It's only a game

When I was a kid there was a sign at the side of our sports field that said: "It doesn't matter if you win or lose, it's how you play the game." The slogan was a reminder to us and we never did forget that good sportsmanship was the most important aspect of sports. I think that idea is fading away.

As a parent, watching junior basketball games I soon came to realise that good sportsmanship was more or less the norm on the court but more often than not, it wasn't among the parents watching the game. It wasn't uncommon to hear insults hurled at the referee, and the overriding sentiment of the spectators appeared to be "win at all costs". It's a sad thing to see. Part of this intensity could well come from the noble desire of parents for their children to succeed, which has somehow mutated to become "every child is a superstar". Of course the business side of sports does not help, and parents are well aware in today's competitive world of the possibility of plugging in to the multi-billion dollar youth sports industry. For the lucky few, there is a lot of money to be made in sport, but, I fear, only at the expense of many of the more important things in life.

Yes, it's only a game. Win or lose, it's how you play that counts. So, recently I was amused and relieved to see a different sign at the side of a sports field that read: “If they win or lose every game of the season, it will not impact what college they attend or their future potential income." Parents take note.