Unsportsmanlike Conduct:
A sectional championship soccer game was taking place before a packed stadium. Two rivals playing in front of three thousand people. A great day for all the players. In a hotly contested match, the winning team was substituting many players during the contest. They increased their lead with 10 minutes to go and emptied their bench. This team was made up of mostly players who played on their own town team. Most, if not all of their kids would get a chance to play in front of this packed house.
The other coach who had many “Club” soccer players on his team chose not to substitute. He saw this as a way to get back into the game. His players on the bench were clearly upset. Even if they did come back and win, many players would not have felt part of the victory, and those that played would not have the connection to the other players when memories were shared years from now.
The losing team did not come back and win and substituted only a couple of player’s players. The coach no longer coaches the team. In discussions with some of the players on the losing team, their careers did not result in a D1 Athletic scholarship. They also suffered injuries after leaving their high school that may be overuse injuries that could linger into late adulthood. (Please watch my videos or read my book to further explain.)
The argument can be made that the children should learn this life lesson and that is the way life is going to be when they get older. They will have to learn and deal with failure. However, another argument can be made for the importance of community. There is a great value in getting along with each other and helping each other. In the work place these kids are not always going to be the most talented person at their job. Even if they are they are going to have to be able to work with other people, get along with other people, and possibly lead other people. The skills modeled to them during this season will come back to haunt them in the future.
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