When younger, I participated in various youth sporting leagues. In California, it was baseball. When my family moved to Wisconsin, we found soccer the more popular summer sport. I made the change, though I found myself little better at soccer than baseball. And to be fair, I wasn't all that good at football, which I played in high school.
In the youth leagues from my childhood, two things were always celebrated. Participation and success. First and foremost, kids were recognized for trying. There were many teams on the field destined to lose many, if not all the games they played. The players shared the praise of all the coaches and parents, regardless of outcome.
Success was also recognized. Those players and teams that excelled were acknowledged for their accomplishments. Their victories didn't lessen the value of teams with fewer wins. It recognized the value of working together, training hard, and playing well. In life, there are varying levels of success, and youth sports are an example of that.
It appears some would shift from that view. In New Haven, Connecticut, one youth baseball team is being punished for, well, being too good. It seems they have a shining star in little 9-year old Jericho Scott. As pitcher, his speed and accuracy has helped take his team to an 8-0 record, and first place in the league.
Now, league officials have demanded the team's coach replace Scott as the pitcher. When the coach refused, those officials cancelled the team's last game. Given the situation, Scott's parents brought in a lawyer to force the league to allow their son to play.
Sadly, allowing the phenom to play may not be the issue. It seems the league president works with a local barbershop that also sponsors a team in the league. The second place team.
Even if the accusations are untrue, the situation is still a tragedy. Disqualifying a youth for being "too good" is pathetic lunacy.
Imagine if Team Discovery had been banned from the Tour de France because Lance Armstrong had already won five times. Or if Michael Phelps were excluded from the 2012 Olympics because he won eight medals ,this year.
Perhaps the winners of last season's Superbowl, World Series, NBA playoffs, Stanley Cup playoffs, NCAA tournament, and Indy 500 should be excluded from participating in the next season of play.
When did words like success, victory, and winner become swear words. If we want our kids to understand what it means to succeed, they must face the possibility of failure.
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