Sport and Social Values

Article: Character Building
On Tuesday, February 3, 2015 in my American Sport in the 21st Century class we discussed sport and social values and we were faced with the question - how does sport contribute to norms, values, and behavior? Before we were able to answer that question we needed to know what those three words meant. Norms is expected behavior from the occupant of a social position. Values are anything that is desirable and important, it's how we choose our goals. Values are what guide our behavior, having values means making choices, which creates behavior. 

There are four main values in sport. These values are:

Character Building 
Competition / Winning
Health / Fitness Promotion
Nationalism / Patriotism 

All four of these values have a positive side and a negative side to them. The Livestrong article "Does Participating in Team Sports Develop Good Character" focuses on the character building value of sport. Who says that sport builds character? For starters, former athletes say that it helped them build character. Coaches and those who make a living out of sport also believe that sport builds character. 

According to Livestrong article participating in sport teaches kids the tools to understand relationships and teaches them positive behavior. Sport allows kids to connect the principles and expectations of society to their actions. This helps teach the kids decision making which is one of the many characteristics sport helps build. The other characteristics that sport helps build are: 

• Leadership
• Work Ethic
• Integrity
• Courage
• Sportsmanship
• Teamwork
• Self-Control 
• Honesty
• Respect
• Responsibility 
• Self Confidence 

Since there is such a big focus on winning within sport only the best players play, even in youth sports. On Tuesday, February 3, 2015 we were faced with the question - how does sitting on the bench build character or help a child's self confidence? This question brings the negative side of character building within sport to the surface. When kids first start participating in sport at a young age, many do not understand that the ultimate goal is to win. As they get older, they begin to understand that concept. If someone is on a team with all of their friends and their friends play and they sit on the bench how is that going to make that individual feel? It certainly is not going to help their self confidence but as they get older one may decide to stay on the team to be apart of the team. Teamwork is more than the individuals who play. It takes an entire team to win, the ones who do play need the support from the ones who don't play. That is a big part of teamwork, being there for each other no matter the circumstance, which then creates trust, which then teaches lifetime lessons. There is always going to be positives and negatives within the topic of character building within sport. The following youtube video highlights the positives: Rugby, Building Character

Major Problems in Organized Youth Sport

Article: Youth baseball parents to peers: Our kids deserve better from 'grown ups'
On Thursday, February 12, 2015 in my American Sport in the 21st Century class we discussed organized youth sport. Organized youth sports emerged in the U.S. in the 20th Century after World War II because one million men failed the selective service physical component of the draft. After the Kraus Weber Tests, which is a physical fitness test, took place in 1959 comparing U.S. kids to European kids the U.S. realized how physically unfit the U.S. was. The U.S. began to focus on programs that emphasized competition and physical fitness as preparation for future occupational success. Organized youth sports, which are athletic leagues or teams that promote competition which includes individuals between birth and eighteen years of age, began to grow rapidly in industrialized countries. Organized youth sports are one way for kids to become active and interact with other kids their age. There have been social changes within society that connect directly to the growth of organized youth sports. Along with the growth of organized youth sports there are some major problems within youth sport. 

On February 12, 2015 we outline five main social changes that are related to the growth of organized youth sports:

1. Increase in families with both parents working outside of the home
2. New definitions of what it means to be a "good parent"
3. Growing belief that informal activities provide occasions for kids to get into trouble 
4. Growing belief that the world is a dangerous place for children
5. Increased visibility of high-performance and professional sports in society 

These five social changes has allowed youth sports to grow. 47 million kids participate in organized youth sports and the most popular sports for kids ages six to seventeen are:

• Basketball - 23 million
• Baseball - 15 million
• Inline Skating - 10.4 million
• Outdoor Soccer - 10.3 million
• Tackle Football - 8.9 million
• Skateboarding - 8.8 million
• Volleyball - 5 million
• Touch Football - 6.7 million

65% of U.S. kids have participated in youth organized sports. Why do some many kids participate in youth sports? The number one reason why kids participate in sports is to have fun. If having fun is the main priority for the kids then why is it that 1/3 of youth sport participants dropout each year and that 70% quit by the age of thirteen? There are only two main reasons why kids dropout and quit: negative coaches and negative parents. These two reasons are part of why there are major problems in youth sport. The major problems within youth sport are: 

• Overemphasis on winning
• Pressures by significant others to achieve success
• Instilling unrealistic goals of stardom or professional status
• Overuse injuries / overtraining / burnout
• 1.35 million youth athletes a year have a serious sport injury 

All of these major problems can be connected back to negative coaches and negative parents. In class we discussed how some parents live vicariously through their kids, especially when it comes to sports. The Washington Times article "Youth baseball parent to peers: Our kids deserve better from 'grown-ups'" highlights the impact parents and coaches have within youth sports. 

Jackie Robinson West

A Little League Baseball team based out of Chicago, Jackie Robinson West was stripped of its U.S title. Why did the team lose its title? Because the coaches allowed kids to play on the team who lived outside of the teams geographic area. This specific example connects back to my American Sport in the 21st Century class because of the overemphasis this team had on winning. The coaches and parents were willing to break the rules to win even though they knew what they were doing was wrong. 

Before the team got their title stripped, they were getting national recognition for being the first all-black team to win the U.S. Little League Baseball championship. This recognition created unrealistic stardom for the players not only because it was not going to last but because it would soon ruin their reputation. Some say that they players did not know that they were breaking the rules but there is no way to prove it. The pressure for success that came from the coaches and parents made the kids either think that what they were doing was ok or ignore what was going on to win. This has been an ongoing problem within youth sports, adults thinking that it is acceptable to allow their kids to break the rules for sports. Watch the following youtube video for more information about the troubles the Little League has had with boundaries and rules: Jackie Robinson Stripped of Title