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Sportsmanship

Not running up the score is....?

  • Total voters
    30
Kandahar said:
Kids in a youth sports league need to "learn their lesson" by getting completely owned in a game? Geez, I'm glad none of my coaches were ever that competitive when I was a kid. I probably would've stopped playing baseball/soccer after one season (or less) if they were.
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Life is tough. Sometimes you get the crap kicked out of you. It's a good lesson.
 
Ethereal said:
Life is tough. Sometimes you get the crap kicked out of you. It's a good lesson.
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interesting that you find being on the receiving end of bad sportsmanship is a good thing

do you also think being raped is a positive sexual experience
 
Ethereal said:
Life is tough. Sometimes you get the crap kicked out of you. It's a good lesson.
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Are you in favor of having 8 year olds learn all their tough life lessons at that age?

Perhaps we should execute their pets to teach them that pets don't live forever.

Perhaps they should find out about a friend or a parent being raped, they need to learn innocence doesn't live on forever.

Perhaps 4 year olds need to be told the horrible truth that there is no easter bunny or santa claus. Its good for them to learn the lesson not to believe in imaginary things.

At a young age the benefits that come from not having an extremely superior team (which happens purposefully in many locations as all the good rec players are grouped up onto one team with the rest generally being filtered off into the 2nd or 3rd one) completely and utterly humiliate you for 30 minutes by running up the score purposefully.

Not to mention, as I said earlier, if your team is THAT superior you're still going to end up winning with your 2nd string in or you end up slaughter ruling them if there is one in your league. Either way, its still not like the losing team got off scot free or isn't going to learn that sometimes you just get beaten bad and there's nothing you can do about it. They're going to learn that lesson, still having their face introduced to the crap that comes with life. But at the same time they're not getting their nose shoved down into that crap by a foot to the back of the head while everyone is laughing and pointing at them, which is essentially what purposefully running up the score will do.

And at an older age, like high school, purposefully running up the score is bad coaching and bad teaching. Its bad coaching to keep your starters out there when its not needed, not allowing your other guys to get experience and risking injury to your starters needlessly. Its bad teaching as it teaches the players bad habits as they start doing plays and actions that in a normal game you wouldn't do, not to mention inherently tactily teaches show boating as running up the score purposefully on a extremely weaker opponent is essentially just show boating.

If you're in such a position that you're absolutely dominating the other team the lesson in regards to "sometimes life sucks" is going to be extremely apparent regardless of whether if you continue to purposefully run up the score. Trying to say its just teaching the other people a lesson is an attempt to rationalize the reason to be a show boating ass.
 
Goobieman said:
Because of someting that happend over the weekend...

Assume that a youth sports team so completely outclasses its opposet that it can score at will, and while doing so, completely shut its opponent out..

Is it good or poor sportsmanship for the superior team to hold back and not run up the score?

Please 'splain your answer.
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college, high school, elementary school? what sport?
 
Ikari said:
Typically there is some form of mercy rule. It's hard to say, I guess it depends on age bracket, the actual events and such. But for the basis I would say no, it doesn't mean they can't act in a way during the running up of a score which is bad sportsmanship; but if you're the better team than that's just it. You know, sometimes Cutler throws beautiful passes for a huge scoring game, sometimes he hucks out 4 interceptions. Just the game.
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broncos fan? ;-)
 
Cephus said:
Competitive sports isn't about having fun, although that can be a by-product, it's about winning. Don't want to lose, don't play.
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bull....competitive sports for children is about many things, not just winning.
 
Tucker Case said:
Then why are they called "competitive sports" and not "Life-lesson building athletic activities"?
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give obama a chance, we'll rename everything.

kids involved in sports are there for many reasons, and as a multi-sport coach of younger kids, i can tell you that they already know their athletic skills for the most part. althletics for some kids is an outlet. they're not being paid, nor are they being considered for pro contracts.

i've also found that the kids with parents who have the "win at all costs" attitude are the most miserable kids, for the most part.

and KIDS don't typically want to embarrass other kids, it's the PARENTS who do. living vicariously, even through 12 year olds.
 
justabubba said:
interesting that you find being on the receiving end of bad sportsmanship is a good thing
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Winning is not bad sportsmanship.

do you also think being raped is a positive sexual experience
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Don't ask me stupid ****ing questions.
 
liblady said:
give obama a chance, we'll rename everything.

