SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Girls Varsity Soccer Fun, jealousy, and why we play the game

Although I am guilty of and quite enjoy hijacking threads, thought I'd move some of the tangent discussions (because they are good/intersting) out of the DHS thread.

Fun: wrong word for why we play sports. Yes, athletic endeavors are fun—at times. But the real value and I would say REASON we encourage youth to play sports is for the SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT AT HAVING PUSHED ONESELF. To me that is much bigger than "fun," which is ultimately fleeting and occasionally trivial.

I am a serious cyclist. Rode my best time at the Assault on Mt Mitchell in the 2006 event at an advancing age—better than my previous best time some 15 or more years ago. Was that fun? Was the 8000-9000 miles a year training fun? Was the ride fun? Nope. But magnificently satisfying—because I put in the effort I could to prepare and made my best effort the day of the event.

That is what I see and hear in HS athletes who GET IT. Some fun is there, of course. And it must never be drudgery, but it ain't about fun. We laugh; we get excited; we celebrate—and that LOOKS like fun. But it is much much more.

Now—with success comes jealousy, right? In case you aren't interested in a "fun" discussion. . .

I tend to agree with your statement purpleandyellow I think starting at the middle school level and up sports are more about accomplishing a goal than having fun. Can you have fun while working with your team? Yes! I know what it feels like to work and work and work during practice, workouts, and games striving to achieve the ultimate goal of winning. That’s probably why I hate losing SO MUCH. To do all that work and not achieve your goal is awful. I hate it. But it makes me work that much harder. I will always be in favor of having high school sports the lessons you learn not just about the game but about life are invaluable. So back to the issue of FUN I think you can have fun while playing sports but there is so much more to the joy you see on champions face!

kick ball—

As your tag-line argues also!

I should have added that we are trying to instill PASSION—which also looks like fun, but is much more.

And for the "fun" crowd, there IS something to be said for feeling accomplishment for putting in the preparation and playing the event well and intensely—even when your don't achieve the score to win, but win in a larger context.

Exactly I think it is a PASSION for the game; whether is soccer, football, basketball or tiddly winks that to me, is one of the most important things when you play a sport. That passion also needs to carry over into your life, family, and job. But the sad thing is, is that I believe that passion is becoming a lost word in today’s world.

Ill get off my soap box now haha

The video linked below seems to be making its way around the SCYSA soccer circles. I thought I would post it here. It is a hockey coach, but you could easily replace soccer for hockey, and not be too far off!

Hockey Coaching

P & Y - Spoken like an adult! My HS daughter plays because she loves the game. It is FUN and social for her. Fortunately, she's good at it, too!

The sad thing PurpleandYellow is that during HS many players push themselves to be better than their other teammates. One person wants to show more talent or ability than another player and this can tear a team down. It's sad that things like this happen but "jealously" is the root of all evil. This definately takes the "fun" away from a sport, but like you said sports aren't always about fun, it's about determination and perseverence to achieve the final victory.

Is pushing yourself to be better wrong?

Pushing yourself to be better certainly isn't wrong; it's something coaches try to inspire in players. However, there is a big difference between pushing to be better THAN your teammates (the I'm-better-than-you attitude, which can cause jealousy and resentment), and trying to be better FOR your teammates (the if-I'm-better-it-makes-the-whole-team-better-attitude, which inspires mutual support and common goals).