Little Leagues will be fined if players are too good.

[DiscordAnarchy 770]

As reported by Sacramento NBC affiliate KCRA, the Northern California Federation Youth Football League (NCFYFL) instituted stiff new penalties for any teams that beat opponents by 35 points or more. Specifically, those teams will be fined $200 and their coaches will be suspended from all league activities for two weeks. The penalty is a drastic change for the league of 7-13 year-olds, which previously issued teams with a warning following such blowouts and required a written description that detailed what the victorious team had done to try and keep scores low.

 

Similar penalties are occasionally installed by other youth leagues, but they usually don't kick in until the disparity in score between the teams is almost twice as much as the 35 points being used by the NCFYFL.

 

One team has stopped attempting any field goals, leaving kicker James McHugh unable to attempt any scoring kicks except points after touchdowns. That's a problem for a 13-year-old who hopes to serve as a high school placekicker in fall 2014.

 

McHugh's mother, Kelly McHugh, told KCRA that players on her son's team are afraid to score once they get a lead for fear that their coaches will be penalized and the team won't be able to play the following week.

 

"Now they are afraid their coaches are going to get suspended and they are not going to have a coach to come out here and play football," McHugh told KCRA.

 

Naturally, the controversial issue has advocates on both sides, with NCFYFL Deputy Commissioner Robert Rochin claiming the rule is a pro-active attempt to keep more kids interested in the sport while teaching others how to be good sports.

 

"We lose a lot of football players because their teams lose so badly," Rochin told KCRA. "If they are constantly getting beat, who wants to play anymore? We lose kids all season long because of that.

 

"It's not hurting the kids, it's teaching them compassion for the other team. It's teaching them sportsmanship."

 

 

 

 

 

So, my little ponies, what are your opinions on this matter?

[Milk Wave 454]

This sucks in my opinion. I was always taught in bowling to be competitive yet have fun, but this is like taking both out and then throwing it into the garbage.

Honestly, to be fined for being the opponents 35 points or more is supposed to be bad? I mean, you can have good sportsmanship already even if you did something major like that. It should be something that is celebrated gracefully, yet not pushed to the other team. That's true sportsmanship, rather then trying to fine the other players.

 

From reading above as well, this also restricts players from using their full potential to become a better football player if they wanted to. It would mean that to get good people for adult/pro football, they would have to downgrade from the guys they have now 20 years into the future for people who still need training.

Just my opinion though, but still..

Edited September 24, 2013 by Baby Sirius

[Scootalove 10,689]

This is like sucking the fun out of a competitive sport, where people love to have fun with sportsmanship included. But judging from this, it stops a player's potential of being really good and it is just really stupid.

[Inactive01 5,299]

This is ridiculous. Players need to learn competitiveness. They need to understand that no matter the situation, that they must continue to fight on to the best of their abilities. Sportsmanship occurs when players accept defeat and/or victory with a calm, humble heart. This victory must be achieved not for selfish pride or for the sake of destruction, but because the team is simply good. The institutions creating these laws often think that people gain victories like this because of the former. However, people must also realize that sometimes, the players they sign up just stink. They must work hard and learn from their experiences, even if traumatic. They can grow up from these situations. That's why we still allow 8-0 football victories like we've seen in Germany vs Saudi Arabia in 2002's FIFA World Cup. The losers learn from their mistakes and grow from them. Wiping out that opportunity is not sportsmanship, nor is it mature.

Edited September 24, 2013 by Sterling Crimson

[Smarts 1,622]

This is seriously very stupid. This quite literally sucks the fun out of the sport like Scootalove said. What's the point if there is no competitiveness? That's what sports are all about. People learn about competitiveness and aim to be better. That's what encorages people to try harder and unleash their full potential. Fining players that are too good is basically telling them you aren't allowed to show your potential. Tough luck. This is extremely stupid.

[Gears of Halo Duty V 394]

To me, this is what explaining the whole rule to the losing team would sound like:

 

"Listen...you guys suck so fucking much that we literally, and I mean literally, stopped the other team from trying to get more points. And if they even try, they are all getting in trouble."

