In an effort to promote what is being called “Long Term Player Development,” youth 
league associations will no longer keep track of scores during the games or keep league standings.
There are some sports parents that are up in arms and taking this as an absolute travesty- what is the point of an organized sports game, if there is no score?? And then there are other sports parents that wish their leagues would adopt similar guidelines. Some parents feel that youth sports should be about having fun and learning new skills, not just winning. In recent years the debate about keeping score in youth sports programs has come up time and time again and proponents on both sides of the issue are refusing to budge.
Advocates for no scores argue that younger programs don’t need to keep score; it should be more about the fundamental skills. John Keilman of the Chicago Tribune, argues that kids will keep score on their own, they know who the winner and the loser is, so why do we need to rub it in their faces? By putting so much pressure on young kids to win we’re actually turning kids off to youth sports at a younger age.
But if you think about it, children compete against each other all the time, from the classroom to the playground, and they know perfectly well who is the winner and who the loser is in a handball game. Competition is a part of life, so why pretend it’s not. It won’t do kids any good when they go to apply to schools or jobs if they’ve been told all along that everyone’s a winner. Some would say that the message in the world where everyone wins a trophy is that mediocrity is ok.
Nevertheless, U.S. youth sports organizations have recommended a policy of no scoring or standings for their U-10 and under programs as well, the organizations argue that at such a young age a focus on scoring gets in the way of skill development. If winning is the primary objective, players may be less likely to develop on-the-field skills like passing and simply always go for the goal on their ow.
Proponents arguing that the final score matters, no matter what age, aren’t keeping score to be mean, but because it’s a fact of life. Whenever you compete against someone for anything you either win or lose. Youth sports programs are good, and a safe place to teach kids that. Winning because you came together as a team, because you did your absolute best, and played the game the way it was meant to be played is a fantastic feeling. Kids also learn that sometimes you can do your absolute best and still come up short. This doesn’t mean that the absolute best wasn’t good enough, instead what really matters is that you can get back on the field the next day and try again.
Parents and coaches for scores feel it is important that we don’t reward our kids for just showing up. Keeping score reinforces the fact that you have to work hard and really earn that win. What the team does together is what matters in the end. Children need to learn that they are not always going to win and what better way to learn about losing than to lose with others.
What’s your stance on the topic?
