At some point all of us who are sports fans have crossed the line from being fans for their team to being fans of another team losing…

At some point all of us who are sports fans have crossed the line from being fans for their team to being fans of another team losing. There are some that have always been that way, but for most it’s something we grow into. Perhaps a heated rivalry or some scandal pushes our thinking out of the positive support of our favored team to despising another team and reveling in their failures.

At a professional sports level I find this less damaging because, to be honest, they’re getting paid for this. Unfortunately though this is a learned behavior and our children pick up these actions and mindsets as permissible from us. (Just ask anyone who isn’t a Cowboys fan about the Cowboys for example.)

At a youth sports level though this can be a bigger issue. There are team rivalries, players that excel against your team, and referees you are sure have it out for you. When removed from the passion of the game it’s important to consider a few things:

That’s someone’s kid out there?

How would you feel if someone was yelling at your kid?

Are you teaching them to succeed at the sacrifice of someone else?

Now I’m the last person to advocate things like participation awards (yuck) or “we’re playing just to build character” because I believe failure is extremely character building. (For example watch a tot soccer game where they’re not officially keeping score, then ask one of the parents on the sideline what the score is. They’ll know, I assure you.) But I am advocating that coaches, parents, and people in influence remember at the end of the day very few of these kids will be playing sports professionally where they are getting paid to be yelled at by the opposition. These kids have to go home after a loss with the chants and jibes of the opposition ringing in their ears. They have to go to bed after a hard loss knowing the opposing coach kept putting their starters into a blow out game just to run up the score. Think back to your youth…what do you remember better; the successes or the failures?

Cheer for your team. Revel in their successes. Lift the kids up when they win and help them up when they lose. But don’t do it at the cost of someone else. Don’t let the passion for the game obscure the love of the youth involved. Adults choose these behaviors…kids get drug along for the ride.