1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts,
using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
b. Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the
most relevant evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and
limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge
level, concerns, values, and possible biases.
Equality in Sports
Throughout the world various forms of unequal fairness is happening all around us. One particular unfairness has come to my attention, playing time. Team sports who are equally trained and educated, are not receiving equal time in play within the members of the team. Being on a team should not limit someone’s chance of participating because they are no good at it. On the contrary, they should be forced to be engaged just as the rest of the team. All players on a team must play for the main purpose of equality, motivation, and development.
What is equality? Equality is being equal; sameness in amount, size, number, value, degree, rank and etc (Barnhart). Playing time is like winning the golden ticket, you feel very happy; it makes you feel like you are on top of the world. When you do not have that golden ticket it makes you feel miserable, and believe it or not you start losing interest in the sport. Basically playing time can make or break your season. Conversely, studies also tell us the number one reason athletes leave sports is because they are not having fun. I can think we all agree that sitting on the bench is not an enjoyable experience for anyone, which raises the issue of equal time playing (Amindon). Athletes sitting on the bench want to been seen out on the court playing their hardest , making the team proud. Having athletes sitting on the bench affects the team dynamics, especially when there is a risk of injury. In sports the main focus is winning. Lets say its the final game of the season, and your team has made it through, obviously the coach is going to put the best players. The opposing team is winning by a few points, and suddenly one of the best players gets injured. The player is going to have to sit out for the rest of the game. Therefore, the coach is left with no other choice but to put in an athlete from the bench. The game is now really intense, both teams are anxious, and all the pressure is left on the athlete who hardly gets put in. All his teammates know he does not play as much. Why? Because they never give him the opportunity to do so. Both teams are tied now, the team who makes the next point will win, the inexperienced athlete has the ball and he is going for the shot but, out of nowhere another athlete from the opposing team takes it away and make the final shot. If every athlete had equal playing time everyone would be confident, everyone would have worked together to win, and the athlete would have known how to play with the rest of the team. Equal play can bring out someone’s well performance in any game, you just have to give them the opportunity to prove themselves.
Motivation for students to participate in team sports is always being encouraged. When students decide to join a sport they plan to commit to it. No one signs up for something if they plan to not try. Having motivation makes everyone go to practice and be more engaged to do better in games. Because every player received meaningful minutes, every player was engaged in practice (McCormick). Coaches play an important role in motivation. Coaches can either reinforce negative or positive attitudes towards the players. When coaches deliver positive feedback, the players sense motivation that keeps them coming to practice, and especially it makes the coach feel content. Positive feedback is good for athletes, it will destine them to carry out a well developed game, with great attitude and a positive mindset. Coaches creating bad reinforcement only makes things worst for the team or an individual. What some coaches do not always seem to realize is that the kids are not just learning from the teammates and the actual playing of the game, but they are very in tune to what the coach is doing and how the coach leads and motivates the team (Lawrence). Coaches can really affect players with their words, they can make players feel very miserable, and cause them have a low self-esteem. Athletes stop caring about school, grades, and mainly the sport. It creates this mindset that they might not be good at anything, and it ruins their self-confidence. Ruining children’s self-confidence can even cause them to go into depression, feeling like they can no longer succeed in sports and thinking negative thoughts about themselves, which can ultimately affect their everyday lives (Grassi). We have to keep in mind that we are all human beings. We all deserve the chance to better ourselves, show that we are capable of improving, and capable of treating each other equally.
Players on a team must play for development. Putting players on the court or field is an advantage for them to develop many skills in the sport. The first skill one can develop is teamwork. When an athlete is put on the court, they learn how to work with each other, and they learn to give greater respect for one another. A team like that ends up winning, because they all learn how to work well. Learning to cooperate with others towards a common goal in sports is what builds character, friendship, and learning life skills for players and coaches (Harle).
