Wussifying sport is an own goal

From the time they flick marbles, knock checkers off boards and call “Snap!” young children understand winning and losing. They know which is more fun; tantrums when results do not go their way need to be nipped in the bud. Simple games are a chance for children to learn to win and lose graciously. So is junior sport. But at the start of a new footy season, when hundreds of thousands of youngsters will take the field, newcomers to children’s codes (the word competition would be a misnomer) will find no scoreboards, team ladders, finals series or even winners and losers. Awards for best and fairest players are discouraged. So are trials. On today’s politically correct junior sporting fields, unlike in real life, all participants are equal, chief sports writer Jessica Halloran reports on Saturday. The philosophy seems to be if anyone wins a ribbon they all win ribbons. And if anyone keeps track of scores it is the children, whose instincts are sounder than those of the officials who have sanitised junior games.

The Weekend Australian applauds sporting competitions and schools that encourage children to have a go, regardless of their ability or lack of it. It is a great sign when schools celebrate the success of their D, E and F teams against their peers from other schools, as well as the achievements of the First XV. Some competitions, sensibly, modify rules to give young players a go and the chance to build skills — such as cricket matches in which each pair of batters faces a minimum of three overs. Removing the idea of winning or losing, however, is akin to turning a grand slam tennis tournament into a series of exhibition matches or decreeing that neither Queensland nor NSW should win State of Origin.

Australian football legend Kevin Sheedy, who played and coached 1000 games from 1964 to 2013 and was involved in eight premierships, knows why it is unwise to protect younger children from losing. That experience, he argues, teaches children an important life skill: resilience. “It can make you stronger for those more difficult times off the field,” he said on Saturday. “Losing in sport teaches people to sometimes handle the loss of relationships, health issues or your job.”

Sarah Walsh, a former Matilda and Football Federation of Australia’s head of game development, acknowledges the “kids still keep score” because “the game is about winning and losing”. She cites anecdotal evidence suggesting parents are better behaved when ladders are removed. Unsporting “stage parents” bellowing at their children, opponents and referees are lamentable. But their idiocy cannot justify the “wussification” of sport.

Practices vary among the major codes about when junior games introduce scoring, ladders that record teams’ results and finals. Auskick, the Australian Football League’s junior arm, does not record scores for teams with players aged five to 12. Soccer’s junior game, the Mini-Roos, does not keep score for those aged four to 11. Rugby Union does not introduce scores until players are 10. It is not clear how children then relate to more competitive environments, for which some will not be prepared. Nor is it clear why the codes have banned scores for younger children. Child psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg is unaware of evidence suggesting why scores in children’s sport should be banned. Like Mr Sheedy he believes such bans deny children the chance to learn to handle defeat and adversity. The practice is an own goal.