Is Winning Everything

KIN 125

Youth Sports Agents

• Adults– Parents– Coaches

Parents living vicariously through their kids

Achievement Motivation

• To excel in an activity for personal or intrinsic goals

• Fear of failure: to avoid negative feedback such as punishment or ridicule. To please others such as parents.

Winning

• According to Arthur Ashe, winning is rewarded.

• Utilization of extrinsic rewards.

• Outcome as a significant factor

Pee Wee football team

• 55 ten to eleven year old youth

• 30 remained have way through the season

• 10 cut

• 15 quit

Little League Program

• Meeting the motivation of youth: to have fun and learn the skills to play baseball

• Low key games

• Learning as a significant factor.

• Developmentally appropriate learning:– Examples:

What do youth want from their sport experience?

• According to Michigan State University Institute for Youth Sports:– Have Fun– To Learn skills and Find Something I am

Good At– To Stay In Shape– To Be Part of a Team and make friends

Reasons for Drop Out

• Youth cite the following:– Was not fun– Did not learn skills– Coach played favoritisms to skilled members– Video:95% of kids surveyed want to have fun

and 75% said they would rather play on a losing team than sit on the bench of a winning team.