re: "Xennials" - the hybrid of Gen X and Millenials

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Then don't have a game or officials. Just have a skills clinic. I mean, teams keep score in scrimmages where they play themselves. Yeah, it's meaningless in the grand scheme of things - but scoring is THE POINT of sports. I'm with you - there shouldn't be tee ball games at all. There shouldn't be tee ball at all. Get those little SOBs a little tiny batting cage, some light weight bats and scaled down balls. Teach them to hit, throw (not pitch) and run.

About 10 years of age or so, THEN put them on teams where they do all the skills, including pitching and forbid the coaches to teach them a curveball until they're 14.

But don't play games if you're not going to keep score. Sets the wrong tone and starts bad habits early.

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Well, if the goal is to incorporate teamwork and social interaction, then I can see the benefit of it. Aside from that though, I agree as well.

"Sports" at that age aren't really "sports" - they're athletic exercises. Just trying to get kids interested in a physical activity. So yeah, trying to get little kids into a competitive mind set at that early an age is not the route to take.

But absolutely they should be brought into that mindset when old enough to deal with it. No kid should get out of school without engaging in some forms of competition - be it athletics, academics, musical, etc. I was in band in school, and we had All-County and All-State tryouts as individuals, and then we had band competitions as a group. I think you got a certificate of participation if you went, but you got medals for winning. Everyone wanted to win to pin the medals on the marching uniform.

I mean, you want to talk about participation trophies?

I have nothing against Patraeus, but...