MovieChat Forums > Hoosiers (1987) Discussion > Points out problem with kids sports

Points out problem with kids sports

posted 14 years ago by beefus-1
19 replies | jump to latest

Adult organized and operated kid's sports as depicted in this movie are not "sports", but competition, meant not to be fun, but serious and warlike. No wonder only 5 kids went out for the basketball team...There's no way anybody is going to have any fun playing on THAT team..
This, however, is the pervasive attitude of kids "sports" in this country (and maybe the world), tantamount, in my opinion to child abuse. Give the kids a court,a basketball, and they can chose up teams and have FUN..Throw in adults who want to use kids like little warriors to fight their battles, and you have abuse.
The film started out with an honorable attitude by the coach to let everybody play as a team with no "star athletes". It deteriorates into "everybody feed Jim" in order to achieve the almighty "win"..For the highly competitive American male, a happy ending..For me, a sad one......

[–] riker-don 9 years ago

What do the "kids" learn if they're left to do what they please and just have fun? Not much really. Let's extend your ludicrous do as you please have fun attitude to the band, debate team, chorus and every other extra curricular activity in high school. They would all be very bad and not be much fun. The "kids" can have fun in a structured environment such as High School basketball. It's not like schools are begging for students to play.

Discipline, sacrifice, competition and teamwork are all excellent lessons learned in high school sports that the "kids" will take with them the rest of their lives. Or they could take the devil may care just have fun attitude and learn nothing but do what they please which will likely be good to put them on public assistance or prison.

[–] LesterFester 8 years ago

by beefus-1 » Thu Jun 30 2011 10:49:39 ... Adult organized and operated kid's sports as depicted in this movie are not "sports", but competition,

why are you so confused. What makes you think a "sport" is not meant to be a competition or competitive. Any spot you can think of was constructed with rules in such a way that in the end one is deemed better or best. Sure shooting hoops with a few friends can be casual but the moment someone says to you 'How about a little one-on-one' the competition begins.

meant not to be fun, but serious and warlike.

More confusion. It is serious. Warlike within the rules. the fun or enjoyment comes from playing a well executed game. Tell me one sport that isn't.

There's no way anybody is going to have any fun playing on THAT team..

My question to you is: Did you ever play organized basketball (sports). i was on a team from the age of 11 to 20. In all those years there were times we brutally defeated the other team and times we were without a doubt defeated. But in all those games the ones most memorable, enjoyable and fun were those (WiN or LOSE) that were hard fought.

This, however, is the pervasive attitude of kids "sports" in this country (and maybe the world), tantamount, in my opinion to child abuse. Give the kids a court,a basketball, and they can chose up teams and have FUN..Throw in adults who want to use kids like little warriors to fight their battles, and you have abuse.

In the end what you are looking for is there to be no winners or losers. Which means no test of ability. I should point out there is one children's game which comes closest to being pure fun. Where there are no winners... no losers... and that is "Ring-Around-The-Rosie" ... but then again it is also a mindless game requiring no thought.

The film started out with an honorable attitude by the coach to let everybody play as a team with no "star athletes".

When exactly is one to learn the lesson that we were born with different attributes. That in the end we have differing abilities.

It deteriorates into "everybody feed Jim" in order to achieve the almighty "win"..For the highly competitive American male, a happy ending..For me, a sad one......

Sad, they're no longer having FUN.

" Tipping is Un-American ... Keep your change! "

[–] liscarkat (18888) 4 years ago

The "fun" in sports comes with the development of discipline, the attainment of fitness and skill, and the achievement of winning. Suffering physically in order to become better and stronger is enjoyable for an athlete. Sports, even for kids, are supposed to be serious and competitive, not a babysitting bouncy castle party. I played Pop Warner football when I was twelve and thirteen, in the 1960s, and it was tough. On the first practice day we were just a bunch of soft, unskilled little boys. As the days and weeks went on, we worked hard and we gradually got tough and good at football. We won games because we were tougher and better than the other guys, and we lost some because they were tougher and better than us, but nobody hugged us; we just worked harder to improve. There was a lot of satisfaction in that experience. Once we started getting stronger and better, we started to feel like men when we were practicing and playing games. It was serious, it was hard, and it helped us grow up. It was fun.