youth league sports-should everyone play?

[AnnMorin]

Ok for forth grade through six grade basketball should children play all the same regardless of talent. Play the best kids and the others sit and learn or play them all but let the older kids play more? This is for a rec. league no tryouts necessary. All kids regardless of ablility are intitled to play. Would it be fair or unfair to let the better players play more? Also there is another league for the excellent players-you must try out for it but many players do both. I am purposely not stating my position t see what others think..will fill you in later.

 

[worm761]

if it is a rec league and there are no tryouts then everyone should get equal play. as for the teams that have tryouts then i could see giving the better players more time on the court. then they earned that.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

Because there is the opportunity for the more competitive players to play in another more competitive league, I think everyone in this league should have equal playing time.

 

[gepetto]

I think everyone should play...but let the best players play more. The goal is still to win even though it's just rec sports.

 

[MerryPoppins]

Equal playing time. At that age, kids should all get a chance. I don't think it's just about winning. It's about exercise, self-esteem, learning to be part of a team. Just my opinion.

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

In the rec league... all should play, but you have to have some incentive for kids to work hard, so the kids that work the hardest should play more. Notice this is not saying the BEST kids (there are a lot of LAZY best kids out there!!) should get the nod. If you map out playing time... equal to the second.... then you are teaching kids that they DESERVE to play just by showing up. No effort, no learning new skills, etc. They need to understand that they will get their fair share of time, but if they work extra hard to improve, chances are that they will get more playing time.

I have coached everything from 3 year old T-ball to high school varsity, and the worst disease in the world is having kids that believe they deserve playing time just because...... because they are a senior, because their dad is the principal, because their family gave $$$$ to the program..... you get the idea.

 

[rajak73]

They all need to play in rec ball, but I'm not sure equally. I'm not a believer in the "feel good" mentality. I will agree with the ones that work hardest. Not all kids have the same ability in sports or in academics and I don't believe in all kids getting the same GPA because it makes them "Feel good" GMHO

 

[Kallison]

We have a rule in our league, if you are sitting out the first 4 min. of the quarter you will be put in the second 4 min. of the quarter. I believe this is fair, especially when parents are paying ($100) for your child to play. Of course there are always the unfair parent coaches who leave their child in the entire game regardless.

 

[AnnMorin]

This is very interesting thatnks for your replies... keep voting folks, I want a clear idea of what others think is right!

 

[Pin Wizard]

Originally posted by worm761
as for the teams that have tryouts then i could see giving the better players more time on the court. then they earned that.

I disagree with that! If everyone on the team "made it", they should play equally for the most part. I'm one who started at the bottom of cheerleading as a "sub". I can tell you that the "sub" title can put doubt in your mind and give you a lack of confidence. When it came down to the wire and a "regular" was unable to enter a competition, I went in and did just fine! Our team won 2nd place, and there was quite a gap in scoring between first and second place.

 

[AnnMorin]

Let me clarify. In rec league ALL children regardless of abiltiy talent whatever are entitled to play. There is a "suburban" league that you can try out for which is based in theroy on talent. So no one tried out for the rec league or "made" the team. By living in the town you are automatically on the team if you so choose and pay your fees.

 

[cinlee3]

In our rec league every child must play at least 50% of the game. They need to only attend one practice and the coach cannot require them to attend more or lose playing time. Our league has gotten very strict on this rule. Even if a child gets to the game late the have to play 50% of the time left in the game.

I agree that every child should get 50%(does not say equal, some will get more than 50%) but if they are not putting out the effort or never attend practice I don't really think they "have earned" the 50% because it hurts the team that they are not at the practice. But that doesn't matter it is rec, the parents have payed the fees and the child must play. It is not all about winning in this league.

I have a child who is gifted athletically and has been on a very high level select team. He has played every minute of most every game do to his athletic abililty. On this team there are some who play very little. On this team I think it is OK. It is select and they have to earn playing time.

