Pressure to Succeed Mentality in American Sports Essay

The Pressure to Succeed The Issue â€Å"Show me a good loser and Ill show you a loser,† Vince Lombardi once said. This saying could be the unsung anthem of American sports for children and teenagers. Everyone loves to win. In sports there is always competition. Is there too much emphasis on â€Å"the win† for kids and teens? This issue is important because it essentially develops the way children and teenagers think and react; it will affect them later on in life. Too much emphasis on winning is a problem because there is extensive pressure from parents and coaches, and the consequences can be severe. Some people, such as Vince Lombardi, argue that the win is all there is. They say it motivates them to do well and will help them reach their†¦show more content†¦Winning gives you an incomparable feeling of joy and accomplishment; it is one of the best feelings in the world (Winning Isnt Everything, Its the Only Thing). â€Å"Winning does build confidence espec ially when that winning represents a true accomplishment; (i.e., Ive beaten a worthy opponent),† says David A. Feigley (The Role of Winning in Youth Sports). Pressure from parents In the early years of a childs life, almost every child is associated with some type of organized sport. The main reason that kids grow into teenagers that have difficulty accepting defeat begins at home. Parents are constantly pressuring their kids to do better, leading them to believe that whatever they do will not suffice. Sports writer Wesley Remmer tells us in his article, Mickey Mantle confessed on the Dick Cavett Show that he wet the bed up to the age of 16, stemming from the pressure he felt from his father to become an à ©lite player. Those close to Mantle suggested his father’s overbearing personality led to emotional problems and alcoholism later in Mantle’s life.† All most little kids want to do is play a simple game, but five minutes into the game there is often a parent already coming to the official screaming about whether the six-year-old was really struck out or not. There is a difference between a parent trying to prote ct their little childShow MoreRelatedCase Study: A New Work Ethic1253 Words   |  6 Pagessomething; and at school they learn they can pass their classes by pulling enough extra credit even if they did poor in their tests and assignments, contributing to that get-away-with-it mentality that Sheehy talks about. 2. 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