Are Competitive Sports Harmful to the Soul?

[paramedicgirl]

I’m looking for (name removed by moderator)ut on whether competitive sports for children are sinful (do they glorify the body and cause pride and vanity?)
What about figure skating? Is there too much focus on athletic development? What if competitive sports are well balanced with religion?
For example, when we go away to skating competitions, we never miss Mass. I’m wondering what other people have to say about this.

 

[Forest-Pine]

I have the same issue going on in my household. I think sports can be beneficial to body, mind, and soul. However, the reality of it is that often times it places undue emphasis on body (to the point of causing girls to focus on slimming down and boys on beefing up, much to the detriment of their body, mind, and soul).

My daughter wants to do dance and/or gymnastics. I don’t see anything inherently wrong with either. Then I meet the teachers and directors and students, I listen to what the girls are saying, how very cruel they can be to each other and how hard they are on themselves, and I do not want to start her in that process.

I was the only girl on my co-ed soccer team as a youth. I really liked the sport, but fell away because I was treated differently than the boys.

I think it is not the sport itself, but who the child is participating in the sport with.

 

[paramedicgirl]

What about the way skaters have to dress for competitions? Or swimmers for that matter? Is extreme focus on sports detrimental for children? I try to balance it with daily prayers, Catechism and Sunday Mass, but you are right, it can be a cruel world.

 

[soccerDad]

I have two points:

I think the dress for girls, especially swimming and volleyball and other sports that require bikini like attire are unnecessarily sexist. I saddens me to see it. What is wrong with shorts?

My second point is the evils of competition itself. I was brought up in a heavily involved sports family. We never talked about any down sides to competitive sports. Now when I go to my son’s soccer games (I’m coach) and they get blown out 10 to 0, and I see the real suffering of these kids, and the misplaced anger and angst of the parents pushing them to impossible gaols, blaming coaching and kids and everything else, I am aghast. Why must every winner’s joy be lifted on the back of a loser’s pain? Is this why some people say sports are akin to war? That is a real evil. It is much more enjoyable to me now to exersize and play with friends, in pick-up games, running, bike riding, etc. We’re still in sports, but I’m trying hard to stress the fun and friendships, more than the striving for winning, and perfection (which belongs only to God). In my opinion these are the sins, and they are harmful. Being often a winner, it has taken me a long time to realize this.

 

[una_veritas]

There is nothing wrong with competition. Competition in business helps to keep prices low and the economy healthy. Competition in sports lets us work together in a team and show the best we can offer to the other players. Even St. Paul encourages competition when he was talking about how we are all competitors in the race of life and there is only one winner. (Jesus Christ!) I do agree that some of the outfits of skaters/gymnists are a bit much, but it helps them be more aerodynamic (if that is the correct term). But I think your just talking about soccer and team sports in general. Absolutely nothing wrong with them!!!

 

[soccerDad]

Una Veritas,

On competition, of course, I disagree. Could it be that you have more experience with this than me? Please share. I don’t get any real feeling from your post.

The competition in economics argument doesn’t work with me. The (il)logical jump to competition everywhere is very specious. One solution does not fit all. But even if I followed that leap, in my experience, business in the U.S. usually does not work based on competition, regardless of the free market fantasy. It works more often on what is known variously as cronyism, favoritism, elitism, “the good 'ol boy system”, tradition, etc.

As an engineer, I can tell you the aerodynamics argument is very weak. It’s also attempting to make the sexual evidence incidental, but does not make it go away.

 

[gmmartin42]

As a youth, I played more than my share of sports. I played many individual sports such as track and field, as wll as team sports such as baseball. However, one sport that really woke me up to become an adult was football. High school football was a very inspirational and emotional period for me in my life. Former players and coaches often say that football is 90% mental, and 10% physical. They are every bit true. For children, the sport teaches them discipline, respect, value of hard work, faith in themselves and in their teammates. Spiritually, it brings out the best in people. I’ve witnessed some great things in people while playing football, whether it was them making a big play or being able to be part of a team- something larger than themselves. In fact, aside from church, I don’t think there was another activity in my life when I prayed so much aloud with so many other people!!!

