Today, the cultural setting in which we play sports has been perverted by commercialization, gross acts of immoral behavior by professional and collegiate athletes, unacceptable parental actions, and irresponsible coaches. Sports are thought to help kids build character, but we can't possibly continue to think they are when increasingly we see signs to the contrary. (Research on this topic is showing similar results. Our athletes score lower on moral reasoning tests than non-athletes).
What we need today is a counter-cultural revolution. It needs to start with youth organizations in the community. From very young ages the framework for sports needs to shift from "me-first" to "team-first" and from "winning at all costs" to "winning with honor." For this shift to occur, youth associations will need to be at the forefront of change. That change will have to continue into high school and into collegiate athletics. This may be a dream, but seeing this in professional sports would be incredible.
What are the components of this counter-cultural revolution? I am not entirely sure, but I think these are the main components:
-All coaches at the youth level need to be trained and certified through a process which emphasizes the values above.
-Leadership and team training activities should be incorporated into every sport.
-Coaches should see themselves as teachers of character and strive to "win" at teaching character well.
-Youth associations should affirm the principles of good character and sportsmanship and then actively incorporate those principles. It's not enough to say you are for sportsmanship. Kids need to hear and know how to act out good sportsmanship. Its emphasis must permeate the organization.
-High schools need to incorporate leadership training.
-Coaches need to re-orient to a different coaching model. Right now, many coaches are anti-democratic in how they view coaching. They are the dictator that delegates orders to the troops. This needs to change. Good character and leadership needs to be trained and allowed to flourish! That requires a level of autonomy that is not compatible with anti-democratic coaching model.
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