nah… 🙂

i would say the overstepping of people who eventually run out of positive limited things to do, and rather than just sit still and happy, have to keep on going.

like a poor artist who overworks a piece that would have been really good IF they knew when to stop or when to let forces alone and manage themselves.

given all the philosophers like to split people into twos, i will give you a twofer.

in the domain of public service there are two kinds of people, those who actually do wish their fellow man the best and will suffer for that in a real way and make real judicious effort, and then there are those who have a need to feel power.

the latter group is sadistic as they cant feel power unless they use it, and by definition power is the ability to compel another against their will to comply (usually coupled with a inability to respond to the condition)

note that there is more than this kind of power, but to these people, other forms can not be distinguished from good luck, bribery.

Even worse, when it all works without their stewardships, and schemes, and works better, there is the opposite of power, irrelevancy.

At work when meeting such people on projects i tend to leave innocuous errors they can find. give these people a perfectly designed item, and they will change it just so they can claim it.

Still, organized and unorganized team sports have a lot to offer. I think Daniel in Brookline sums it up well.

Unfortunately, it is often the adult element, parents and some coaches, who create problems. Some kids will learn positive lessons from the examples, while, sadly, others will emulate them..

I’m reminded of this book, which has a lot to say about the watering-down of children’s sports. One point that made an impact on me was that playing competitive sports teaches you how to lose — a vital life skill if ever there was one.

Another important point is that, in playing competitive sports, you learn an awful lot about yourself and what you’re capable of. Are you a leader or a follower? Can you get along with others under trying circumstances? Do you rally others with your optimism, or do you drag others down with your pessimism? You also learn a lot about dealing with people under stress, and what works and what doesn’t.

Parents who try to remove competitive aspects are doing their children no favors at all. They’ll encounter these issues in the real world, with much higher stakes, and have no idea how to cope with them.

respectfully,
Daniel in Brookline

Ranking tensors is tough. Determing who is the fastest sprinter is a question of objective fact. Determining who is the best overall athlete fuels barroom brawls.

Moreover, in competitive sports (i.e., sports that involve competing directly against another person, rather than against a stopwatch or other objective standard) the rankings of who is best depend on who the opponent is (hence, e.g., the platoon system in baseball), further muddying the waters. So lots of opportunities for managerial discretion, and abuse thereof.

I might be mistaken, since I was never closely involved, but I think my son’s HS track team was free from intrigue, backstabbing and favoritism described in the post and comments.
First, parents tend not to be involved as much – not that I know of, and second – the coach was a professional, employed by the school, not one of the fathers, and he had school’ success as a stimulus for better pay and longer employment.

I know my son adored him, as did the whole team. They all turned to powder-mix-food, though – per coach’ instruction. And that I hold against him!