smiggly Essays - Youth Athletics, Sport, Coach, Edward Drinker Cope

An important issue is the difference between youth and professional participants of sport. The major goals of professional sports are directly linked to their status in the entertainment industry. The goals of professional sports, simply stated, are to entertain and ultimately to make money. Financial success is of primary importance and depends heavily on a product orientation, namely winning. In the professional sport world, players are commodities to be bought, sold and traded. Their value is based on how much they contribute to winning and profit making. Professional athletes are often glorified by the media to create an image intended to generate interest in the team and to draw paying customers. The professional coach?s job is to win. A win at all costs philosophy is required for advancement. Youth sports are played to develop a child and not to exploit the child for the sake of money. The most important product is not how many wins or dollars, but rather, the quality of the experience for the child. In this sense, sport participation is an educational process whereby children can learn to cope with realities they will face later in life. Although winning is sought after, it is by no means the primary goal. The profit is measured not in the terms of dollars and cents, but in terms of the skills and personal characteristics that are acquired. Fun, a term we use quite often.