I would even argue that when all taken together, sports- especially team sports- are huge character builders for children, and in no way harmful to the soul. Good luck!

 

[Ignatius]

paramedicgirl:

I’m looking for (name removed by moderator)ut on whether competitive sports for children are sinful (do they glorify the body and cause pride and vanity?)
What about figure skating? Is there too much focus on athletic development? What if competitive sports are well balanced with religion?
For example, when we go away to skating competitions, we never miss Mass. I’m wondering what other people have to say about this.

You are kidding right? There is absolutely nothing wrong with atheletic competition as long as it is kept in the proper perspective. (i.e. Seek first the kingdom of God. . .)

 

[Michelle_in_KC]

soccerDad:

I have two points:

I think the dress for girls, especially swimming and volleyball and other sports that require bikini like attire are unnecessarily sexist. I saddens me to see it. What is wrong with shorts?

Well, I swam competitively as a kid. I was always covered up when I wasn’t competing. Kind of hard to swim competitively in shorts.

And I NEVER wore a bikini-type suit to compete. Always a one piece racer suit. Granted style of competitive suits has changed over the years, but most women still wear the one-piece competitive suit for competing.

Swimming is actually an excellent sport for kids, I think. The competitions are competitive, meaning they race others and the outcome is determined by who swam the fastest. Unlike things like gymnastics or ice skating where judges “judge” appearance among the other aspects.

 

[Michelle_in_KC]

Why is competition bad? There is a lot of competing that goes on in life. Giving kids the chance to learn the proper perspective and proper things for which to compete is critical (IMO) to a well-adjusted adult.

For example, my mother used to compete at all the wrong things. She didn’t play sports as a kid, so never learned where to channel competitive energy. So, as an adult, she turned things into competitions that should never be competitions…things like who has the best house, or how much a person eats (or doesn’t eat) at a meal, how much weight someone gains/loses. If she had learned that competition has it’s place in sporting events, she might not have tried to compete so much in other areas of her life.

Don’t get me wrong. I love my mother, dearly. However, having your mother compete with you about who wears the smallest size jeans is a rather uncomfortable predicament for a teenager!

 

[kaygee]

I* Cor. 9:24ff: Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercieses self-control in all things. They do it to obtain a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. . . .*

Sports for kids can be a very good training tool in the spiritual life. . . showing the necessity of putting in long hours and hard work and discipline in order to move ahead. . . Progress in sports is easy to see – with work and patience, a skater can land an axel, then, after more falls and bruises, finally is rewarded by a perfect double axel. But that’s not the end . . . there’s still the dreaded triple to try for. . . Having a young person working in sports can illustrate to them the ups and downs of the spiritual life, where the end results are not as easily seen or felt.

One needs to train the young athlete in modesty – esp. figureskating / gymnastics / swimming . . . One also needs to help the young athlete to learn to do her best for it’s own sake rather than trying to squash a competetitor – to rejoice with those who win – to help those who don’t do as well to move forward.
There are a lot of benefits to athletic competition, so long as it is steered by a Christian ethic not a selfish ethic.

 

[Shiann]

Michelle in KC:

Well, I swam competitively as a kid. I was always covered up when I wasn’t competing. Kind of hard to swim competitively in shorts.

And I NEVER wore a bikini-type suit to compete. Always a one piece racer suit. Granted style of competitive suits has changed over the years, but most women still wear the one-piece competitive suit for competing.

Swimming is actually an excellent sport for kids, I think. The competitions are competitive, meaning they race others and the outcome is determined by who swam the fastest. Unlike things like gymnastics or ice skating where judges “judge” appearance among the other aspects.

My daughter (9yo) is on a competitive swim team, and it has been the best thing for her! There individual as well as team aspects to this sport (much like gymnastics or track) but it’s less hard on the body. I wanted her to be involved with a sport that promoted healthy life long activities- while honing skills. The best way to hone those skills is through motivated practice or racing.

Competition is morally neutral. It is how you approach competition, and your intent which makes it good or bad. If you approach competition from a perspective of “win at any cost”, that would be sinful. Not because competition is bad, but because this insinuates that you will be uncharitable in your actions towards others.

