My experience is different than yours and I’ve worked with kids as a Girl Scout leader, ran the science fair for my kids elementary school for 6 years, youth group leaders and sports teams. You’re opinion is not inherently any more valuable than mine or the folks disagreeing with you.
It’s not that kids aren’t smart- they’re just not as cynical as you think they are.
In their own micro social structure to the degree they can express it? Yes, they really are.
Kindergarten T ball involves 6 year olds being assigned to teams without regard to skills in a take-all-applicants league. There is very little, if any, organized practice. Everyone gets to play and oftentimes no score is kept (oh the horrors).
You don’t think there is a large difference between that and high school varsity baseball? I’m not sure then of the value of your observations on the subject.
MMkay… if memory serves, I drove my son to T-Ball practice at least twice a week pending weather in upstate New York, but ok the rest of it stands. So…
High school sports and extra curricular activities are also take all participants? Because I am honestly not understanding what you are getting at. The community rec leagues are filled with many of the same high school players and others. Some play both leagues , some play one or the other. PONY league baseball and Babe Ruth baseball being two that I have been involved with. Art competitions were fiulled wiht coem one come all submissions. Spelling bees, science club, Mathletes, were al lthe same. Come during lunch, stay after school.
I honestly have NO idea what you are talking about.
There are leagues that don’t keep score?
How do you know who won?
The kids’ll tell you.
What I’m getting at is that participation trphies are (almost?) exclusively an element of youth community recreational leagues for kids between 5 and 10 for which there are no tryouts. The purpose of these leagues is to encourage PARTICIPATION in a fun activity and to see if the kids like it.
You bet your ass there are tryouts for varsity teams. They most assuredly do not take all comers unless that is the only way they can field a team. Similarly, for younger kids of higher skill levels, there are travel teams. These are competitive and involve tryouts. Not all comers are accepted on the team. The purpose of these leagues is competition and skill development. Participation trophies are not a common element of these leagues.
How about instead of a Don’t-keep-score league there’s Kid-keep-score league and the parents have to stay out of it?
The purpose of the rec leagues is organization. Participation is not ever a problem with kids. Have you never seen the bajillion pick up games in a park or empty lot or school playyard? Seriously?
Yep there sure are try outs … but there are varsity “a” teams, varsity “b” teams Junior varsty, freshman teams sophomore teams etc etc… High school sports is deifnitely all comers and placed on the various teams based on relative skill levels. Yes, I agree they do not come with participation trophies. I repeat, so…
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I’m down for that… It’s called sandlot games.
Yup. That’s the way sports used to work. No trophies. No adults.
Parents got involved and screwed everything up. That’s how it usually works.
When we say “participation” in this context, it means faithful participation in an organized enterprise.
I’m not sure what yo uare trying to say here
Seriously, I have not. In fact, I challenge you, right now, to go out and take a picture of a pick up game of 9 on 9 baseball consisting of teams of 7 and 8 year olds. Given that you’ve seen bajillions, it should be easy.
Your observation rings especially false in this day and age, when any kid interested in athletics will not have time or enthusiasm enough for pick up games, given the multiple sports/multiple activities involvement most describe. Finding more that a dozen kids with the interest and availability? I doubt you have any experience at all with modern youth sports, or modern youth, for that matter.
I await your photo evidence to the contrary.
Seriously, dude. No you are right… 9 on 9 official rules with licensed umpires, hot dog vendors, internet webcasts and a press box for a pick up game would be hard to find. But again, and I keep saying this, so? What the fuck does that have to do with literally anything?
The point of the fact is that kids participate in sport, activities, whatever they are interested in in whatever they can manage to scrape together. Whether it be nine kids going four on four wiht an “all-time pitcher and anything hit to right field is an automatic out” or three on three half court. Which is really the point of things. Kids don’t NEED the organizationn to be encrouaged to play. They don’t need participation trophies. One kid brings a bat, another a couple of tennis balls, and they throw something together for a day. They don’t do a head count and say “Damn… only fifteen of us, guess we can’t play.”
The other day I saw about half dozen, eight kids playing soccer at the field while picking up my granddaughter from the nearby elementary school. There was nary a single paparrazzo to be found. At the same time, the basketball court had several kids shooting hoops eventhough Gus Johnson wasn’t doing play by play.
This isn’t an uncommon thing. I live in the suburbs of a fairly large city, do you live soemwhere where kids don’t play?
So get a picture. Because despite your claims about bajillions of pick up games, community rec leagues still exist. There are enough kids around to join up in a take-all-comers everyone gets to play t-ball or coach pitch league. Perhaps your anecdotal observations are not sufficiently systematic to assess the needs or market for a community youth participatory sports league.
I’ve lived as a parent in two suburban towns of approximately 35,000 people. Growing up in a suburb of St. Louis of about 20,000, I can say that I also never saw pick up baseball games going on.
Perhaps you grew up in Norman Rockwell’s time?
especiALLY
Wow dude, yeah maybe… living the dream… but that standing still while he paints is getting real old especially since he’s been dead for decades. Tough luck about that gulag, thing though. Maybe once the heavy snow passes you’ll hear a rumor of a one on one tether ball match with a sack of rotten onions. I think it’s officially sanctioned so give The Ocho a looksee, they might rebroadcast it.
What the fuck?
