The physical and social benefits of youth sports participation have long been applauded. Tragically, a win-at-all-cost mentality wipes away the majority of these positives. Too often, we overlook how that mentality increases the risk of violence and injury.
In recent years, overuse injuries have quadrupled and half of all pediatric sports injuries are linked to burn out (Brenner, 2007*). Young, developing bodies cannot withstand the demands of professional, year-round training and competition.
The impact is not only physical. Depression is a common side effect of recovery due to physical restrictions, threats to athletic identity, lack of contact with teams and coaches, and injured athletes’ perceptions of themselves as failures. Recovering players also face anxiety that their absence will cost them their position or standing with the team.
Injuries resulting from a win-at-all-cost mentality are clearly preventable. To learn more about this issue, families, athletes, coaches, athletic trainers, and all those who are invested in the long-term participation of youth in sports are encouraged to attend the Second Annual National Concussion Summit this April 18th in Marina del Rey, CA.
I will be a presenter at this event, which also features former NFL star Warren Moon and PCA National Advisory Board Member Leigh Steinberg. I look forward to helping as many people as possible overcome the win-at-all-cost mentality that threatens children’s physical and emotional well-being.
-- PCA Champion Casey Cooper, Ph.D., Sport Psychologist
Dr. Casey Cooper (www.drcaseycooper.com) is a California Licensed Psychologist, specializing in Sports Culture. She maintains a private practice in Mission Viejo and assists individual athletes, families, and teams.
* Brenner, Joel (2007). Overuse Injuries, Overtraining, and Burnout in Child and Adolescent Athletes. Pediatrics, 119, 1242-1245.
Posted by David Jacobson at 04/04/2008 01:28:42 PM |
With high-stakes testing in schools, students are quickly learning that school is about winning and losing. It is our jobs to remind students that school, athletics or life is about reaching one's personal goals and achievements.
We can establish this by teaching youth to try their best and at the same point continually reminding them that success is really what makes us feel good, not winning. If you do this, you feel good even when you “lose.”
Posted by: Greg Baney ( Email: | Visit ) at 4/7/2008 5:23 AM
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Dr. Cooper,
In 2007, Little League implemented a mandatory pitch count to reduce injuries to young and developing arms from overuse. I would also urge that the pitching of breaking balls at youth levels be greatly reduced or eliminated altogether. The quote below from Patrick Wilson, VP of operations for Little League International, evidences that Little League is looking into the situation...
"Little League also continues to receive advice from volunteers regarding breaking balls,” Mr. Wilson said. “All of the evidence so far points to overuse at the main reason for pitching-related injuries. However, we continue to monitor this situation, and we are in fact taking part in a multi-year scientific study that we hope will provide clear direction on this issue. Once that study is complete, Little League will take the appropriate measures.”
While I think this is a positive step, I also think Little League has things out of order in their approach. Since, as Mr. Wilson indicates, the evidence is NOW pointing to an overuse of breaking balls causing injuries, why is Little League waiting for a "multi-year" scientific study before making a decision? I believe the appropriate position would be to take the more conservative and safer approach by limiting or banning breaking balls now and wait until the experts have weighed in. Since we're talking about our children's health, why take the chance?
Posted by: Ward Kanowsky ( Email: ) at 4/7/2008 11:16 AM
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Hello Ward,
You make a great point on the blog. Although I agree with you as a parent, I can understand the need for research to confirm or introduce a new policy.
However, it does seem that they are making a "recommendation" that should encourage coaches and parents to take their own action NOW! This can be difficult for the parents if there is disagreement with their child's coach.
Best of luck in addressing this issue with your child's coach. Stay firm in your beliefs of safety first!
Congratulations on being informed and involved.
-Dr. Casey
Posted by: Dr. Casey ( Email: | Visit ) at 4/8/2008 3:49 PM
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Another perspective on the win-at-all-costs debate -
I watched a yelling match break out between parents after a Little League game last week and heard two determined schools of thought dominate the argument. I know there are a variety of things that parents, coaches and even umpires disagree over. But the most heated quarrelers represented two points of view. For lack of better labels, I call them the - Everybody is a Winner party and the Win at all Costs party.
Everybody is a Winner proponents feel that establishing and protecting self-esteem should be the most important goal of all youth events in schools, churches, communities and homes. No young person should ever feel the sting of defeat, rejection or failure. It can be too destructive to their young hearts and minds and leave crippling damage that will limit their development and eventual maturing.
Consequently, competition is not a good thing because it creates winners, and labels others as losers. Sporting activities should only promote participation, not rivalry.
On the other hand, Win at all Costs advocates believe that life is not fair, so kids are better off when they learn that lesson early. Competition is a part of life that doesn’t always feel good, can help develop character, but may not be for everyone.
If a young person on the team doesn’t help the team win, they aren’t going to have the chance to play as much. Why is it so horrible and insensitive to let some kids - and their parents, know that sports may not be their best choice? When the piano instructor tells the boy who can hit .425 and turn the double play that he’ll never play Beethoven, he is expected to handle it.
