Other Sports News - Youth Sports

There is an epidemic in America. Its called “Team” Sports. Every where you look, kids are playing soccer, football, baseball, basketball and lacrosse, all for themselves. We are constantly beating our kids into playing multiple sports, and teaching them that they are more important then the team. There are parents trying to live out the sports dream that they never could. If their kids don’t play, then the parents give the coaches an earful, often threatening them and harassing them, causing many good, self-respecting coaches to quit. Kids are led to believe that if they play on “exclusive” travel teams that they will have a future in a major league. That if they concentrate their energies into themselves, that they will be better and make themselves better for them and not their teammates.

And THAT is what ticks me off.

For the past two years, I have played on a football team at my high school, Apex High. Our coach has stressed that no one is better than the team. Everyone runs sprints, everyone is told to do laps, up-downs, and no one is excluded from the group. And that’s what makes us a family. Everyone of us has been through everything together. We have formed life-long friendships, bonds that will never cease. Everyone on my team, Junior Varsity or Varsity, would pick a team mate up, if they are having a bad practice, if they are struggling, or something off the field.

Granted, high school football is probably the last REAL team sport. Baseball, you have travel teams, players only practicing so the coaches will watch them, and to get things for themselves. Hockey, players are introduced to the “Me-first” philosophy at an early age, and they continue to show it, especially on the ice. Basketball, you need look no further than Ron Artest’s outburst at the Palace on Friday. And its true in soccer, lacrosse, and everything else.

And it won’t be fixed until upstanding adults stand up and take a stand. Until adults wake up and smell the coffee. Until they stop funding these bull crap teams and leagues, our youth will continue to be corrupted.

And this teenager can’t stand it.

Alex




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