"building self esteem" goes too fa again....

[CosmicCowboy]

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/youth-soccer-rule-win-by-more-than-5-goals-and-you-lose

Youth Soccer Rule: Win By More than 5 Goals and You Lose

News by Mark Berman Opposing Views
(2 Days Ago) in Sports
In another move designed to protect children from the horrors of losing, a Canadian youth soccer league has come up with a new rule: If a team wins a game by more than five goals, that team loses by default.

The Gloucester Dragons Recreational Soccer league in Ottawa says the rule is intended to prevent blowout victories. The rule replaces its five-goal mercy regulation, whereby any goals scored beyond a five-goal differential would not be registered.

Kevin Cappon, 17, has played in the league for five years. During a game last month, with his team ahead by the "allowed maximum" of five goals, Cappon said the players just kicked the ball around for the rest of the game so they wouldn't lose. He said the rule is just dumb.

“They should be saying anything is possible. If we can get five goals really fast, well, so can the other team,” Cappon said. “People grow in adversity, they don’t really get worse…. I think you’ll see more leadership skills being used if a losing team tries to recuperate than if they never got into that situation at all.”

Cappon's father Bruce echoed his son. “Everybody wants a close game, nobody wants blowouts, but we don’t want to go by those farcical rules that they come up with,” he said. “Heaven forbid when these kids get into the real world. They won’t be prepared to deal with the competition out there.”

In addition to the five goals rule, other new measures include encouraging coaches of stronger teams to: rotate players out of their usual positions, ensure players pass the ball around, ask players to kick with the weaker foot, take players off the field, and encourage players to try and score from farther away.

League Director Sean Cale defends the new rules, saying the league is not trying to take the fun out of the game -- it is simply trying to make it fair.
__________________

[resistanze]

And that's why Canada hasn't made the World Cup since 1986. They wouldn't pull this shit for hockey.

[Stump]

I can kind of see that rule for 8 year olds, but teenagers? Seriously?

[Drachen]

You know what is a real confidence builder? Being down by 7 goals in a soccer game and coming back to win, or even lose by 1. This scenario has the added bonus of developing character. You know what would lower confidence? Being down by 5 and watching the opposing team just toy with you.

Oh and even though it has been a very long time since the last time I played soccer, I know that it is a whole hell of a lot easier to protect the ball, than it is to actually try to score. This = less of a chance of the other team getting the ball and this = less scoring chances for the losing team.

[SpursStalker]

He said the rule is just dumb.



I'm gonna have to agree with that statement ...

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

Silly. I was always taught (and firmly believe) that one of the best lessons that sports can and should teach kids is respect. Respect for their opponent, respect for the game, respect for themselves and the best way to show all three is to play hard and to the best of your ability at all times. Why have a rule that undermines that?

[Cry Havoc]

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/youth-soccer-rule-win-by-more-than-5-goals-and-you-lose

Youth Soccer Rule: Win By More than 5 Goals and You Lose

News by Mark Berman Opposing Views
(2 Days Ago) in Sports
In another move designed to protect children from the horrors of losing, a Canadian youth soccer league has come up with a new rule: If a team wins a game by more than five goals, that team loses by default.

The Gloucester Dragons Recreational Soccer league in Ottawa says the rule is intended to prevent blowout victories. The rule replaces its five-goal mercy regulation, whereby any goals scored beyond a five-goal differential would not be registered.

Kevin Cappon, 17, has played in the league for five years. During a game last month, with his team ahead by the "allowed maximum" of five goals, Cappon said the players just kicked the ball around for the rest of the game so they wouldn't lose. He said the rule is just dumb.

“They should be saying anything is possible. If we can get five goals really fast, well, so can the other team,” Cappon said. “People grow in adversity, they don’t really get worse…. I think you’ll see more leadership skills being used if a losing team tries to recuperate than if they never got into that situation at all.”

Cappon's father Bruce echoed his son. “Everybody wants a close game, nobody wants blowouts, but we don’t want to go by those farcical rules that they come up with,” he said. “Heaven forbid when these kids get into the real world. They won’t be prepared to deal with the competition out there.”

