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Table of Contents

Cover Story

Cover Story - Spanish Version

Mini-Lesson

Comprehension Quiz

Teacher's Guide and Worksheets

Good Sports

By Ross Workman

Bang! My teammate tumbles to the ground as one of the players on the other team knocks him down. The referee pulls the aggressive player aside and gives him a penalty. My teammate does not respond or overreact. This is a scene that plays out many times on the soccer field in my town.

I play on a traveling soccer team in Westfield, New Jersey. Everyone on my team, including parents and coaches, has signed a pledge called S.A.G.E., which stands for Set a Good Example. We have promised to act positively toward players, referees and coaches, to control our emotions and practice good sportsmanship.

Jack Rickles, 11, from West-field, also plays on a traveling soccer team. He says S.A.G.E lets everyone know you'll be a good sport. My coach, Mat-thew Felix, believes S.A.G.E. helps to remind parents and coaches how to be good sports too. "A lot of coaches push winning far too hard and make it a higher priority than they should," he says.

S.A.G.E. is not the only goodsportsmanship program out there. During Silent Saturdays, parents are forbidden to cheer, yell or coach. And about 3,000 communities participate in National Alliance for Youth Sports training programs.

Some coaches, parents and athletes believe that too many restrictions can take the fun out of the game. They say competition is not bad. Coach Felix agrees that competition can be healthy: "The more competitive it is, the better you get at a sport."

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Are Kids' Sports Too Competitive?

YES! The pressure put on kids to win at all costs has become a real negative. I've had parents tell me that they treat baseball like homework. They make a child practice every day. They say, "He doesn't like it, but he'll thank me later."

When kids are discovering the joys of sports, they should be encouraged to play whatever they want at a level that suits them. That way, they will learn what sports they enjoy and will become well-rounded. Playing multiple sports helps develop overall athleticism. As kids mature, they will be able to decide which sports to focus on. Sports teach kids so much. We need to let kids choose and explore.

- Cal Ripken Jr., baseball great, runs a foundation that promotes youth sports.

NO! The problem is not competition. A professional sports mentality is polluting youth sports. Pro sports is a business focused on making money. Youth sports is about athletes learning lessons that will help them succeed in life.

Competition is part of life, and there is no better place than on the playing field to compete in a way that honors the game, as Cal Ripken Jr. always did. To win graciously and play by the rules are lessons best taught through sports.

When athletes have coaches who want to win while pursuing the more important goal of using sports to teach life lessons, competition is healthy, beneficial and enjoyable.

- Jim Thompson is the executive director of the Positive Coaching Alliance.

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