kids involved in sports are there for many reasons, and as a multi-sport coach of younger kids, i can tell you that they already know their athletic skills for the most part. althletics for some kids is an outlet. they're not being paid, nor are they being considered for pro contracts.

i've also found that the kids with parents who have the "win at all costs" attitude are the most miserable kids, for the most part.

and KIDS don't typically want to embarrass other kids, it's the PARENTS who do. living vicariously, even through 12 year olds.
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One reason my girlfriends kiddo is playing soccer is to learn team work
 
liblady said:
kids involved in sports are there for many reasons, and as a multi-sport coach of younger kids, i can tell you that they already know their athletic skills for the most part.
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This is why so many pros are clueless about the fundamentals of the game. Missed tackles in football. The inability to play effective defense in basketball. The insane amount of strikeouts in baseball.

There is no way a 12 year old has the fundamentals down pat. Just ain't happening. The most important thing any coach can teach a kid is methodology. The proper stance for hitting, the proper from for tackling. Teh way to shoot, etc.

Athleticism alone is not what makes an effective player. It's th ehard work on the fundamentals that makes someone great.

The primary thing any coach should be teaching a kid in youth sports is the athletic skills. Anything else is wasted effort. Life-lessons are for ather venues. Sports are for learning how to play sports.
 
Zyphlin said:
Are you in favor of having 8 year olds learn all their tough life lessons at that age?

Perhaps we should execute their pets to teach them that pets don't live forever.

Perhaps they should find out about a friend or a parent being raped, they need to learn innocence doesn't live on forever.
Click to expand...

Perhaps you should refrain from engaging in hyperbole.

Perhaps 4 year olds need to be told the horrible truth that there is no easter bunny or santa claus. Its good for them to learn the lesson not to believe in imaginary things.
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I agree with this. I, for one, won't be lying to my children when they ask me about the Easter Bunny or Santa Clause.

At a young age the benefits that come from not having an extremely superior team (which happens purposefully in many locations as all the good rec players are grouped up onto one team with the rest generally being filtered off into the 2nd or 3rd one) completely and utterly humiliate you for 30 minutes by running up the score purposefully.

Not to mention, as I said earlier, if your team is THAT superior you're still going to end up winning with your 2nd string in or you end up slaughter ruling them if there is one in your league. Either way, its still not like the losing team got off scot free or isn't going to learn that sometimes you just get beaten bad and there's nothing you can do about it. They're going to learn that lesson, still having their face introduced to the crap that comes with life. But at the same time they're not getting their nose shoved down into that crap by a foot to the back of the head while everyone is laughing and pointing at them, which is essentially what purposefully running up the score will do.

And at an older age, like high school, purposefully running up the score is bad coaching and bad teaching. Its bad coaching to keep your starters out there when its not needed, not allowing your other guys to get experience and risking injury to your starters needlessly. Its bad teaching as it teaches the players bad habits as they start doing plays and actions that in a normal game you wouldn't do, not to mention inherently tactily teaches show boating as running up the score purposefully on a extremely weaker opponent is essentially just show boating.

If you're in such a position that you're absolutely dominating the other team the lesson in regards to "sometimes life sucks" is going to be extremely apparent regardless of whether if you continue to purposefully run up the score. Trying to say its just teaching the other people a lesson is an attempt to rationalize the reason to be a show boating ass.
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So, the other team should stop trying to score? Maybe give them a pity point or two? That's insulting. There's nothing wrong with being competitive. I've had my butt kicked in many a sports event, I'm not traumatized...I just hate to lose.
 
Tucker Case said:
This is why so many pros are clueless about the fundamentals of the game. Missed tackles in football. The inability to play effective defense in basketball. The insane amount of strikeouts in baseball.

There is no way a 12 year old has the fundamentals down pat. Just ain't happening. The most important thing any coach can teach a kid is methodology. The proper stance for hitting, the proper from for tackling. Teh way to shoot, etc.

Athleticism alone is not what makes an effective player. It's th ehard work on the fundamentals that makes someone great.

