It has been witnessed that parents, top-class athletes, and even the coaches are not paying heed to the cheating and are often not able to identify the difference between cheating and gamesmanship. This, however, needs to be changed.
When Houston Astros were caught by MLB making use of modern and advanced technology and were banging the trash cans in order to steal the signs during the season of 2017, it created a situation of chaos throughout this sport. One side was in favour of the Houston Astros, while on the other hand, it was being demanded that their title of World Series Championship should be taken from them.
In youth sports, people are expecting a lot from the kids and they always looking to get a win. However, this does not benefit the kids as they then look for unethical ways to win rather than showing sportsmanship and they do that in order to satisfy someone else’s expectations.
The head of the nonprofit group, John O’Sullivan clearly highlighted that there are a few examples of cheating that people use in order to get their desired outcome. These examples include the use of players who are illegal, drugs to improve performance, and injuring other players deliberately.
Most of the players do not know about the line that should not be crossed in sports. However, there are a few ways by which the young player can learn to differentiate it and then achieve success.
Read more: TO CHEAT OR NOT TO CHEAT. IS THAT EVEN A QUESTION?
Set an Ideal Example
If you are a coach or a parent, the young athlete will follow you and will do whatever you will do. For them, you are the role model. Therefore, you should be an ideal example for them and they should follow you and see you as an example in sports. If they will see that their ideal is doing something wrong, it is highly likely that they will also follow the same. In fact, according to Dr. Ron Quinn, “Once they learn how important the game is to adults, they will learn how to cheat,” So for that reason, you should set an ideal and good example for young athletes.
Understand The Outcomes
When just a single-player breaks any type of rule, it is the whole team that has to suffer. It can even result in a big loss such as the removal of a title or championship.Due to the mistake of one, the whole team and every player has to go through the shame and face the undesired consequences.
Read more: MLB TELLS COURT THAT CHEATING IS A PART OF SPORTS
Understand The Rules:
Coaches and even the parents must know about the rules of the game. It is extremely important for them to understand the rules. If you don’t know the rules, it does not mean you can indulge in illegal activities. It is always advisable that in case someone does not know about the rules, they should ask any representative or official.
Restrain From Shortcuts:
The organization which is called TrueSport encourages the coaches and the parents to teach the young athels to win in the essence of the game. The win must be valued but not in order to satisfy someone else.
This can lead the young player to take shortcuts and become more focused on achieving external rewards such as medals, praise, or trophies. The best way is to focus on personal development and accept defeat in order to win in the right way.
Allow Athletes To Make Mistakes:
The mentality of not to fail leads the young player to cheat to win. According to Dr. Jacobs, if the kids are told to learn from their mistakes and failures, they will then restrain from cheating and will not feel the need to do so. The parents and the coaches should teach young children this philosophy at a very young age.