And in our local competitions, the girls are required to wear one piece suits. Some have gone so far as to get those full body racing suits (several hundred dollars each :bigyikes: ). Which certainly isn’t on our list of purchases, but it is even less “revealing” than a one piece suit.

 

[ridesawhitehors]

Competitive sports can be vehicle to great virtue or vice.
I’m an adult and I still compete in sports. One of the greatest dangers is to allow sports to become an idol. One thing I do - is I make an offering to the Lord of all of my athletic persutes, and pray that I will be light and salt to all those I compete with.
God calls us to bloom where we are planted, and sport venues are great places to be Jesus to the world.

Paramedicgirl, I commend you for never missing mass. I KNOW how hard it is to get to mass when you are competing. Good for you.

I wouldn’t worry about the body image issues, and the uniforms or suits. It is sports and the suits are appropriate. To assign immodesty is not appropriate. Otherwise we have to include, Track, gymnastics, skating, volleyball, swimming, and many others. Sports are suppose to be a showplace of fitness and athleticism. I for one appreciate fit bodies for the discipline it takes to achieve them, and think it is sad to reduce it to something sexual.

 

[Fortiterinre]

I think competitive sports are almost necessary, at least for boys, and ideally team sports as well as individual sports. As a young boy learning to play team sports, I learned a lot about taking one for the team, listening to others, and doing my best. If I could live my childhood again, I would add MORE competitive team sports.

 

[Forest-Pine]

ridesawhitehors:

Sports are suppose to be a showplace of fitness and athleticism. I for one appreciate fit bodies for the discipline it takes to achieve them, and think it is sad to reduce it to something sexual.

The problem can be precisely this, though. The kids are often currently in a climate where it isn’t our team against their team, but one of every man for himself. For instance, I was recently on a dance forum. A girl posted a picture of herself playing on the beach with some family. She thought the picture looked cool. The thread was about her time at the beach.

The moms started going off on her about needing to smile, needing to bend her leg this way, needing to have more height to her jump, on and on and on and on and on. It was so hostile! They also would say one of two things; either, “My daughter does that perfectly now because she listened to me.” or “I keep telling my daughter to do such and such and she still can’t get it, so I’m having her work on it more.” These were not loving statements! The other girl dancers were chiming in much the same, talking down to her. Then there were ones constantly talking about they wished they could get height like her and asking her how she did it. Their tone was desperate. One dancer’s comments just stuck out to me. In the middle of all this, one girl says, “You are so skinny. I wish I could be as skinny as you.”

I am sure it is no better for the boys, but have no experience with it. However, this is all too common for girls who progress into intermediate+ level sports.

The focus is no longer on the sport, but on making her body into the correct shape for the sport. She is lined up and compared with the other girls, and if her jump isn’t high enough or her body slim enough or her outfit hip enough, she is immediately an out cast.

The same forum had moms and dads discussing competition. They make comments on the program about the other girls to size up their daughters’ competition. “Ghastly pale.” “Ugly blue dress.” etc were along the lines of what they reported. They also take note of what other girls do well so they can drill their own daughters on it at home. Many said their middle schoolers are practicing several hours a day, and more during competition time!

I would like to think that this is not the norm, but the more I see, the more I find it to be so.

As I said before, it CAN be wonderful! But it depends greatly on the people you are surrounded by.

(Which Soccer Dad alluded to when he said he still enjoys competition, but in a more casual setting of pick-up games instead of the organized competitions.)

Reviving Ophelia by Mary Pipher is a great read.

 

[ridesawhitehors]

Forest-Pine:

The problem can be precisely this, though. As I said before, it CAN be wonderful! But it depends greatly on the people you are surrounded by.

(Which Soccer Dad alluded to when he said he still enjoys competition, but in a more casual setting of pick-up games instead of the organized competitions.)

I don’t disagree.
The situations you describe are the result of bad parenting and coaching. I both coach and compete in a sport that can be equally ugly as dance… - Horse shows, 4-H, rodeo, etc… The parents and coaches of kids can be so petty, do anything to win, be outright cruel to each other and the kids. But thats life!,… thats the world. If I coach my kids to be better then that, they are better off in life. It is our responsibility to teach kids how to deal with poor sportsmanship, to attack, to ugliness. Most of these knuckleheads are the exception to the rule. But exceptionally GOOD sports can be equally rare, most people lying somewhere in between.
Sports are a great place to excercise Christianity… the joys and sufferings both.

