Little league sports conundrum

I listened to an interesting discussion on the radio a few days ago. Two local sports personalities were discussing the quality of high school football in Utah. They were referring to how in states such as Florida, Georgia and Texas, many of their high schools have NFL-quality equipment and some of their coaches make upwards toward 200K a year. Their discussion evolved into what Utah can do to bring its own high school programs up to that level. One personality, mentioned it has to start at the little league level by improving playing fields, equipment, uniforms, organization and coaching. Doing so, he argued, would enhance the products funneled into Utah’s high school football programs.

Now, I may be out of line here, but what happened to little league sports? Since when did it change from introducing our kids to healthy competition into an organized minor-league system for high school sports?

I have two major issues with this personality’s proposal. For one, he can stop referring to kids as “products.” They shouldn’t be thought of as raw goods manufactured to perfection at some sketchy warehouse in a foreign country. Secondly, this type of minor-league system would seem to hamper the chances of untapped or the late-blooming potential of kids outside of the system.

What happens to those not entrenched in the system at an early age? What happens to those kids whose parents don’t have enough money to plant their kids in the system?

This topic is of special interest to me personally. Years ago, through some well-connected friends, I was invited to a tryout for an eighth-grade AAU basketball team, coached by the freshmen high school coach. Needless to say, I was thrilled. I had worked hard all of my life for this type of opportunity. I’d shot hoops every day, while also attempting to perfect my left hand and dribbling abilities. I was confident I could compete with any kid my age and felt my efforts had warranted such confidence.

Tryouts began and we started with a few simple drills. The problem was they weren’t easy for me. I’d never been taught the three or five-man weave before. My countless hours on the driveway didn’t prepare me for the foreign spider drills and rebounding drills I was being asked to perform now. There was no instruction from the many coaches assembled in the gym, either. They watched stoically as I butchered every drill imaginable. Drills ended and scrimmages commenced. At that point, my confidence was shot. I was hesitant and passive during the scrimmages. A good mix of over thinking and an errant jump shot eventually sealed my demise.

After scrimmages ended, the coaches began pulling certain kids aside into a huddle. I, along with two others were never asked to join the group. And what do you know? We were the only three not asked to return for a second day. I was heartbroken and felt blindsided. It was my first taste of sport politics and I despised it. I later found out every kid that made the team had played for one of the coaches at the tryout. They’d been playing for some of these guys since second grade. Perfecting at a young age all of the fundamentals and drills we were asked to perform that day. In this case, they were manufactured goods ready to be bought and sold by their future employer.

If the tryout had been about raw talent, I can definitively say I belonged on that AAU team. But because I wasn’t a part of a contrived system, I don’t feel I ever had a chance. My performance in the drills proved that.

My drive to play organized sports fizzled after this experience. Part of it is my own fault, rather than persevering; I gave up and let intimidation get the best of me. But part of me wonders what would have happened that day, had I been a part of the “system” from the beginning.

Why create an ultra-competitive system which would allow coaches to weed out the inferiors at a young age and bypass undeveloped talent? What’s worse is it would all be for the sake of competing at the high school level years in the future. Is that what sports represent? As idealistic as it sounds, sports is a platform for kids to learn how healthy competition applies to real-life scenarios. Perseverance, teamwork, work ethic, self awareness, and even overachievement despite certain limitations are a few of the things kids can learn by participating in sports at a young age. The last thing we need is our kids vying for a shot at making the high school team at the age of five.