Everyone Wins sports leagues

My brother just signed my niece up for one of these "everyone wins" softball leagues. I just wanted to get everyone's opinions on this. I understand the philosophy behind it, but I think it hurts the kids more than it helps them.

When I was young, there were "everyone plays" leagues. That didn't mean that everyone played the whole game, but everyone got a chance to play for a little while. If you weren't good enough, you were the one riding the pine, or chattering from the dugout. I can remember, even at a young age, wanting to be on the field, so I practiced. I got better. I had a DESIRE to be the best. Where will kids get this desire from now? "No, I don't have to get better. I win anyway." They have no reason to better themselves. Also, when the game was over, you were either a winner or a loser. Plain and simple, it sucked to lose. But, it taught us that we had to try harder to win. Winning isn't free and nothing in life is free.

It's a fact of life that someone wins and someone loses. Loss and adversity is what creates the desire to become a champion. I feel that the younger a person learns this, the more successful they will be in anything. Being part of a sports team taught me more about life in general than anything else I've done. It teaches people all kinds of life lessons that should be learned at an early age. The "everyone wins" philosophy pretty much suffocates(sp?) all of these lessons.

YouTube Link

So, I guess my question is "what benefit does a child (or anyone for that matter) get out of an everyone wins sports league besides a little bit of excercise? I would love hear some other opinions.



[edit on 21-5-2008 by MrWilliams]

The child learns that they don't have to try harder or try much at all if they're assured of being a 'winner' regardless of how they play.

Not a good thing for the child when they enter the "real world" and do have to compete.

PC = Plainly Crazy....

These are children, they need to be out getting exersize, having fun, playing with others their own age, etc instead of sitting on the couch playing video games. It's not always about winning, sometimes it's just about having fun, and I see nothing wrong with that.

Don't you remember as a child going out and playing just for the sake of playing? There didn't have to be a winner and a loser in everything did their?

I do remember. As far as I know, children can still do that. I agree totally that there doesn't have to be a winner and a loser in everything, but the simple fact remains, that in sports (and most other things they will encounter in life) there IS a clear winner and loser.

"If everyone is special, that means no one is." Dash - The Incredibles

I just watched that movie the other day and hit upon that sentence. Its true if everyone is a winner, that means no one is. If everyone is a winner, then no one stands out because of their efforts. If everyone is a winner then these kids can just go out, wander around the ball field for a couple hours and go home. There is no desire to do better next time, no elation of standing out, of winning.

What kind of generation is being raised with this kind of thinking?

Will this generation of American children be capable of dealing with the coming challenges?

I fear for my 'golden years'.

Instead of there being no loser, they should teach the kids that losing isn't the end of the world, and you'll just get better from it.

I had to bump this thread as these leagues are getting out of hand. I was having a conversation with a few neighbors today about this issue, and we all came to an agreement on one thing. "Everyone-wins sports" is socialism.

No one has to even try to win, and those who are better than the others will see no merit for their extra efforts; why should they even try. Same thing can be said with our future government slide towards socialism. The higher incomes will be taxed more, only to have a higher percentage taken away. What is the point if you bust your butt for the opportunity to meet your goals, only to have a larger wall to climb. The harder you work the harder it gets. So why even try.

Welcome to the program that is training our children(future leaders) to embrace socialism with great love...........and no effort needed.............not like we haven't achieved the the socialist coup already.



EDIT: spelling

[edit on 30-11-2008 by Unmask The Deception]

As a long time player and 4 kids,and coached baseball for over 20 years,when I grew up if you weren't good enough they would drop you,now they have the instructional leagues,which we weren't to keep score just teach children the fundementals,as a board member as I talked to the coaches this was fully explained,I'd tell them the best thing you can hope for is a kid that has no skills at the end of the year has learned to catch and throw a ball,I think this is a good thing,but as the game progresses to more advanced play this is where the line should be drawn,this is how injuries occur,being forced to play a kid that doesn't pay attention and is out there only because his parents wanted him to,but the reality is if they try out for the school team,they will fing their percieved skills don't match up,so yes some time or another got to face reality

reply to post by MrWilliams

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I think you're over analyzing this all.
Let your kid have fun.. it's fine.
better than the kid sitting indoors playing video games all day.

why not analyze video games?
play one enough.. and eventually.. you'll always win that too!

maybe if your kid starts tapping into that residual human nature and starts gnashing her teeth craving to dominate and win WIN WIN!!! constantly.. then you can put her into a more competitive arena.

she'll let you know when she's ready.


till then... let her experience being a kid..before you start slamming the "in life there are winners and losers and by god, you're gonna be a winner!" lectures all to early...

sheeesh...


freaking parents.....



psychotic.


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