In addition to the five goals rule, other new measures include encouraging coaches of stronger teams to: rotate players out of their usual positions, ensure players pass the ball around, ask players to kick with the weaker foot, take players off the field, and encourage players to try and score from farther away.

League Director Sean Cale defends the new rules, saying the league is not trying to take the fun out of the game -- it is simply trying to make it fair.
__________________

"Crap, this team is killing us! It's 4-0 already!"

"Wait a minute....."

He scores an own goal!!

"WE WIN!"

[FatBeaner]

so if an opposing team is up by five, the coach can then switch strategies and tell his kids to kick at their own goal...tell his goalie to just get out the way...:lol

[resistanze]

"Crap, this team is killing us! It's 4-0 already!"

"Wait a minute....."

He scores an own goal!!

"WE WIN!"

This is actually an ingenious way to protest this rule. Score on yourself 5 times and go undefeated!

[Strike]

Just another example of people raising kids to be pussies who can't handle having their feelings hurt. Once again, I'm glad I don't have kids.

[Tony Sinclair]

Just another example of people raising kids to be pussies who can't handle having their feelings hurt. Once again, I'm glad I don't have kids.

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/ic/blogs/preps/uploaded_images/1-719757.jpg

[desflood]

Just another example of people raising kids to be pussies who can't handle having their feelings hurt.
:tu

One of the most important lessons I've ever taught my kids (especially the oldest, who is a terrible loser) is that you can't always win. Sometimes you just have to suck it up and be a good sport.

[Strike]

:tu

One of the most important lessons I've ever taught my kids (especially the oldest, who is a terrible loser) is that you can't always win. Sometimes you just have to suck it up and be a good sport.

Exactly. I hate losing at anything but instead of crying about things being fair, I just use it as motivation to try harder to win. Something I think will be seriously lacking in the current generation of kids.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

I remember a youth basketball team I was on losing a game 55-17 one time. Even though we were all around 12 years old, we felt the impact of that horrible loss and worked out butts off to correct those things the other team had exploited. The next time we played that same team, about seven weeks later, we lost again, but this time the score was 38-36, on a last second shot. The next year we beat basically the same group of kids twice by about ten points a game.

Sometimes the best way to learn is to get your ass kicked.

[Pick of Destiny]

http://img2.photographersdirect.com/img/21621/wm/pd1600164.jpg

[Hemotivo]

"Crap, this team is killing us! It's 4-0 already!"

"Wait a minute....."

He scores an own goal!!

"WE WIN!"

genius

[easjer]

It really will be a huge shock when they discover how unfair life is. I didn't participate in these sorts of things, I competed and lost, and I'm still shocked by how unfair life is. It's going to be way, way harder for them.

[paparazzi]

It really will be a huge shock when they discover how unfair life is. I didn't participate in these sorts of things, I competed and lost, and I'm still shocked by how unfair life is. It's going to be way, way harder for them.

+1

http://mashieq.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/ronaldo-crying.jpg

[Mixability]

pussification of our youth at its finest.

all these fucking pre-k, elementary and middle school graduations piss me off too. Applauding mediocrity can't be good for our kids.

[rjv]

this would suck if they tried that here

[Scola]

Rules like those destroy the game. Sometimes really bad losses are simply part of the experience. Good coaches make sure their players take something constructive from that.

The only time I have a problem is when the winning team purposely tries to run-up the score to embarrass the other team. If your up by a huge amount and the coach still leaves the starters (when he would otherwise sub them out) its bad sportsmanship IMO. You don't let the other team score or go easy on them, you simply keep playing your regular game. Furthermore blowouts are good opportunities for the winning team to give some playing time to bench guys.

