Should Sports Be Banned?

Coaching philosophies differ all over the world, from one sport to another. They are the central foundation to any good coach’s success in his/her respected programs. A coach’s philosophy does not only guide and lead the other members of the staff in the right direction, but it also allows each athlete to know what is expected of them, and how they should behave. By being aware of a coach’s philosophy, the athlete is fully responsible for his/her actions both on and off the field of play. In the words of the great Nick Saban, "It 's about what you control, every minute of every day. You always have to have a winning attitude and discipline, in practices, weight training, conditioning, in the classroom, in everything. It 's a process."

In his autobiography Life Lessons from Little League, Vincent Fortanasce says “Winning is never final, and losing is never fatal.” At the end of a game, one team will win and the other will lose. Failure to accept this concept has become detrimental to American youth sports organizations. Our society has become infatuated with winning, and all of the additional perks associated with it. What is considered the “best” for children as young as five years old has grown to an unrealistic extent. Parents want their children to be in a reputable organization, young athletes want to play with highly skilled teammates, and coaches want to recruit talented players all in hopes of being the absolute “best”. The amount of young athletes, ranging from five to fourteen years old, participating in local sports organizations has declined within the last two decades due to the highly competitive and unhealthy environments they are being exposed to.Taking pride in your local community has decreased form an athletic point of view. Representing the place I grew up in was a motivating factor when I put my uniform on for every single softball game I played in high school. I had the privilege to play on the field next to girls I had grown to love the sport with ever since our tee ball days. Today, young athletes are branching out from their homegrown roots to play for club teams who recruit players from a larger region. The popularity of traveling teams has substantially diluted the

While the majority of coaches are good coaches there are some who can do damage. These coaches have a “win-at-all-costs” mentality and can be really hard on the kids if they are not winning. Another psychological effect is inapposite feeling of superiority. The obsession with sport in our society can put an inflated sense of self on a child. If they are constantly winning or always making touchdowns they feel unstoppable. (Ph.D., 2015) “We must also recognize that participation in football, and team sports in general, has major benefits for fitness and character building. Participation in sports counters the major public health issues of obesity and, perhaps more importantly, the “disengagement” that we all observe in kids these days. Every parent of a teen, and even young children, realizes that a “virtual” world has often replaced the real, live interactions kids used to regularly experience. I strongly believe that participation in team sports has a major positive influence on youth, and we cannot discount the positive impact of this aspect of football. Ultimately, if a child is passionate about football and no other sport or activity, they are almost certainly better off playing football than being inactive and alone.” (Ph.D., 2015)

At their finest, coaches perfect their player’s flaws to push them to their potential ability, improve their skills, and create determination within the team. They can expand the importance of such a sport to intensify motivation and the value of good sportsmanship for the sake of not only their reputation, but the outcome that comes from it. Coaches must not lag when it comes to hardships that comes about; they must stay connected. The closer the connection between a player and a coach the better they are moving forward and continuing on the love of the sport and job.

Joe Ehrmann describes how he has developed his philosophy of coaching by relating the story of his life in his youth, high school and in college describing two different types of coaches he had played for. The first are coaches who were impersonal, authoritarian, and sometimes abusive which he calls transactional coaches; this is in contrast to the humane coaches he calls transformative coaches. Coaches must face this responsibility because we all remember our coaches. “This is the awesome power and responsibility of coaching: You give your players memories, for better or for worse that stay with them until the day they die” (Ehrmann, 2011 p 46-47). Joe Erhmann goes on to ask, “What is the moral and ethical composition of their program?