 

 

And now for the winning team:

 

"You guys are just dominating. Somehow, you guys are pushing TDs like no other. Really, this game is all yours. And if you try to get anymore points, you're all gonna get in trouble. Like we're gonna take your coach away for a few weeks, make you guys give us money, and more fun stuff."

 

 

If teams are losing by such high numbers, maybe something else is really the issue. 

[GhostPony750 959]

Well, the problem is that most of the kids play to win, because they are forced to win byt their coachs. In a sport, you are supposed to have fun.

 

So the penalty when you have 35 points thing is a wrong thing. Give penalties when the kids are playing too harshly, or cheating.

[-Nobody- 519]

This is stupid. You should be scared of blowing out another team, and you certainly shouldn't get in trouble for it. Instead of fining them, they should just end the game if one team is up by 35 after the half.

 

Also, If you leave your team because you lose, the problem is with the player, not the other team who beat you.

Edited September 24, 2013 by -Nobody-

[Shanks 10,816]

Being the losing team in that situation sucks but you know what sometimes life in general can suck and trying to shield children from that in order to make them feel better will not help them but in fact will seriously harm them in the long run. It is very important to teach children that failure is an important part of life and how to deal with it so they can improve and come back from that as stronger and better. If they don't learn this as children than they will not be able to function as adults because they will be used to everyone holding their hands all the time to make them "feel better". And it also gives the message that competition is bad which sets a very dangerous precedent, yes competition can be taken way too far but society does not advance unless there is some degree of competition. This does need to tempered with good sportsmanship and conduct but completely sucking it out is going to encourage a culture of mediocrity.

[Harmonic Revelations 8,835]

This is bad. If there's anything I know about real life is that people will trample all over you if it serves their own selfish purposes, tis' pointless to try to hide that from these kids by limiting their ability to win in the only time of their life where such victory comes easily.

[~Silver Essence~ 2,625]

How interesting.......

 

Truly, having fun and having a good game with others is a thing of the past if this is around.

 

All I can say is that hopefully this will be changed, as this is not alright...

[Zygen 6,066]

Wat..

 

I didn't even know the warning rule existed either.

 

regardless it sounds dumb. I mean I played sports and sucked and never scored, well except on like the rare rare almost yearly occasion. But you just learn to be a good sport anyways.

 

I don't play sports anymore(For obvious reasons), but still.

 

Sounds kinda dumb. I mean yeah it would be kinda depressing to lose by that much, but still.

 

Sounds dumb, i mean one thing to try and prevent this, but another to actually fine the team for it.... Sounds crazy. 

[a Pegasus Pony 134]

What people don't get is that the kids must strive to get better and must learn that it's the fun of the game and weather or not if they win, they had fun. I remember never winning any games when I was 13 but yet I was the best Linebacker and RunningBack they had. If I am correct I am still the best or second best in the District. So if I can do that then those kids must learn that there is more than just winning a game.

[PlunderSteed 1,252]

The idea itself is not completely terrible.  It's trying to encourage compassion and mercy, apparently.  However, the way that it's implemented is completely idiotic.  I played baseball through high school, and for part of that time we had a mercy rule: if a team attained a 10 point lead, the game was over.  It was very straightforward, and only occasionally saw use.  Most importantly, it had none of the stupid shit (e.g., "no field goals", "purposefully trying not to score", etc.) that has gotten many of these kids and parents understandably pissed about.

[Frith is Magick 1,471]

Let the poor sports leave. You win some you lose some, if you can't handle that, you don't belong on a team. Athletics aren't just about skills and being in good shape, there is a mental aspect which cannot be sacrificed. People are so afraid of their children s' feelings being hurt that they stunt their kids' emotional growth. The idea of not keeping score in children's soccer was bad enough, but now this? Winners should not be penalized, otherwise there is no incentive to improve. The virtue they are trying to impart is good, but it should be applied in life at large, not on the field.