My kids' team just go eliminated from a soccer tournament.....

[Hawk in SEC Country]

As someone who didn't really play organized sports except one summer being forced to play on YMCA basketball team and then competitive ballroom dance in college, I really think the amount that sports prepares someone for live is highly overstated.

I just look at it as a physical activity that is fun. And that's reason enough to play them given how bad obesity and sedentary lifestyle is in our culture.

I do however think participation trophies are a bad idea because it could cause kids to believe they will be rewarded for failure. On the other hand we should also work to avoid putting kids under too much pressure to win. Sports should be fun and winning is a heck of a lot more fun then losing, and that should be reason enough for them to want to win. But it worries me if kids start to feel like adults will look down on them or care for them less if they fail to perform.

So we severely need a balance between the two extremes. And adults that verbally abuse kids at sporting events should be kicked out period. They aren't pro's who get paid to take verbal abuse from other teams fans, they aren't college athletes who are grown up enough to let it slide off their back, and they aren't even high school kids who can sort of get that this comes with the territory. An 8 year old shouldn't have to listen to adults verbally abuse them just because said adult's kid plays on the other team. . . or even plays on the same team and said adult is mad cause they think this particular kid is a bad player.

Competitive ballroom dancing?

Whatever, twinkle toes.

 

[torbee]

Could not agree with you more. This year for the first time, our club divided out the U13s into premier and competitive though so we will lose some of those contacts.

We have plenty of friends who play baseball tournaments all summer and I'm sorry but those feel absolutely painful to sit through.

I never played soccer and never really wanted my kid to play it. But we have been blessed with incredible coaches, a ridiculously high skill level in his age group and as a result have been treated to some really good quality games to watch. I've grown to love the game and will be sad when he's done playing it someday.

And I should add that I LOVE baseball. I played Little League and I still watch games on TV and go to several River Bandits and Cubs games every year. I'd probably really enjoy watching my kid play Little League as well - but from a time-sucking standpoint, it's way, way, way worse than soccer.

 

[WhiteSoxClone]

People care way too much about this topic. Seriously, why do people care? Do you think that if your kid gets a participation trophy for a soccer tournament in 4th grade that they are going to be a crappy entitled employee when they are 35? Likewise, if your child doesn't get a trophy, do people think that their child is going grow up to be a spineless adult because they have no self esteem?

My daughter got a participation medal for softball this last summer. She thought it was great and wore it around her neck for the rest of the day. Then she lost it the next day and promptly forgot all about it. I could not have cared less whether she got a trophy or not. And people that spend time worrying about and putting energy into thinking about the long-term effects of giving trophies to children amaze me.

I mean honestly, its hard to think of a topic that evokes more emotion and yet is more meaningless than this one.

 

[CarolinaHawkeye]

And no one got a participation trophy.

In fact, in 7 years, my kid has never got anyithing for participating- only for first and second place trophies in tournaments.

Yay soccer!

2nd place trophies? Isn't that like a participation trophy?

 

[PhantomFlyer]

You ever seen professional ballroom dancers in person? I have.

Not just anyone can spin their body around several revolutions in one second. The speed and body control required at the top professional levels is crazy.

Maybe not the most athletic sport out there, but more athletic then golf or baseball and no one argues that those arn't sports.

Try hitting a baseball coming at you at 95 mph, or throwing a baseball 95 mph, then get back to me if these guys aren't athletic.

 

[LuteHawk]

It was the late, great Ted Williams who said,
"The most difficult thing in all of sports....It is hitting a
baseball that is thrown 95 MPH." This MLB Hall of
Famer knew what he was talking about.

The hand-eye coordination in hitting a baseball is
something that guys like Hank Aaron, Stan Musial,
Willie Mays, Frank Robinson, and Ted Williams
excelled at. Then you have Babe Ruth who could
both pitch and hit a baseball better than his peers.

 

[torbee]

People care way too much about this topic. Seriously, why do people care? Do you think that if your kid gets a participation trophy for a soccer tournament in 4th grade that they are going to be a crappy entitled employee when they are 35? Likewise, if your child doesn't get a trophy, do people think that their child is going grow up to be a spineless adult because they have no self esteem?

My daughter got a participation medal for softball this last summer. She thought it was great and wore it around her neck for the rest of the day. Then she lost it the next day and promptly forgot all about it. I could not have cared less whether she got a trophy or not. And people that spend time worrying about and putting energy into thinking about the long-term effects of giving trophies to children amaze me.

I mean honestly, its hard to think of a topic that evokes more emotion and yet is more meaningless than this one.

I don't think he meant that baseball is not athletic, just not as athletic as dancing. And depending on your definition of "athletic" he may be right.

I literally HATE dance - I dated a dance major for about a year and she dragged me to show after miserable, boring, effeminite show. But there's no denying those dancers are very athletic.

But I'd watch 900 baseball games in a row before I'd willingly subject myself to another dance performance.

 

[Pinehawk]

Try hitting a baseball coming at you at 95 mph, or throwing a baseball 95 mph, then get back to me if these guys aren't athletic.

You've only got to actually hit it once out of every 3 or 4 times to be considered successful...

 

[Tenacious E]

And I should add that I LOVE baseball. I played Little League and I still watch games on TV and go to several River Bandits and Cubs games every year. I'd probably really enjoy watching my kid play Little League as well - but from a time-sucking standpoint, it's way, way, way worse than soccer.

It can get long and a time suck for sure. Format is 2 pool games on Saturdays, and then a game Sunday morning. Your kids keep playing if they keep winning on Sundays. Most they played was three games on Sundays a couple of times but there are other tournaments where kids can play 4 games. I enjoy being at the park and the camaraderie but 3 games is enough for one day as that can start with an 8:00 a.m. game, then either 10:00 or noon, and then either 2 or 4 meaning they're done playing at either 4 or 6. And god forbid there is a consolation game. Would rather go home than sit around watching them play for 3rd!

 

[3boysmom]

And I should add that I LOVE baseball. I played Little League and I still watch games on TV and go to several River Bandits and Cubs games every year. I'd probably really enjoy watching my kid play Little League as well - but from a time-sucking standpoint, it's way, way, way worse than soccer.

Wait, wait, wait. We're supposed to actually WATCH the games? I thought we were supposed to be getting a tan and chatting with the other moms about stuff like how to get stains out of pants and The Bachelor and crap. These games end long before we run out of things to say. Just ask the dads who are scrambling for a spot far away from the moms.

 

[torbee]

Wait, wait, wait. We're supposed to actually WATCH the games? I thought we were supposed to be getting a tan and chatting with the other moms about stuff like how to get stains out of pants and The Bachelor and crap. These games end long before we run out of things to say. Just ask the dads who are scrambling for a spot far away from the moms.

Ha, basically the same at soccer. And then my wife gets mad at ME when she misses the kid getting a goal. "Why didn't you tell me he was about to score?" Uhh, I'm not a freaking psychic!

 

[Menace Sockeyes]

Wait, wait, wait. We're supposed to actually WATCH the games? I thought we were supposed to be getting a tan and chatting with the other moms about stuff like how to get stains out of pants and The Bachelor and crap. These games end long before we run out of things to say. Just ask the dads who are scrambling for a spot far away from the moms.

HAHA! This is why I don't go to pro baseball games like I did as a kid. Pretty much everyone around you is there for social hour and yapping, often in a drunk and annoying fashion (ironically probably the most dangerous spectator sport to not pay attention to the field of play during). I would add wrestling and rugby 7s to the list of few youth sports that don't drag.