Why the United States is Losing its Edge in International Athletics

It was just another weekend where the United States did not get it done in athletic competitions.

The biggest collapse of the weekend came when the favored United States women’s soccer team blew a pair of one-goal leads, and then completely folded in penalty kicks to lose the World Cup final to Japan.

On the other side of the pond, a non-American in Darren Clarke captured the British Open, making it six straight majors since an American has won. But don’t look at soccer and golf as the only examples of the world catching and surpassing the United States athletically.

How long has it been since an American man has won a Grand Slam event in tennis? In fact, about the only sport the United States can still be counted on to dominate is football.

If we put our best players out, we would still probably be the best in the world in basketball, but with the passing of each year, the margin between the United States and the rest of the world continues to dissipate. Baseball, once known universally as “America’s Game,” has been surpassed by football for that title, in large part because there is no sure thing we would win and international competition.

In fact, the World Series should be changed to the “Major League Baseball Championship.”

There were many a year the United States dominated the sprints in track and field, but even those days are gone.

Why the downfall? There are many ways to go with this argument, but in my mind, it is an easy one.

To be successful in junior sports in the United States today – the foundation of our future professional teams – you have to come from money, as pretty much all sports have become elitist in nature.

It has gotten crazy the amount of money people are being forced to spend for the kids to become successful athletes. If you don’t have the money, you are left on the outside looking in when it comes to competitive athletics.

I can think back to one of my daughters playing soccer in third grade. That was six years ago and in order for her to “really develop” she needed to be involved in this special program that was 8-9 weeks long and was $600. From there it was going to be close to $2,000 a year, which means by the time she got through high school, it was going to be close to $20,000 we were going to spend on her to play soccer.

It is not just soccer. Lacrosse is equally as bad. If you want your son to be a great player, then he has to be on a traveling team during the summer. The teams feature players from all over Northern California, so the practices are often times up to an hour away. Throw in anywhere from $200-$700 a week for tournaments and your summer budget can get over $5,000 for 10-12 weeks.

The added pressure of coaches all wanting their piece of the pie is adding to the problem. Long, long gone are the days of people getting involved in coaching for the good of the kids and the respective sports. Now everyone wants their share. If you want your son to play high school football, then he has to be bigger, stronger and faster. He needs to be explosive and for only $300 we can get him there – it’s that simple.

There are a number of lacrosse programs in Northern California charging an arm and a leg for your kids to represent “Northern California,” yet these teams are not based on talent as much as the parents ability to write the check.

Baseball, softball and basketball are equally as bad. AAU teams are formed every year where the main criteria is a thinly veiled tryout that is more about making sure you can spend the money, not whether your son or daughter are good enough to make a team.

You can say the same about golf, tennis and a host of other sports – you name it. Ironically it is golf - the original elitist sport - that has made the most strides towards helping those in need with the First Tee Program. But even then, once a player gets through a certain level of ability, it is all about the travel to tournaments throughout the country in order to play against the best.

What this pay-to-be-good mentality has created are two major flaws in the development of young athletes. First, there are many kids who are supremely talented that are left out of programs simply because their family cannot afford to pay the fees.

But more importantly, I think it is the lack of kids having to deal with adversity to get to the top of the mountain that is killing our national sports programs. Because the majority of our top athletes in the country come from families who write checks in order for them to play, the inner strength to succeed is often missing.

I recently read a story about a doctor said it was actually good for kids to be scared when they are younger – in this case by watching a movie – as it helps their development as a person.

The same can be said about sports.

When the heart of a champion is absent – that’s not something which can be bought – it’s tough to be the best. Heart is something that is developed by hard work, as well as trials and tribulations. There has to be failure as well as success to build character. If we can just pay for success, then where is the character developed?

When a child sits on a bench, the parents often times go after the coach. If it is a school team, they go to the administration and try to have the coach removed. If it is a pay-to-play club team, they keep shopping around until they find a team their child can play for and all they need to do is pay the money.

The world is full of parents who rationalize that if their child is not on the field, then it is because they coaches are horrible. They will share this with anyone the talk to, and then with their child as well. If instead they focused on dealing with the adversity they are confronted with, then they would grow as people, as well as an athlete.

But sadly this rarely happens as it is always easier to blame someone else for your own failings.

As this mentality continues to grow throughout the years, our heart and courage shrinks. This is not to say our top athletes don’t work hard and are not talented as they certainly are among the elite. But to get over the top, it takes that heart and soul which has been lost along the way.

The United States women’s soccer team was gracious in defeat, which is a great character trait. But where was someone stepping up and saying, “Hey congratulations to Japan, but we were the better team. They have the World Cup now, but we will get it back in four years. We will do whatever it takes.”

This is the attitude we need to have. You have to deal with losing and take in the lessons that come with losing. But under no circumstances should you accept losing. This is a lesson which should carry over all of life. Good things come to people who work hard, but you should never be satisfied or you will become complacent.

It is hard to fault parents for doing what they need to do to help their kids. It is their money and they have worked hard for it so spending it as they wish is their choice. But remember, money does not guarantee success and in some way can hinder it. Instead of thinking about what money can do, let’s make a collective effort to think about what character can do to help or young athletes.