The young freshman field hockey goalkeeper was outstanding. Hardly anything ever got past her. She took her team to the High School playoffs and was receiving many Division 1 college offers after the end of the season. She loved playing field hockey and helping and teaching others.
In her Sophomore year, she didn’t start. Nor did she get to play much. The fans as well as herself were astounded at the change as the new starting goalkeeper was not half as good as her. She showed up for practices, she helped everyone, she was not complaining, and accepted her backup spot reluctantly. There was no injury nor a good excuse why she only played in mop-up duty as her team racked up loss after loss.
Most everyone knew the reason. The new starting goalkeeper had a “big name” in the local community and her parents were great friends with the coach. This happens more than you know and it’s been happening for many years and it hurts a lot of athletes who know they will not get to play so they just give up.
It happens at all levels of competitive sports. It is toxic as it shows that it’s not the best person for the job but most of the time it’s who you know or kiss up to. Many athletes will switch positions to get to play because they know they can’t compete with the coach’s kid, even though everyone knows they are better. Or they will just quit and walk away and have much animosity toward the people who taught them a horrible life lesson.
It even happens at the college level in many sports and is unfair. There have been athletes picked by the top sports media organizations in the USA as top 5 players at their positions but because of favoritism, they don’t get the chance to excel and show what they can do.
I’ve seen it first hand and I’m sure everyone has. I saw a young man in the baseball playoffs with the second-best batting average on his team get pinch hit for in the playoffs by the coaches buddies kid and watched the kid, who could not hit and struggled at the plate all year, strikeout losing his team the playoffs.
We all know life isn’t fair but is this lesson you want to teach young kids trying to play sports and have fun? Shouldn’t it be the best person to get the job done no matter what, whether it’s sports or a job? Shouldn’t a young athlete who tries hard and excels get to have top priority and earn a reward for doing and being so well at what they do?
Many parents, coaches, and other athletes need to learn this valuable lesson because this carries over into their later years and memories and might make it to where they figure, “Why apply for that job, I won’t get it anyway?”
We have to do better when it comes to being more positive in the sports environment and build up instead of breaking them down and rewarding those who work hard and deserve it and stop favoritism and nepotism.