My other plays on recreational teams. I have had to on occassion time his minutes to ensure he was getting his 50%. This bothered me. He attended every practice on time, every game on time. He was an average player, but when it came to tournaments or championships, the coach did not play all the kids 50%. This is absolutely not right in a rec league.

 

[Patio]

In our town's league, the teams are picked by the coaches. The top 2 picks must play the entire 1st quarter ( 7 minutes ) and sit out all of the 2nd quarter. All kids are then required to play at least 3 minutes in the second half. This gives all the kids an opportunity to play and you only get better if given the time to play. The emphasis should be on learning the game and having fun. Too many times, the emphasis is put on winning. My son's coach plays all 9 players, is very encouraging to all players, makes sure every kid gets a couple shots per game and has a 9-1 record. His son is the best player in the league and yet, all his players feel like they've contributed when the game is over, win or loss.

 

[cinlee3]

Patio - that is the way my DH coached. My DS was the best on the team, but he played him the same as any other kid. He found every kids' strength and used that and made sure all of the kids felt like a big part of the team.

The is the way it should be in recreational sports. If the child wants to play, they should get every opportunity.

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

I would never coach or allow my children to participate in a league where every parent has a stopwatch to make sure their child got their fair share. We have coached where our DS's were the best players, and there were kids who were 'bad' that contributed more than some of the 'good' kids who just did not accept their role.

Again.... it all should be based on attitude and effort. Everyone who has ever coached knows that you cannot please everyone. Some kids, no matter how hard you try... will not accept their role and will not put in the necessary effort to be an integral part of the team. Kids that don't show up to practice because they just did not feel like it don't deserve to play at all, IMO. Yes, they are kids... but they are eventually going to be adults. The quicker they learn that a positive attitude and effort lead to success in athletics, the better off they will be.

 

[cinlee3]

I agree that if you don't show up to practice at all, that playing time should be affected, but our league has decided you can't do that anymore. They were having a big problem with rec coaches demanding that players attend extra skills sessions, three practices a week, purchase expensive warm-ups, bags etc., so they got very strict about it this year. A player only needs to go to one practice a week, regardless of whether the team has one or four practices.

I do think that if the child is going to practices, getting to games on time, giving a good effort, they should not be penalized with less playing time

I am talking about rec leagues where the players are chosen by blind draw and there are no tryouts. Select leagues are a totally different situation.

 

[Disney Dee]

The better players who play both, should not have more time then the other kids, but on the try out team, the best should get more time, they got to be best through hard work, so they should be rewarded.

 

[Doctor P]

At the 4th thru 6th grade level, everyone should play a substantial portion of the game, and the best players should also take their turn on the bench. Kids who work hard and follow the coaches instructions should be rewarded.

 

[AnnMorin]

I thank everyone for their imput and am so glad that apparently my DH is right. He is the assit. coach and took huge offense the the head coach was letting the "best" players have the most time. These are the same players on the "suburban" league (which you must try out for) that come to whatever practice they feel like etc. My husband really went out on an "integerety limb" by standing up for the kids and was looked at like someone who does not want to win. He feels that things are out of perspective that rec league is about giving everyone a chance. In case you are wondering DH did play H.S. and college ball and D.S is a pretty good player. But he strongly - no ademently- feels that rec league is about instruction and letting ALL kids feel like a worthy part of the team.. This has been a very combative week and I am glad to hear that he is fighting the "good" fight.

 

[disneychrista]

Rec League - all in theory should play half the game or play equal time. In practice (since sometimes not every shows up, not equal # of player, etc.) I think each player should have as "equal time" as possible. My one DD Basketball team only has 9 players on the team, only 7 usually show up for the games and practices any give time, so obviously it would be hard for her couch to play each player equal time. IMO in this case those players who show up to practices and games consistantly and are trying their hardest should get the "extra" time.

Competitve Leagues - there should be some minimum play requirements but the best players should get the most time because it is after all a competetive league.