The other situation that bothers me is when one player purposely tries to break some type of record by taking all the shots. This happens a lot at the high school level. If they break the record through normal game-play then fine, but when they keep putting up shots in an otherwise meaningless game it ruins the accomplishment. I Hate Kobe, but if I recall correctly his 81 points were scored in a competitive game. I also really hate to point the finger, but David Robinson's 71 points were unsportsmanlike IMO... He put up 41 shots way more than anyone in a game that meant nothing to either team. Robinson just wanted the scoring title, but he should of been pulled out earlier.

[mrsmaalox]

I've been involved in youth sports for many years, and the adults are easily the worst part of it all. This is a dumb rule, especially for the teens. My kids once played in a Christian church's league where they would just stop keeping score if one team got ahead by a certain number of points. It worked out okay because most the kids were preschoolers and couldn't count too well anyway.

[Kumar]

for 12 to 17 years olds like this league seems to be for, it is just plain stupid.

i don't have a problem with these kinds of rules for preschoolers though...seems like their original 'mercy rule' where goals after a 5 goal differential just weren't added to the tally was the better option though...

[easjer]

For little kids, where the focus is on learning the game and socialization more than competitiveness (you know, the type where there are a couple of kids picking flowers on the side of the field), I don't have a problem with not keeping score or giving everyone a trophy.

Beyond the age of 5 or 6 though . . . kids need to learn how to deal with competitive natures, be good sportsmen even in the face of loss. Otherwise, what, really do you teach them? That they have a right to be coddled?

I wish I could understand how it is more fair to deny a better team a win because they are better. It's just so illogical.

I will say though, that on the other hand, I don't care for the super-competitive leagues either. The ones that are grooming for high school and college play? I mean, I guess, if we had a kid that was super talented and interested, that would be ok. But for the average kids, I always feel bad for the kids who sort of suck and get left on the bench. I don't think in kid's leagues that winning should be the only goal, especially if the kid doesn't get to play at all.

In other words, in kid leagues (and I'm really thinking the 10 & under crowd here - by middle school, that's a different story, where the goal of winning and cultivating talent starts to edge out, and that's fair, imo) should be about maintaining a balance, with emphasis on teamwork and sportsmanship and fun, but not at the cost of wins/losses just to make everyone feel good.

[Bukefal]

Wtf?! The person who came up with this stupid rule deserves a good slap on the forehead lol

Are you sure this isnt a joke? A late april fools or something? :lmao

[baseline bum]

"Crap, this team is killing us! It's 4-0 already!"

"Wait a minute....."

He scores an own goal!!

"WE WIN!"

:rollin

[exstatic]

Rules like those destroy the game. Sometimes really bad losses are simply part of the experience. Good coaches make sure their players take something constructive from that.

The only time I have a problem is when the winning team purposely tries to run-up the score to embarrass the other team. If your up by a huge amount and the coach still leaves the starters (when he would otherwise sub them out) its bad sportsmanship IMO. You don't let the other team score or go easy on them, you simply keep playing your regular game. Furthermore blowouts are good opportunities for the winning team to give some playing time to bench guys.

The other situation that bothers me is when one player purposely tries to break some type of record by taking all the shots. This happens a lot at the high school level. If they break the record through normal game-play then fine, but when they keep putting up shots in an otherwise meaningless game it ruins the accomplishment. I Hate Kobe, but if I recall correctly his 81 points were scored in a competitive game. I also really hate to point the finger, but David Robinson's 71 points were unsportsmanlike IMO... He put up 41 shots way more than anyone in a game that meant nothing to either team. Robinson just wanted the scoring title, but he should of been pulled out earlier.

Actually, David never would have pushed for the scoring title. John Lucas and all of David's team mates wanted him to have it, and fed him continuously and willingly throughout the game.

[Sisk]

fail.

[xellos88330]

This is ridiculous.

My daughter who is 16 months old will be a perfect example. She knows the difference between accomplishment and pity.

When she does things all by herself for the first time, that smile she gives just glows with confidence. She knows that she did it all by herself, and you just can't duplicate that feeling of personal victory. Not only that, as her father, I love watching her succeed relying on only her own will to overcome obstacles.

[greyforest]

pussy rule for pussy faggots