REDESIGN Youth Sport
Submitted by Guest on Thu, 10/29/2009 - 12:40.
Our recent panel has brought up lots of good questions about organized sport for young people. What experiences have you had with organized athletics, and what would you do differently if you ran the game?
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The 'Gifted' Athlete Problem
One of the comments on the panel that I would like to hear more about was introduced by Jim Richardson. He was discussing the problems engendered by labelling someone talented too early on in their athletic and other endeavors. He recommended that we redesign our views about young athletes to focus more on other aspects of practicing when trying to become excellent at something. Nevertheless, we tend to focus on ' the gifted' and 'natural' athlete who almost early on and effortlessly is talented. And which the coach calls 'the natural' or that athlete that comes along once in a coach's career. To be sure, there are several out there. But the fact is, they come along once in a coach's career. Most people are not gifted or have natural talent in athletics. And there are many, many studies and books, such as the one Jim recommended, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck, that attempt to get away from the gifted and natural fallback we have come to assume is the norm rather than the exception in teaching children sport.
Any ideas about how to shift the assumption about giftedness and 'the natural' in youth athletics?
What is the alternative?
When you spot talent, you have to encourage it. A talented athlete can really lead a team to excellence. On the other hand, too much focus on the star player means that other team members lose out on certain opportunities.
This leads me to another ethical issue. What are the ethics of opportunity? What happens when an athlete comes from a tough background or a broken home, or abuse? Often times, a coach takes these young people under their wing and uses sport as a way to pull them up out of their troubled home life. Is charity an element in sport? And how are school budget cuts narrowing the range of opportunities for young athletes?
Our panel revealed how few athletic scholarships are out there for young people. Our interview with Huron High School swimming coach Kelton Graham talked a lot about privilege among athletes. Are sports becoming too expensive? Who can afford the equipment, the fees, the private coaching? Among 'gifted' athletes that are sought out by colleges and are ranked high in draft picks, how many come from wealthy backgrounds, and how many were given scholarship assistance?