologist for 25 years and has worked with all levels of competitive athletes from youth sports to the professional and Olympic level.
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