Sectional Points

It is the time of year where once again the talk around high school sports points to the sectional playoffs in each sport. Along the way, while working with many coaches, athletes, parents, and talking to Athletic Directors I have heard a curious new mantra. “We need to get as many sectional points as possible for seeding purposes.”

Now this in itself is not disturbing or new. A team wanting to get a higher seed in a tournament is part of why we play and coach. But there is a troubling buzz in the background. It is almost like a white noise. These signals, mostly in the background, provide a constant tone that differentiates this desire for sectional points and real life coaching expectations and playing applications.

 Let me explain.

Over the course of the three seasons this year in high school athletics I have met, counseled, spoke, trained, and listened to as many people as possible. I have heard a new mantra emerge.” I will not play teams that can cost me sectional points or a championship.” It is not said directly. It is not even inferred by the participants. When you start to listen and question people I as I have in and around high school athletics, you hear “it is always the other team” that doesn’t want to play us. It is never their team, nor even their choice, but it is a curious coincidence that these scheduling conflicts appear over and over again, with the same teams, the teams that are higher up in the standings.

Now as a coach and player who believes in the mantra: “If you want to be the best, you have to play the best.” I am troubled by this new concept. Not only does it hinder the development of players on a team, by constantly playing and coaching to “win”, but it gives an excuse for entitlement. Coaches can manage the game to win instead of coaching the kids to get better. It is a convenient excuse to not play certain players.

My U-19 travel baseball team was given a choice by the league we were in to ply in the A division, or B division. I explained to the players on our team, which had no one over the age of 17, which I would prefer to play in the A division as that is the only way to get better. The completion would be tough, and there were no guaranteed victories anywhere on the schedule. I asked them privately what division they wanted to play. It was unanimous.

 After the season was over one of the parents came up to me and complained about our record. She was used to winning and this year we did not win many games. But boy, oh boy, the players and teams we played against were awesome. All the kids agreed. Not one kid complained all year when we were struggling. They thrived on the competition.

Conversely my son played on a team where the coach purposely played in much weaker division than they could have played in. When they lost in the first round of the playoffs, the coach and staff blamed the loss on the other team’s ringers.

Read more about it in my book “Stop the Tsunami in Youth Sports.”

Never once did I try, as a coach, to avoid scheduling a certain opponent. On many occasions I have scheduled in youth sports, modified, high school sports, and college the very best opponent every single time that I could. And if I couldn’t get them on the schedule this year, I found a way to play them the next year. I would rather play the best team in our league or the best opponent out there in non league games 5 times during the year rather than to play the worse team once. Playing those teams is how you get better. Not playing those teams is all about ego.

But now I hear it over and over, in many sports, and many levels, it’s all about winning. I hear from one coach that another coach refuses to play them. I hear from other coaches that they have this phenomenal record, yet when I look at their schedule there are an automatic 10-15 wins on their schedule.

 Recently I asked a coach about putting together a division of all the best teams each year on one division. He looked at me like I had three heads. He said no one would ever go for it because everyone wanted to win their division and play for a sectional championship.

Well, playing a tough schedule is how you and your team get better. Letting a lot of kids play so you have great inner team competition is the way to go. Letting them compete, without worrying about who is going to win one particular game, and more about the team getting better is what we have a responsibility to teach our children. This way leads to more championships than any other way I have ever seen.

But once again, it comes back to entitlement. It is just in another form. This time it is a white noise in the background, which will soon be a loud blast to our senses

If we will listen.