The primary thing any coach should be teaching a kid in youth sports is the athletic skills. Anything else is wasted effort. Life-lessons are for ather venues. Sports are for learning how to play sports.
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i think you missed my point. of course raw athleticism isn't everything.

larry bird knew that.

if, however, your less skilled players are sitting the bench because YOU want to run up the score, how are those kids learning ANYTHING? in that case, even if you win every game you coach, you're a failure.
 
winston53660 said:
One reason my girlfriends kiddo is playing soccer is to learn team work
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good, and that's a great lesson to be learned. he/she won't learn it sitting on the bench, however.
 
liblady said:
good, and that's a great lesson to be learned. he/she won't learn it sitting on the bench, however.
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In this soccer league everyone gets to play.
 
liblady said:
if, however, your less skilled players are sitting the bench because YOU want to run up the score, how are those kids learning ANYTHING? in that case, even if you win every game you coach, you're a failure.
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Well, I agree with that. But winning is still important. So is losing. Kids need to learn how to deal with both.

And they also need to learn that winning is better than losing, but if you give it your all and still lose, it's much better than losing without putting in a full effort.

Editted to add: And, yes, I'm aware that this somewhat contradicts my previous statement about "competitive sports". This is because that was mostly a joke.
 
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Tucker Case said:
Well, I agree with that. But winning is still important. So is losing. Kids need to learn how to deal with both.

And they also need to learn that winning is better than losing, but if you give it your all and still lose, it's much better than losing without putting in a full effort.

Editted to add: And, yes, I'm aware that this somewhat contradicts my previous statement about "competitive sports". This is because that was mostly a joke.
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i always coached to win, and win we did. with all my players participating. and we won, and lost, as teams, first and foremost, as individuals, second. i would say the most important thing is the STRIVING to win, not the winning itself.


rodgers looks good.
 
liblady said:
i always coached to win, and win we did. with all my players participating. and we won, and lost, as teams, first and foremost, as individuals, second. i would say the most important thing is the STRIVING to win, not the winning itself.
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We're in agreement here.


rodgers looks good.
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:(:(:(

I lost a bet with WI Crippler. The sigline is the exact opposite of my feelings. (the avatar is par tof the bet, but that's just funny) The "angry" mood over on the left is up because of that game.
 
Ethereal said:
So, the other team should stop trying to score? Maybe give them a pity point or two? That's insulting. There's nothing wrong with being competitive. I've had my butt kicked in many a sports event, I'm not traumatized...I just hate to lose.
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...I think that's quite obvious.
 
Ethereal said:
So, the other team should stop trying to score? Maybe give them a pity point or two? That's insulting. There's nothing wrong with being competitive. I've had my butt kicked in many a sports event, I'm not traumatized...I just hate to lose.
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Did you read any of my posts previous to this? I did yours.

I'm not saying that at all. you're right, it is insulting.

I don't think that a team should take a knee every down if they're up 35 points in football.

I don't think a team should hand the ball over to the opponent when they're up by 40 points in basketball.

I don't think a team should have their batters just stand and watch the ball go by or throw up lob pitches if they're up by 10 points in baseball.

I'm not saying that at all. What I'm saying is

You don't throw long bombs on 1st and 2nd down, or fake spiking the ball only to throw a touch down, or go for it on 4th down on your 40 if you're up 35 points and soundely trouncing the opponent in football.

You don't do non-stop alley oops or have your foot and a half taller man child bust into the paint each and every play or shoot nonstop 3's or play press defense if you're up by 40 points in basektball.

You don't call constant stolen bases, or pinch hit to get a power batter into the line up, or start pitching inside heat if you're up by 10 points in baseball.

And you don't sit there and continue to play your entire starting line up as you pulvarize the other team.

I'm not saying you're supposed to tank the game. I'm saying you don't purposefully try to "Run up the score". If you end up putting your 2nd or third string in there, and run a conservative but reasonable game plan, and you still put up some points then so be it. That's not running up the score in my mind.

I gave an example from last year. There was some High School Football team that won 90ish to 10, or something absurd like that. However I don't consider that running up the score as once the game was clearly handily won the coach put in all his 2nd and 3rd stringers and basically just did normal running plays or short passes. That's not "running up the score" to me. It would've been just as insulting and embarassing if he had his team just take a knee every down as he would've if he had them throwing bombs with the first team. Both would've been the wrong option and I'm not advocating one over the other.
 
Tucker Case said:
The primary thing any coach should be teaching a kid in youth sports is the athletic skills. Anything else is wasted effort. Life-lessons are for ather venues. Sports are for learning how to play sports.
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Sports - especially at that age - are about having fun and interacting with others...not about learning to crush the other team.
 
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