 

[just_me]

I think sports can be a nice thing, and not contradictory to faith. However, that is if they are handled properly. **Like with anything, people can get too obsessed with them and lose focus of what really is important. ** We are made with bodies and souls, both of which are good. Competition can be fun too. I don’t know, but winning and losing may teach lessons to children about handling things in life - I haven’t considered that much but it’s just a thought… If someone is a poor loser, though, that’s obviously not good.

You mentioned not missing Mass, which is important but that brings to mind a dilemma that arises with sports sometimes. That is, when there are tournaments all the time on Sundays. You know, it’s good to observe those as days of family life and charity. It’s a difficult thing for people who want to play sports if their particular league consistently gets in the way of that. It’s not just Sundays, too, but if a sport is so overwhelming and all-encompassing, that’s not a beneficial thing for the family.

I guess you should pray and consider the schedule if it is too demanding for your family’s good. Also, as far as glorifying the body and vanity, look at the situation - is playing sports having a negative impact in this way? In the Morning Offering, we offer our prayers, works, joys, and sufferings for intentions. I would say to offer sports activity, too, and do it for God’s glory, rather than your own. It can be a struggle, though, not to put too much interest and attention into things, including sports.

 

[Catholic90]

soccerDad:

The competition in economics argument doesn’t work with me. The (il)logical jump to competition everywhere is very specious. One solution does not fit all. But even if I followed that leap, in my experience, business in the U.S. usually does not work based on competition, regardless of the free market fantasy. It works more often on what is known variously as cronyism, favoritism, elitism, “the good 'ol boy system”, tradition, etc.

.

I certainly see the benefits of business competition where I live. Four grocery stores all within 2 miles of my house. Each has constant sales, promotions, specials, etc, trying to win my business. Competition in business.

I bought a new car this summer. I visited several dealerships, test drove several vehicles, visited with several salesmen. Competition for my business was fierce! I won on that one by purchasing a fabulous new vehicle for much less money than I had planned on spending! Competition in business.

My husband in in business - sales of financial services. He must be very competitive to “win” sales.

I think sports and competition are wonderful for those who enjoy them. I have watched my kids play on sports teams, compete, win some, lose some, and gain a whole lot of self confidence, have pride in their accomplishments, and see the benefits of hard work. They have also learned about the agony of defeat, which is just as valuable to learn.

 

[paramedicgirl]

Ignatius:

You are kidding right? There is absolutely nothing wrong with atheletic competition as long as it is kept in the proper perspective. (i.e. Seek first the kingdom of God. . .)

No, I’m not kidding. I’m far too busy to waste time that way. The reason I ask this is because someone sent me an answer in another post about the church’s position on bodily health. Here it is:

CCC2289

2289 If morality requires respect for the life of the body, it does not make it an absolute value. It rejects a neo-pagan notion that tends to promote the cult of the body, to sacrifice everything for it’s sake, to idolize physical perfection and success at sports. By its selective preference of the strong over the weak, such a conception can lead to the perversion of human relationships.

 

[paramedicgirl]

kaygee:

I* Cor. 9:24ff: Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercieses self-control in all things. They do it to obtain a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. . . .*

Sports for kids can be a very good training tool in the spiritual life. . . showing the necessity of putting in long hours and hard work and discipline in order to move ahead. . . Progress in sports is easy to see – with work and patience, a skater can land an axel, then, after more falls and bruises, finally is rewarded by a perfect double axel. But that’s not the end . . . there’s still the dreaded triple to try for. . . Having a young person working in sports can illustrate to them the ups and downs of the spiritual life, where the end results are not as easily seen or felt.

One needs to train the young athlete in modesty – esp. figureskating / gymnastics / swimming . . . One also needs to help the young athlete to learn to do her best for it’s own sake rather than trying to squash a competetitor – to rejoice with those who win – to help those who don’t do as well to move forward.
There are a lot of benefits to athletic competition, so long as it is steered by a Christian ethic not a selfish ethic.

Very good post, kaygee. You answered alot of my questions. Thanks