High school and college basketball players have started to enter the NBA earlier and earlier as the year’s progress. In general, this is resulting in a negative effect to the college programs, the NBA, and the players themselves. Before 1994 there were usually only eight to ten early entries into the NBA. The number grew to 18 in 1995, and an astonishing 40 players in 1996, and 47 in 1997. The number of early entries in the NBA grows to the point where it is a problem that needs to be dealt with by the NBA players association. College basketball is in serious trouble. Of course, any sport would be when it’s marquee s…
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Put the Fun Back into Youth Soccer
Abstract: Youth Soccer has recently evolved into a fiercely competitive arena. More and more children are leaving recreational leagues to play in highly competitive select leagues. While select sports are a valuable resource where children can learn how to socialize and become self motivated, children who start at young ages, ten and eleven, can suffer psychological and physical damages. A child’s youth sporting experience is directly influenced by the attitudes, sportsmanship and behavior of their parents and coaches. Parents and coaches who pressure their children to be the best and not play their best are responsible for the high teenage drop out rate. By eliminating the “winning is everything” attitude, looking at the effort put forth by individual players and holding parents responsible for their actions we can return the game to the children.
Youth Soccer has evolved into a fiercely competitive arena. More and more children are leaving recreational leagues to play in highly competitive select leagues. Select leagues are made up of teams, which players must tryout or be selected to play for. I had the unfortunate task of being an evaluator at such a tryout. Fifty ten-year-old boys had come out for a three day tryout in which forty five of them were placed on three teams. Cuts were made on the field and for those boys who had made a team it was a very exciting, but for the five boys who were cut it was absolutely heartbreaking. Had the children been older they might have been able to deal with the disappointment better, but for most of them it was their first real experience with public “failure”. Select leagues have the potential to teach and promote important life skills such as hard work,…
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