It's rough. It's competitive. It's cut-throat. But it's fair. The idea that sports are unfair is about as wrong as it gets. Sports are inherently fair. In fact, sports may be the most fair thing in all of our lives.
Each sport has a governing body at every level. From the pros to little league, there's a structure. Much of it is bureaucratic, especially at the youth level, but there's a structure. And generally, the more you put into the organization, the more you get out of it. That's fair.
Almost every sporting event is officiated. True, some refs are bad. But the event is officiated. And the officials are responsible for overseeing all parties involved. They're actively looking for cheaters and punishing those who cheat. They don't catch everything, but they're looking. That's fair.
Many teams have tryouts and cuts. The players who are more prepared than others and have greater potential stick around. Those who are less prepared and are less likely to help the team go bye-bye. That might not sound fair to the little kid with the big heart, but I bet your boss wishes she had that structure. And, in many cases, coaches keep less talented players because they add the right attitude to the mix. Sounds fair to me.
Teams are not selected by seniority, or social status, or level of education. They're selected, in most cases, by productivity and potential. New talent comes along constantly, and roster decisions are made accordingly. It might not benefit all of you, but it's fair.
Sports have a finite scoring system. Save for a few events that fall into the tend to fall in the "sports" category that have an objective scoring system like gymnastics or synchronized swimming, sports have a very specific and defined way of scoring points and preventing others from scoring points. Those rules are clearly defined and drilled into the heads of all the competitors. That sound to me to be the definition of fair. No points for size, or style. There's no convincing somebody that what happened has a greater value. A 15-foot jumper is worth 2 points if it goes in and zero points if it does not. Fair.
Sports are meritocracies. Success and potential are rewarded with points, pay and opportunities. Failure and lack of potential usually finds a player on the bench or off the roster. Stinks for the bad players, but it's fair.
Now, I know what some of you are thinking. "What about the people who are born with natural talent, or size, or quickness. That's not fair." I couldn't disagree more. Here's why.
We are all born into environments and communities and bodies that are more geared for success in different areas. The son of the accountant who has outstanding match educators at the elementary level and a mathematical brain is probably more likely to end up with a solid start in the financial field than the kid who's parents who were employed in the sanitation field and spent his formative years as the class clown. That's fair.You might now want to believe that, but environment, preparation and the body you were born into help shape your life and your career choices. That's fair.
But I hear it recently from a young tennis player and her parents. Separate conversations, but the same message came from kid and adult alike. "It's not fair. I/my daughter, had to play against a girl who was way better than me. I/my daughter had no chance.
Don't be that parent. That girl had every chance in the world to win that tennis match. I watched a match in which nearly 100 points were played. Each one could have been won by either player. They were the same age, in the same grade, at the same event. The better player who was more prepared and more focused won about two-thirds of the points, and ultimately won the match 6-1, 6-1. I didn't see a bad line call. I didn't see any cheating. I saw a fair match. The better player won.
Parents fall into the belief that sports are not fair because a given sport will not be the life's work of their child, regardless of how much money they spend of private lessons and travel teams. That line of thinking sounds absurd to me. Every profession requires a skill-set, a mindset, a work ethic, and some luck. They're all different. Some are easier in which to be successful for the skills an individual possesses. Some are more difficult. Some are more desirable. Some are less desirable. But in every field, it takes what it takes to be successful.
And let's not be mistaken about the fairness of sports. We always hear coaches saying that hard work and dedication to a sport leads to success. It can. It can also lead to disappointment.
Not every guitar player will lead an exciting life of touring and end up in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Some will be music teachers. Some will give lessons on the side and work a day job. Some will give up the guitar all together. But I've never heard a parent tell me that the guitar is unfair.
Sports are about fun, growth any healthy competition. Every kid had the chance to compete at some level, and many kids get the chance to compete in and grow through multiple sports at multiple levels. The kids who play on high-dollar travel teams and the kids who play on blacktops all get to have fun, learn and grow. They also have the option to not keep score and just play for fun.
If you know of anything else more fair than that, hit me up. But there's a good chance that I'm not going to buy what you're selling.
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