A few years ago an incident in a Utah Little League championship game underscored the differences that exist within these two parties. A coach chose to intentionally walk the best home run hitter on the opposing team. This brought up to the plate, with two outs in the last inning and the tying run at third, a small ten year old boy who had very little chance of making contact, let alone a base hit.
Treatment of a cancerous tumor and years of chemotherapy made just being on the playing field an achievement for this youngster. When he predictably struck out on three pitches, the winning coach’s strategy sealed the championship for his boys. Much of the ensuing firestorm of debate, name-calling and pontificating then fell along the lines of these two seemingly contradictory parties.
Many observers felt that, had the youngster actually been the next batter in the lineup, it would have been perfectly normal for him to go to the plate and do the best he could. But for the opposing coach to intentionally walk the team’s slugger so they could isolate this weaker and much less talented batter was blatant abuse of Little League’s spirit of fair play. There was strong public outcry to decrease the competitive nature of youth sports.
The coach countered that his job was to lead his team to success and the pennant. Nobody begins a season without wanting to win the championship. That is a goal worth pursuing and all players are on the team to succeed. If a boy or girl is in the game, they ought to be treated just like the other players and be prepared for any strategy that is within the rules.
Knowing these two divergent points of view are alive and lobbying in our schools and communities makes Jim Thompson’s book, “The Double–Goal Coach,” a most necessary voice of reason and balance. Without the perspective of Thompson and others in PCA, youth sports can end up being dictated to by supporters of one extreme view or the other.
It may be those who have no regard for athletic competition, hoping instead to alter it altogether - Everybody is a Winner. Or those who earlier in their own lives felt they never got the championships and glory they deserved, and end up taking out their frustration on the poor kids assigned to their teams – Win at all Costs.
It is interesting to note that men and women, who have excelled at the highest levels in their chosen fields, are often the first to identify competition and sports as the great arena where good coaches taught them not only teamwork, self-esteem and sacrifice, but also how to win with humility as well as gracefully handle defeat without humiliation.
Texas A & M University since 1994 has annually honored a former student who has gone into coaching with an Outstanding Coach of the Year Award. In the light of our discussion, their criteria for recognition is very telling and confirming. The nomination should consider character, integrity, respect of players and community - as well as won and loss record. Enough said.
Posted by: Art Noyes ( Email: ) at 5/21/2008 8:19 AM
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Weird story almost sounds made up. Who would put a cancer ridden ten year old behind a known long ball hitter at that age or any age? I would be surprised if one of two things are happening, it was setup to promote this event, and if this is the first time this kid was walked to get the next weaker player, I would be surprised.
Does it matter that the next batter had cancer? What are the criteria for pitching around a known long ball hitter? The next kid must be weaker but not have cancer? The next kid must not be weaker and have cancer? The next kid must not be weaker in any fashion. The next kid must not have MS? The next kid should not have some sort of mental issue? How did the defensive coach know this next kid, other than by appearance had cancer, had anything? I can show you weak looking little people who will drive a fastball and knock you off your feet.
This is the first time this kid was walked all season? The batting order was always a strong long baller and then a 10 year old frail cancer victim?
Makes no sense, this team with the cancer kid must have done something right all year to get to this "championship" game. So how many ABs did the kid have all year? Was this a show to create issues for the other team?
This seems like a made up fairy tale, where in the movie the 10 year old frail kid hits a blooper to win the game. I spent 10 minutes writing this because I have heard this before and find the whole thing so out there it has no credibility at all.
The weaker kid played on a "championship" team all year and this was the first time there was an issue?
I quote championship because it is in the article and there is the problem, what if it was just a normal league game with no effect on "championships"? Would it have all this impact?
This is where all the adults should take a hard look at "championships".
Would it have mattered if it was JUST a league game with no effect on status? How did a cancer survivor or cancer ridden weakened kid get on a championship baseball team?
Why would he want to? Kids are cut everyday from every age group, team or whatever, where some pickup truck driving Dad Coach, is trying to stack his team, the main reason is he can't coach to begin with so if he gathers enough young studs, or studetts [gals], he can go beat up on every other team, go home and tell his wife what a stud he is for winning the $3.00 plastic Trophy, [symbolic I know], and tell all his buddies at the bar what a stud he is for taking all the strong kids and beating up on the weaker?
So how did this cancer kid get on the team? I don't care if he did or didn't, just how did it come about?
I would probably not take him on my team for a couple reasons here is ONE: A weakened kid like that could be seriously hurt playing competitive ball, did anyone think about that?
It all sounds phony, and if true, it was a setup of some kind, nothing makes sense.
Will Babbitt
Posted by: Will Babbitt ( Email: | Visit ) at 5/27/2008 9:59 AM
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I applaude the coach who put the ill kid on the championship team. And I applaude his team for doing the right thing. The only thing they did wrong was to put that kid to bat against the strongest pitcher.
Posted by: alex ( Email: ) at 5/30/2008 11:23 AM
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