Guest Post: It's Just a Game

Daren Cable is a community member that I've only just recently met in person.  I've known his wife for many years (she makes cool jewerly, ornamanents, pottery, and lots of other goodies), but I have only heard rumors about this Daren guy until a couple months ago.  Unlike MOST some rumors that spread around our small community, the ones about this guy were all AMAZING!! "He's building a program that people are excited about.  The kids want to play hard and the parents are cheering loudly."  The biggest compliment I can give him is that I wish they had a monster Keegan's age so that he would be Keegan's coach! 

You can follow the little cats here: https://www.facebook.com/WoodmoreLittleCatsFootball

It’s Just a Game

I am a coach.  I have been a coach for several years.  I started out coaching soccer, then baseball, and now for the last several years, youth football.  I absolutely love youth sports.  Kids can learn things through sports that they simply cannot learn in a classroom.  I try to do all the right things and I try to teach my assistant coaches to do the same.  All the kids play in every game, we keep it positive, we are polite to the refs and the other team, etc, etc, etc…..I’m sure myself and my coaches could do a better job, but we really do try to do the right things and set a good example.

I also try to remind our coaches, parents and players that it is only a game.  Yes, it’s true, we won’t be playing for a World Championship in youth football at the end of the year.  Our lives do not depend on it and we won’t lose our jobs or houses if we don’t have a winning season.  It is only a game.

Sometimes I wonder if people forget this simple fact; football, soccer, baseball, basketball…..they are all games, period.

I realize this may be a hard concept to grasp, so let me give some examples.

The first couple weeks of our practices in the summer, we have practice on Wednesday evenings.  Once school starts, we take Wednesday evenings off.  I learned long ago that some 6^th graders have catechism on Wednesday evening once school starts so we don’t practice on that night.  This year, during the first week of the season, I had a couple of parents tell me their kids would miss practice on Wednesday, because they had to go to church.  No problem I said, God is more important than football.  "Will they be punished?" they asked.  I was surprised by this question.  No, they will not be punished.  They won’t have to run, they won’t miss out on playing time, they simply won’t be punished.  God is more important than football.  It sounds like an easy answer, but just the fact that they asked, tells me that other coaches do punish kids for missing practice to go to church. Seems sort of silly to me.

A couple of weeks later,  a dad sent me an email.  It read something like this:  Every year for as long as I can remember, I have went on a fishing trip in Michigan. It is an annual tradition and something I really look forward to.  For the last few years, I have told my son that when he turns 10, he can go along.  So this is something he and I have looked forward to for quite some time.  I intentionally scheduled the trip this year around the football schedule, but when the non-league game against Sandusky was added, it fell on the weekend we had planned to go fishing.  I completely understand if you want him at the game and if so we will cancel the trip.  It is your decision coach, and we will support it either way, I'm just asking if it would be ok for him to miss the game.  No problem I said, family is more important than football.  "Will he be punished?" the dad asked.  No, he will not be punished.  He won’t have to run and he won’t miss out on playing time in next weeks game.  Family time is more important than football. 

Toward the end of the season, I had a mom call me.  She said, “My son is really struggling with math.  It is his hardest subject and he is trying really hard, but he needs to miss some practices to keep up with the work.”  No problem I said, school is more important than football.  "Will he be punished or miss game time".  No, he will not be punished.  It seems crazy to punish a kid for doing math doesn't it.
 

When I read my examples above, it seems like common sense.  But here’s an example from the other side. 

A friend of mine has a daughter who plays a high school sport. She also does well in school.  Over several months she progressed through an academic competition, sponsored by her school. She advanced through districts, regionals and state.  She made it to the national competition in this academic area.  This is a BIG deal.  She traveled across the country to compete and she ended up placing third in the NATION.  Awesome.  But when she returned she had to sit out two games in her sport because she missed two practices?  For academics!?!?! 

God, family and school are more important than football.  Sounds crazy doesn't it?  But you know what; I will not punish a kid for missing football for those reasons.  If it is abused, yes, there will be consequences.  Going down to play in the river with your brother instead of going to football practice?  That is unacceptable.  You get my point. 

Most of us at some point lose sight of the fact that we are just playing a game.  Yes, there are life lessons to be taught and learned while playing football, and other sports, and I believe there are things that you learn from sports that you cannot learn in a classroom.  BUT, it is just a game. 

Think about this, think about how much time you and your son or daughter have spent over the last year playing and preparing to play sports.  Not just football, but baseball, basketball, wrestling, soccer, cheerleading, volleyball, etc….  the list goes on and on.  Practices, games, camps, more camps, spring, summer, fall, winter.....

Is it really just a game? Or has it become more? Has it become too much??? 

Maybe I am wrong, maybe it’s not just a game, maybe I should check the facts…..

I work for a large corporation that hires hundreds of people every year.  I asked our HR Manager how many people we hired last year because they were a good football player.  ZERO!

I did some research on academic scholarships verses athletic scholarships.  On average, 1 billion dollars are handed out each year for athletic scholarships verses 9.5 billion dollars for academic scholarships.  Over 9 times more money given out for good grades!! 

I looked up the statistics on how the United States of America stands up against other countries, not in football, but in academics.  We ranked 25^th out of the 34 countries measured in math, and 17^th in science.  Ouch! Not good. 
 

Maybe I was wrong.  Maybe we do need to spend more time playing football. (Sarcasm, sorry.)  

I'm not proposing we quit playing football and other youth sports, because as I said in the beginning, I believe there are things that you learn from sports that you cannot learn in a classroom.  It is a good experience.  BUT, it is just a game. 

Just imagine, if we cut back just a little bit. Don't stop it, just cut back. And spend that time doing some extra homework, or sitting in the living room just talking with your kids, or going to church, or helping a family in need.  Imagine the difference we could make. 

I am merely asking you to think about it, and do me a favor.  Sometime this year, one time, just say no.  If you are a coach, cancel a practice, or if you are a parent, decide not to send your kid to that extra camp.  Just say no, and spend that time with your kids, doing something as a family, or working on math, or going to church.  It will make a difference.  And if anyone asks you why, tell them, "it is just a game".