Last week I heard a story on the radio about a blowout high school basketball game that took place in Utah. Christian Heritage High won over West Ridge Academy, 108 to 3 in girls’ basketball.
Instead of the story being about this awesome game that Christian Heritage won, it was about unsportmanship. Why? Apparently some have criticized the coach for allowing the team to score so high. His defense was that he only had nine available players and so he couldn’t pull out his starters.
I guess some believe that they should have slowed the game down a bit and not allowed it to be such a huge defeat. There was even talk about the fact that since they were a “Christian” school they should have been more willing to give the other team a fair shot.
I seriously could not believe what I was hearing. That is part of the problem with our children today. We don’t seem to engage in healthy competition like we used to. Now it’s all about “self-esteem” and making everyone feel good, even if they haven’t done well.
In many sports today children will get trophies or a certificate just for participating. The real winners aren’t set apart and I’m sorry but I think they should be. What is wrong with being a winner?
And seriously, what does it matter if this high school was a “Christian” school. Are they supposed to not engage in competition? I just think the whole thing is ridiculous but it’s an indication of bigger problems in our society.
I’m not sure why we think there is something wrong with losing. Losing is a part of life. We can’t win at everything and we can’t be good at everything. There are a great many lessons to be learned in losing.
Instead of focusing on the lessons that could be learned, we try to “protect” our children from them. I say that instead we get back to healthy competition. There is really a lot to be said for it.
Related Articles:
Respect Your Teen’s Values and Beliefs
Set Parenting Goals for Each of Your Children
Using Encouragement to Motivate Your Teen