Back to Basic: Games of Groans

Let me make one thing perfectly clear: I think there is no one more passionate about American sports than I am. Let me make another thing perfectly clear: I think there is no one more disgusted about American sports than I am.

 What sounds like a schizophrenic admission is, unfortunately, an accurate description of what football, basketball, and baseball represent to me. When I was much younger, I loved playing and watching these sports; and now that I am but a spectator, I don't mind watching almost any game on TV -  besides following all the teams and players I root for. (Growing up in Wisconsin, I was a Green Bay Packer and Milwaukee Braves fan, and I still have a soft spot for the Packers even though I cheer for the Jets and Giants.)

But it is the dark side of the sports world that gives me agita. Each week, it seems, there are news reports of some gifted athlete accused of child abuse, domestic violence, or drug and alcohol abuse. Just this week alone there was a newspaper story that one of the candidates being considered for the professional  football Hall of Fame might not be able to attend his induction, if elected, because he's serving a long-term prison sentence for robbery and murder!

Then there's the matter of the ethos of sports in our society. I think sports is dominated by the belief that you are not successful unless you are winning and making money. "Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing," seems to be the prevalent mantra, a quote attributed, sadly, to my beloved Packers legendary coach Vince Lombardi although he clearly recanted it near the end of his life. Make no mistake, sports is big business; and the teams that generate the most revenue, often by hook or by crook, are considered elite franchises. That is why we read so many stories of athletes who cheat, use banned performance-enhancing drugs, play dirty, or intentionally injure an opponent – all in an effort to secure a victory, a prized ring or trophy, or a more lucrative contract.

The win-at-all-costs mentality of the pro leagues is even affecting youth sports which are becoming more fraught with pressure. Potentially promising young athletes are forced to play on elite travel clubs, to specialize in one sport, to compete in often far away tournaments,  and to pursue college scholarships, often at ridiculously young ages. Such kids have to deal with overwrought parents and angry, shouting coaches. It is no wonder that the number of children playing in team sports is falling as many kids just give up.
 

Lucky for me, my brief sports career took place in a different era when Eisenhower was President; it was a simpler, less competitive time in youth sports. I played one season on a Little League team with the buddies from my neighborhood. I think we were sponsored by the Hoffman House Restaurant, an elite dining establishment in Madison, Wisconsin. But we were far from an elite team. We played a total of 18 games, and we lost every single one! I managed to scratch out six hits during the season, all singles. I don't remember that we had any coaches, and I certainly don't recall my parents or any of the other kids' parents coming to a single game. Yet despite a losing record, I look back on that experience with a sense of triumph and celebration; I had enormous fun and probably learned more about life than if I had been on a winning team.

 
My son was blessed with much more athletic talent than I ever had. He even made his high school varsity basketball team as a senior, and by midseason he was the starting point guard. I went to nearly all of his games which were held in schools in the New York metropolitan area where we lived. Two games, in particular, stand out in my mind because they pitted my son's team against the team that won the league championship that year and went on to play in Madison Square Garden. My son's team lost each of those games but by only one point each time! I know my son learned a valuable lesson from those games, namely, accepting defeat. The idea of playing hard, doing your best, and, if you lose, dusting yourself off and trying again has served him in good stead in his professional and personal life.

Now it is my grandchildren's time to play competitive sports; and they are playing in an era when, experts say, youth sports in the United States are among the worst in the whole world! When coaches eschew morality and values in favor of victory uber alles, when spectators sit crouched on sidelines like wild animals waiting to attack officials or to excoriate the players, when, as I witnessed,  a mother can walk over during a timeout and slap her own son across the face in front of his teammates, when concussions and serious injuries are rampant, then organized sports may be hazardous to the well-being of our kids.
 
Notwithstanding, I believe that all athletes on all levels, from T-Ball to the Majors, can and should have a positive experience in sports. How can this be accomplished? My answer is simple: let's return to the six fundamentals which can reinvent sports and which I have summarized in my A-B-C-D-E-F Paradigm.

Athleticism: At any age, everyone can and should lead an active athletic life. Even a septuagenarian like myself can enjoy a weekly doubles tennis matches which sometimes fit the title Game of Groans!! The point is that sports should be played at an age appropriate level. My tennis mates and I aren't looking to set grand slam records, at least usually not. But, sad to say, it has been estimated that 80 percent of what younger athletes need to know to become physically literate is not included in their organized sport participation. We must stop treating kids like adults. We must stop the cycle of youngsters learning only one set of movements or using only certain muscles in practice. Research has shown that kids who specialize in one sport for eight months or more a year (at the exclusion of others) have a significantly higher risk of stress fractures and other severe overuse injuries. We should foster what is called a mastery climate, namely, a learning environment that emphasizes physical fitness and skill training.  We should focus on developing general strength, stamina, balance, and speed appropriate for that age.