Confidence is a great development that team sports offers because it allows you to break your shell and show others what you got. Thats why there should not be any athletes sitting on the bench the whole game, because they won't be able to learn or develop any of those skills. Being confident allows you to feel good about yourself, and it does not let any negativity affect you. Confidence makes you improve yourself to things you did not think you could do, and it allows you to conquer fear, uncertainness, and much more. Believing you could be good out on the court boosts your abilities to think you can play just as good as anyone on the team. Socializing plays an important role in an athlete's development, as well.
Socializing makes you have a great time with your friends on the team, and it makes others want to participate in teams to have that connection between teammates. Believe it or not, when you are not social among your teammates you feel unhappy, and no one should get to feel that way. The person who would be antisocial on a team would be the person less likely to be put out on the court. The reason why that person would act antisocial is because if the athlete sitting out did not get included to what would be an important game where the rest of the players did contribute and successfully win the game, the athlete on the bench would feel like he did not contribute to that win. He would keep all his emotions to himself, and distance himself away while others would celebrate the win. Its always important to keep in mind that a healthy team consists of well socialized people, and equal participation. Communication can get you from the bench to the court. Having good communication with your coach will allow him to realize you have great potential. It makes you stand out because you are the one reaching to be a good team player and it shows that you could do so much more for the team than just sitting down the whole game.
Equal play time allows athletes to learn how to manage pressure. Its one thing getting use to pressure when you're always getting put into the games, but not everyone gets the chance to experience how to handle it. Handling pressure is a good life skill to learn because you will face it out in the real world. When you are hardly out on the court you really don't know how to handle pressure. If all players were given the same amount of play time, athletes would not have to feel that they might let their team down because the pressure got the best of them. Its always important to include every player to develop the skills to improve themselves in playing time. These are the things that will help shape them in life going forward (LaVoi). In all, teamwork, confidence, socializing, and handling pressure are all important developments an athlete should learn from being on a team sport. Building a high performance in a sport is all part of being developed, and everyone should be included to show a good performance out on the court.
In conclusion, all players on a team must play for equality. A team that respects each other is a winning team from the beginning to the end. We all deserve an opportunity to put ourselves out there even if they are short meaningful minutes. Players on a team must play to receive motivation. At the end its all worth it if the whole team motivates each other to participate and work together to get that win. Finally, all players on a team must play for greater development. Equal play time can provide a superior developmental opportunity to every athlete. Regardless of all opposing people, we should all keep in mind, a team full of well developed talent is always better than a team with few highly developed athletes.
Works Cited
Amindon, Michele. "10U Q&A: How Do I Show Value in Equal Playing Time?" ADM Kids. N.p., 22 Oct. 2013. Web. 17 Apr. 2015.
Grassi, Giovanni. "Youth Sports Psychology: How to Ensure Your Athletes Stay Motivated and Have Fun." STACK. N.p., 2 Nov. 2012. Web. 22 Apr. 2015.
Harle, Wade. "Benefits of Teamwork in Sports." LIVESTRONG.COM. LIVESTRONG.COM, 19 Aug. 2013. Web. 22 Apr. 2015.
Lawrence, Jessica. "Creator by WeWork." Creator by WeWork. N.p., 3 Oct. 2014. Web. 22 Apr. 2015.
McCormick, Brian. "YBCA." Youth Basketball Coaching Association Does Every Player Deserve Playing Time Comments. N.p., 1 Mar. 2010. Web. 17 Apr. 2015.
NmLaVoi. "One Sport Voice." » A Question About Equal Playing Time in Youth Sports. N.p., 27 July 2010. Web. 17 Apr. 2015.
Rottkov, Richard. The World Book Encyclopedia. 1990 ed. Vol. 18. Chicago, IL: World Book, 1990. Print. So-Sz.
Thorndike, Edward L., and Clarence Lewis Barnhart. Thorndike-Barnhart Student Dictionary. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 1997. Print.
No comments:
Post a Comment