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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to be fed up with 'Non-Competitive' sports events?

66 replies

pointydog · 03/06/2009 19:48

It is beyond a joke.

dd2 was at a hockey tournament today. The team had a pre-tournament pep talk where they were told not to cheer if their team scored a goal and not to make any aggrieved noise if a team mate cocked up.

The teams were not told the final score at the end of a match and there was no winner.

This is all part of teaching 'Sportsmanship'. What bollox.

OP posts:
scienceteacher · 03/06/2009 19:50

Sounds like bollocks.

There are plenty of sports where they can celebrate individual achievements - they should leave team sports against competitors out of this notion.

Doodle2U · 03/06/2009 19:53

Agree, it's bollocks BUT, having had a child at the receiving end of madly competitive class-mates but worse, madly competitive parents, I know why they do it.

Still bollocks though!

Dozymare · 03/06/2009 19:53

am with you on that one. I think it is ridiculous that kids are encouraged to NOT be competitive in traditional competitive sport. I am all for good sportsmanship, but find it ridiculous that our kids are encouraged to not compete. The World has gone mad

valleysprincess · 03/06/2009 19:55

What a load of shit. While I think it's excellent that kids are being taught good sportsmanship I don't see why this should equate to no cheering. Competition is good for kids IMHO. There needs to be more of it

pagwatch · 03/06/2009 19:55

This really winds me up.
My sisters gorgeous DD really really struggles at school but is such a fast runner. She spent all year withthe other kids getting spelling certificates and certificates for being top at maths etc etc. She occasionally got a 'good trying not to be crap' certificate but she struggles with school work - she isn't dim. She knew good effort certs are not the same as beingthe best at something.
But she could run - she really could run. And on sports day she was not allowed to win because sport had to be non competetive....

NeedaNewName · 03/06/2009 19:58

That kind of thing reqally pisses me off Pagwatch - now before I start, I am crap at sports, hated them at school would do anything I could to get out of sports but even I thionk that there should be an element of competitivenes (?) in sport. After all does anyone tell the brainy child to not do well at the spelling / maths test cos it'll make the less brainy child feel bad?

Glad I'm not the only one!

Doodle2U · 03/06/2009 19:59

Good point NANN.

LovelyTinOfSpam · 03/06/2009 20:03

How are we going to win anything in future olympics etc if our children are taught not to compete?

i don't understand it.

I was shit at sport BTW but people who are good at it shouldn't be squished like this...

Original poster
pointydog · 03/06/2009 22:37

competition can be good, yes

OP posts:
simplesusan · 03/06/2009 22:51

This is why the uk is crap at most sports.

SilkyDemon · 03/06/2009 22:56

YANBU at all. DD's sports day has turned into a complete farce - in fact it's not even called 'sports day' any more. Conjures up too many competitive connotations. Now, its simply 'outdoor pursuits day'

The games are designed specifically so that there's no winners or losers, and everyone gets a sticker for effort at the end of the day. DD is Year 6 (nearly 11) - so her and her friends are old enough to be aware its utter crap.

Original poster
pointydog · 03/06/2009 22:58

outdoor pursuits - bleurgh

OP posts:
paisleyleaf · 03/06/2009 23:00

yanbu
has it really come to this?

barnsleybelle · 03/06/2009 23:07

YANBU. My 7yr old ds can't be bothered to compete unless there is a prize for the winner!

A healthy dose of competetiveness serves them well for the future. At the end of the day a lot of life is about that.

NigellaTufnel · 03/06/2009 23:08

My mother is still gutted that one week before I was due to be given the prize for top of my primary school the new heamaster junked it because it would make other children feel bad.
My mother called him 'a socialist'.

I seriously doubt most kids would have given a toss. And it would have been nice to win something as I was rubbish at all sports.

The good thing about competitive team sports is that occasionally even cack handed idiots like myself would be on the winning side, pulled along by more talented players.

SomeGuy · 03/06/2009 23:29

I think non-competitive events should be banned, at my son's sports day it was just the same - all team events, three legged races and similar crap, no individual events at all.

Clary · 04/06/2009 01:34

pointydog that is bobbins. We do non-competitive football at u7s (FA ruling) so no league etc, but still the kids talk about who's top of the league. And it matters to them if they win or lose. Sorry but it does. I don't think that's a bad thing.

We had a semi non-competitive sports day today

In other words they were in teams and competed at various activities - but at the end there was 1st, 2nd and 3rd and most of the kids were desperate to win. Some were upset when they didn't. But they had little control - if there was a non-sporty slowcoach on their team then they were knackered.

There's a lot to be said for a flat race with a clear winner. At least then if you lose you can say to the child - well, x ran faster than you. And more to the point it gives a chance to the kids who will never achieve in the classroom but can run fast!

(ahh I see pagwatch and needanewname say the same. Yes I was brainy and not sporty. Never had a problem with races tho. Did not expect to win!)

Nahui · 04/06/2009 06:29

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

karala · 04/06/2009 06:42

I was one of the most unsporty people in the world but I knew that and didn't care that other people were better and won races and got prizes for being good at sport. I just knew that I wouldn't get it and it really didn't upset me in the slightest and no one made a big deal out of it. They can piss around in schools pretending to take the competitive edge out of things but the competition is out there and if you don't learn to lose when you're young then it's pretty bloody tough when you're older. Part of the whole thing is learning that you don't spend your whole life being the pfb that your parents think that you are.

racmac · 04/06/2009 06:59

I agree its bollocks - ds plays under 8's football but its non competitive - all the team talk about is who beat who - its pointless.

Yet they are quite happy to have sats and allow competition within schools for academic work.

Why cant they accept - some kids (and people) are good at some things and some are good at other stuff - we all have areas where we excell and this telling kids they are brilliant at EVERYTHING is just crap.

They leave school thinking they can do everything when they cant we all have limitations
aarrgghh rant over

LibrasBiscuitsOfFortune · 04/06/2009 07:10

"This is all part of teaching 'Sportsmanship'. What bollox."

Erm you could point out to them that sportsmanship is about being gracious if you lose and magnanimous if you win. Neither of which can be practised if no-one wins or loses.

WoTmania · 04/06/2009 07:25

YANBU

I think it is a crap idea. It's already been said but how are the non academic ones who are really sporty going to shine?
Do they also not mark any written work (or not tell them the grades) out of fairness?

Lucia39 · 04/06/2009 07:28

It's all part of the PC nonsense that is eroding society. Human beings are competitive - FACT. We are social animals - hence we have hierachies and that means winners and losers.

On the one hand we get kids being told not to be competitive yet what are the most popular television programmes? Talent shows and "reality" television where individuals are "voted" out by the viewing public! Completely mad!

piscesmoon · 04/06/2009 07:41

It doesn't matter how uncompetitive the organisers are the DCs themselves are highly competitive and always will be!
I was hopeless at sport and never came anywhere remotely near the top of anything-however it didn't bother me and was no reason to stop celebrating success.

Goblinchild · 04/06/2009 07:53

One of the areas that we emphasise in my primary school when we do competitive sports is how to be a gracious winner and how to accept losing as a part of competition.
It would be helpful if professional sports players set a better example of both.

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