Children's Athletics - What Went Wrong?

My wife Alison and I love the Olympics. Especially theimportant reasons to play sports are simple. The first
Winter Olympics. So naturally, during this year'sis health. Ask any doctor and they will tell you that
games in Torino, we cast productivity aside andyou need to exercise at least 30 minutes a day. Not
watched almost every event.One of the biggestso you can sign a big contract or catch the eye of
stories of the Games was Bode Miller, the outspokenthe opposite sex, but because exercise gives you
American skiier. I really did not know much aboutenergy, strength, resistance from disease, and a
Miller, but after the fifteenth "Join Bode" Nikelonger life. These are all things that parents need to
commercial, I was finally tempted to go the websitebe able to raise their children, and they are things we
and see what he had to say. To my surprise, he wasowe our children to try to give them as well.The
dead-on right about almost everything.Today, I wantsecond reason to play sports is community.
to share one thing in particular that Bode was rightFriendships are built and strengthened when we play
about: we need to change the way our children thinktogether. The sports your children participate in can
about athletics. To paraphrase, Bode wondered howbe as structured as high school football, or as casual
it could be that we live in such a sports-crazedas tossing the frisbee in the back yard with siblings,
society, yet child obesity is soaring. If they lovebut either way friendships will grow. The sense of
sports so much, why don't they participate in them?comraderie you get from a shared exertion is
And for those that do, why do they stop after hightremendous. To this day, many of my best
school or college?The answer of course, is thatmemories are the times I shared with my
sports in America have completely lost what we liketeammates on our high school track team and the
to call "the Olympic spirit." It's not about participating,afternoons spent on the tennis and basketball courts
it's not about having a good time, and it's certainlywith my buddies from college. I guarantee our
not about health (judging by the amount of steroidsfriendships would not have been as strong if we had
being used by athletes as early as junior high). Sportsbonded by watching the television instead of
in 2006 is only about two things: money andbreathing the fresh air of the outdoors together.So
fame.Children get this message at an early age. So iffor your children's sake, teach them that sports are
they realize they are not likely to be the next Michaelabout fun, health, and friendships, not money and
Jordan or Payton Manning, they quit. If they willfame. And if they enjoy a sport that they aren't
never have the chance to sign a big contract or evenvery good at, don't make the mistake so many
get an hour in the spotlight playing for a smallerAmerican parents make of discouraging them from
school in March Madness, then they wonder whyparticipating in it. It sounds cheesy and naive, but the
they should go to the trouble. After all, sports arefact is that a child who participates in sports is
tiring.So they sit on the couch and watch the elitealready a winner, regardless of whether they get the
athletes duking it out on TV while candy bar aftergold medal.-------------------------------Copyright, Paul
potato chip finds its way into their mouths. This isMartin, Noss Galen Baby LLC 2006Paul Martin and his
one of the big reasons why we have a health crisiswife Alison are the owners of Noss Galen Baby LLC,
looming for the current generation of children.So,a small online business dedicated to offering
what should sports be about, if not winning? Well,innovative, hard-to-find products for babies and
nobody is against winning, for starters. But winning istoddlers at affordable prices.
not what's truly valuable about sports.The two most