A recent column about sportsmanship in The Citizen provided a view of the type of problems endemic in youth sports: taking them too seriously.

Parents love to watch their children succeed in their chosen sport. We often commit much of our free time to the pursuit of the development of our children via these sports, so we as parents have a vested interest. But too often we lose sight of the bottom line, which is to give our children the opportunity to learn about teamwork, respect and sportsmanship, not to mention good old-fashioned fun.

Michael Boylan wrote that the key to good sportsmanship is respect. I agree, and that respect includes all parties; children must respect their coaches, parents must respect the coaches, and coaches must respect the parents.

As a volunteer for Little League in Peachtree City, I have experienced some of the problems that lack of respect causes; it’s hard to go anywhere today and find a perfect youth sports program. But what amazes me most is the parent that takes a young child out of a program like Little League to go to a more “competitive” environment.

When a 6-year-old child is traveling or participating in more than 50 games a year, it hardly seems fun. Is the focus on winning? Is the focus on sportsmanship? Can a child really be expected to want to participate in organized sports later in life when their childhood was spent in a car on the way to the next game?

In a time when children are hardly allowed to be children, the value of Little League becomes apparent. Sure, there are overly competitive coaches. Sure, there aren’t always enough volunteers for the program to run without glitches. And sure, kids may want to play more or less games than the program can offer.

But Little League’s mission is about more than just winning. And this 100-percent volunteer organization believes that “through proper guidance and exemplary leadership, the Little League program assists youth in developing the qualities of citizenship, discipline, teamwork and physical well-being. By espousing the virtues of character, courage and loyalty, the Little League Baseball and Softball program is designed to develop superior citizens rather than superior athletes.”

I for one would add fun and friendship as important ingredients to the healthy development of a child. After all, isn’t that what we really want for our children?

Please support your local Little League.

Pat Heimes-Taylor
President, PTCLL
Peachtree City, Ga.

login to post comments