Definitely Not "OK"
By Todd A. Tucker, Publisher

Ahhh…Spring is finally here and this old man’s thoughts turn to…another season of youth baseball at the dusty fields behind my boys’ school. Seems like wrestling season was only yesterday. Wait — maybe it was only yesterday. For the uninitiated, grade-school wrestling is, in my estimation, a stripped down version of utter chaos.

Most parents and especially grandparents find it extremely difficult to watch. Boys as young as kindergarten age, which is usually about 6, going onto the mat with another titan who may weigh as little as 40 pounds. Mano a mano they throw down until one either pins his opponent or wins on points. Ages range from the aforementioned 6-year-olds (kindergartners) to sixth grade 11-year-olds. It’s a very demanding, mentally and physically tough sport with a lot of crying (mostly kids) and bruised egos (mostly parents).

Baseball on the other hand is generally a rather non-physical sport opposed to the one-on-one aspect of wrestling, although both sports keep a team score. What in the hell does this have to do with a business magazine? It really pains me that at an early age the emphasis is placed on winning and losing and not on sportsmanship. Coaches, whatever happened to teaching discipline and solid fundamentals along with the life-altering concept of good sportsmanship? Gosh, maybe even ensuring the kids are enjoying themselves along the way.

During the wrestling season I was unfortunate enough to see how parents and coaches are not placing a priority on what I view as the most important aspect of youth sports, and how what is learned at an early level is the driver as kids move up the sports- and life- food chains. I probably would not feel as strongly about this had I not witnessed all season that our youth are not particularly adept at shaking hands, supporting their teammates, or sincerely congratulating the opponent and the opposing coach in a cordial manner.

What sparked this diatribe was a citywide meet held at North High School in February. Being in the stands from 7:15 a.m. to 3 p.m. gives you plenty of time for observation. I witnessed a third- or-fourth grade wrestler literally strut onto the mat with his best “I’m really bad” attitude. Definitely not “OK.” The young man was a very good and very strong wrestler. However, when he picked his opponent up and body-slammed the young man onto the mat, the opponent was obviously hurt. The entire team exploded into a frenzy of high-fiving and backslapping, then rushed out to congratulate their wrestler while the other wrestler lay prone on the mat. I am surprised he didn’t get stepped on. I kept waiting for the coaches to get in the kid’s face but the moment never came. I watched this team of talented wrestlers the rest of the day and continued to be appalled and disbelieving at what I was seeing.

Sport is all about teaching many of life’s lessons through athletics. These lessons are then transported to business teams, boardrooms, politics, and the vast fields of the business arena every single day. Please folks, let’s not forget or lose sight of what is really important when working with our kids. It is not their win-loss record or “Can you believe little Johnny let in the winning run when the ball went through his legs?” That will long be forgotten when the lessons of sport need to be remembered for the rest of our children’s lives. By the time we leave the field my boys are much more interested in securing a root beer float than, I guarantee you this, any discussion of the game.

Oh, and baseball this year? We may not win the league championship, but my kids will play hard, learn good fundamentals, have fun, and most importantly, be the best young sportsmen in the league.

As always, I look forward to hearing from you.

Todd A. Tucker, Publisher