Bonding: At any age, sports should be about teamwork. This is an especially important socializing mechanism for boys and girls in our society. Team sports is a great model in which to learn that by working together as a part of a group with a common goal, things can be accomplished that otherwise would be out of the reach of individuals. Do you know who is the athlete who most exemplifies the antithesis of bonding? According to those who knew him best, Barry Bonds taught how not to be a teammate; when 24 teammates would hang out with one another, play cards and bond, Bonds, whose career is forever tainted by accusations of using banned substances while setting home run records, would sequester himself in the far corner of the clubhouse with his p.r. man, masseur, flex guy, weight trainer, three lockers, a reclining massage chair and a big-screen television that only he could see. Better to be a small fish in a big shared group stream than a big and aloof Bonds.

Character: In our society, we tend to put athletes on a pedestal and treat them as heroes. As celebrities and VIPs, they can and should serve as positive role models by, at the very least, demonstrating good sportsmanship, grit, professionalism, handling pressure, and humility. After all, they're not engaged in rocket science, delicate surgery, or protecting the environment. They're getting paid, and richly so, for playing a game. I don't think it's too much to ask that athletes should try to provide service to others less fortunate, to invest in the lives of their fellow citizens. That's why there would always be a place on my team for a player like Tim Tebow and others like him. He may not have the strongest throwing arm but he gives 150 percent effort in whatever sport he plays. But he also keeps things in perspective so that the game is not all that really matters. In the end, he is on a mission to make a difference in those less fortunate than himself. When he was a member of the Denver Broncos, every week he would pick out someone who is suffering, dying, or seriously injured. He would pay all expenses to fly these people and their families to games, and he would send them off with a basket of gifts. Shouldn't we encourage all athletes at all levels to try to inspire with their own random acts of kindness and good character? And I am all for parents signing a contract to refrain from any negative remarks about or to any player, coach or referee and to applaud and cheer good plays by both teams, as the director of my grandsons’ basketball league has instituted.

Discipline:  When we are enthralled while watching a player at the top of his game, such as Peyton Manning or Mariano Rivera, we forget about the thousands of hours that they and other superstars put into every season. Sports can and should encourage hard work and perseverance, and its emphasis on specific rules and consequences is an important mechanism for teaching discipline to our children. But the star players will also be the first to admit that there are no guarantees that intense preparation will lead to success. Baseball, for example, is a game that embraces failure, where striking out two thirds of the time is considered success. Without discipline and rules, chaos would exist on the playing field as it would be every man or woman for himself; the ensuing mayhem would not be fair or safe for the participants.
 
Effort: Vince Lombardi said near the end of his life about the "winning isn't everything, it's the only thing" quote: "I wished I'd never said the thing...I meant the effort. I meant having a goal. I sure didn't mean for people to crush human values and morality." Derek Jeter said it even better: "There may be people who have more talent than you, but there's no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do."

Fun:  We do not say we "work ball;" we say we "play ball." Therefore, the process should be exciting, pleasurable, and enjoyable.  Players should love the sport and should have fun performing.. Promoting aggressive behavior on the sports field has, sadly, led to reports of players engaging in more and more violent behavior outside of the athletic context.  Research has also shown that  a win-at-all-costs climate is negatively related to athletes’ enjoyment and liking for their coach. Yogi Berra, who perhaps had more fun than anyone in sports and brought more joy to others, gave us such philosophical insights into sports as "Ninety percent of this game is half mental." Not sure what he means? Neither am I, but that's part of the fun!

Conspicuously missing from this paradigm are the notions of winning at all costs and collecting revenue. When these are the motivating factors, I believe sports becomes a force of evil.
 
I am proposing giving sports back to our kids. We need to  stop  creating such intense pressure and just let the kids enjoy playing  for the fun of it. Why put so much pressure on our children when only a small percentage will play in college and an even smaller percentage will play professionally?

 A step in the right direction would be going back to basics: the A-B-C-D-E-F guidelines for sports should serve as the mission statement wherever athletes are practicing or competing in baseball, football, or basketball.