I coached both of my sons in soccer and basketball for almost 10 years of my life. Most of their teams were in local recreational leagues from 1st to 6th grade and they typically played basketball and tennis on their school teams during their middle and high school years. The common credo during those days was that the coaches had to ensure that the “kids should have a lot of fun”. I used to tell the parents of the kids that I was coaching: “I’m not a camp counselor, the kids are going to have fun, but my job is to also teach the kids something about the sport and about teamwork”. The most demanding effort was when I coached Barry in the 9th grade AAU basketball… that required so much of my time that I felt like I was moonlighting in another job.
During my coaching days, Missy and I used to get into disagreements because I declared that I didn’t support the idea of “participation trophies”. I used to say that we are not communists and everyone doesn’t get the same rewards for just showing up… Rewards are based on performance… Well, it appears that participation trophies are now going to be topped with a new stab at political correctness. An article in the Seattle Post indicates that Washington State (the new bastion for Liberalism), is considering legislation to outlaw booing at sporting events.
I know… Clap for every player and give everyone a trophy… that’s a path to success!