All of the publicity that is attained by success, and the possibility of this success, places a great deal of pressure and stress on these young single-sport athletes. This stress and pressure takes the fun out of some sports. Youth sports are becoming serious and based more on winning than on having a great time and learning good sportsmanship. Adu points out the winning mindset of athletes in this day and age when he says, “Teams will do anything to win the game. My coach told me to expect that going in and that is exactly how it was. . .I felt like everybody was out to get me” (Goodall, 2003). This

“At practice, Coach was always shouting the word Dig!” (Ehrmann 2011, pg. 53)What coach doesn’t ask for their players to work harder, dig deeper, or strive? We all do. “But to Coach it always meant: Dignity, Integrity, and Grace.” (Ehrmann 2011, pg. 53). Joe Ehrmann’s book InSideOut Coaching is an amazing look into why coaches coach. My mind was blown. My book looks like a firework display of highlights, underlines, and notes. There are so many ideas in this short book my head swam. The book really made me question the what, why, and how I am coaching. His ideas and opinions are a game changer for me. I can relate to Parade Magazine’s assessment; Joe Ehrmann is “The most important coach in America.” upon completing the book. For me the D.I.G.

The coach also does not create any positive feedback for the weaker links on the team to work with. Instead of telling the team they ALL did well, the coach focuses on who are the better athletes. As a result, the members feel

However, when we talk about youth sports, our main concern is with providing players with a positive, character building experience. Winning is not the only acceptable outcome for youth players, and coaches need to understand this principle. “With a winning philosophy young athletes may lose out on opportunities to develop their skills, to enjoy participation, and to grow socially and emotionally. Well informed coaches realize that success is not equivalent to winning games, and failure is not the same as losing.” (Enhancing Coach-Parent Relationships in Youth Sports, 15)

Athletes who want to win and love the game demonstrate it by trying their hardest every play and through every practice as well. Athletes who do not always try their hardest or skip practice frequently do not deserve to play and should be benched. Playing time is unequal, but anybody who proves himself will receive more playing time. Varsity sports are also not about pleasing people, they play to win and compete to their fullest, so athletes should have to earn the right to play. Having respect for coaches and teammates also plays a significant role in earning the right to play varsity. Through my own experiences, I have noticed coaches are much more likely to play someone who respects what they say. For example, an athlete on my baseball team last year, who talked back to the coach and frequently skipped practice, lost his starting position on varsity. After our coach had enough of his behavior and lack of effort towards the team, he found a replacement who had earned the right to play by proving himself and respecting everyone around him. The original starter was decent but did not deserve to play at all, and once he realized that, it was too late. The replacement shined on the diamond the first time he played, and ever since, has kept proving to coach why he was the best option for the team. This incident really displayed how even though someone may be adequate, he should never be entitled to play over another athlete who is more deserving of that

Coaches have a profound impact on their players not only with their words, but with their actions. Coaches have the power and influence to lead their players to become more sportsmanlike by modeling ethical and moral behavior. Coaches have the duty and responsibility to be role models for the athletes. Matheny (2015) states, “We’ve been given the rare privilege and heavy responsibility of influencing young people on a daily basis, for better or for worse, for the rest of their lives” (p. 53). Coaches need to take this responsibility seriously and model ethical behavior at all times.

Parents and coaches are the source of motivation of the children’s. Parents always want better future and successful life for their children. When they tends to forget they responsibilities and tend to involve themselves more than they need too then things can go messy. There should be an example set for the players to learn. I like the video where a high school wrestler after

“Show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser,” Vince Lombardi once said. This saying could be the unsung anthem of American sports for children and teenagers. Everyone loves to win. In sports there is always competition. Is there too much emphasis on “the win” for kids and teens? This issue is important because it essentially develops the way children and teenagers think and react; it will affect them later on in life. Too much emphasis on winning is a problem because there is extensive pressure from parents and coaches, and the consequences can be severe.

When considering enjoyment, known factors that affect the participation for youth sport participants are motivational climate and coaching behaviors. . The very first coach that a child encounter plays a very important role in the child’s sports life. In fact, the first coach a child encounters can be the determinant if the child will return to participating in the sport or not. Coaches need to motivate the children to play and continue athletic involvement. However, there are numerous external factors that are involved in the child’s sports life such as: peers, academics, parents, anxiety, and of course the relationship between the coach and the athlete.

Raising children in today’s society is not for the faint of heart. Raising children has never been easy, but it is especially difficult in youth sports today. Coaches and parents are putting a lot of pressure on our young sons and daughters. The pressure to succeed in sports at