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Life Lessons Life Lesson #46: Commitment Has commitment become a lost character trait? Last month we discussed Draft Day Disappointments; where athletes end up on teams that may be below their expected performance level. It was concluded that a Draft Day Disappointment presents several positive teaching opportunities, one of which was honoring a commitment made to the league and team. While there may be an unexpected twist in an athlete?s season, showing commitment means to stick out the season with the team and make the best of the situation. Commitment is a character trait that has been decreasing in baseball families in recent years due to a number of contributing factors. We hear many stories at Lifeletics of parents pulling their athlete out of a league, off of a travelball team or regularly out of practice for trivial reasons. And while it could be argued that there?s been a drop in baseball interest across the sport, this is not what worries me most. Instead, it?s the lack of commitment to an activity in general that is troublesome. From the dictionary, commitment is defined as: a pledge or promise; obligation. It is a fact that the degree of obligation, the importance of a promise or pledge to a baseball team has decreased in recent years. Has the fast-paced environment of modern life pushed commitment to practices and games to the back of our minds? Or has the increased availability of travel and tournament teams made it easier for families to bounce from team to team? High school coaches will tell you that the current athlete coming into a program has a much lower degree of commitment to sports, and baseball in particular, than in previous generations. This can be attributed to the emergence of video games and extreme sports, but it can also be attributed to a fast-paced, high-tech society dependent on convenience. The combination of all of these factors leads to a recipe for lack of commitment. Some of the most common baseball examples follow: Missed Practices At high school and beyond, there is a firm rule: You do not practice, you do not play. When there are 18 athletes competing each and every day for playing time, it simply isn?t fair for an athlete to miss practice and expect to start the next game. At the youth level, attendance at practice should be mandatory (within moderation). Making a commitment to a team means attending practice once or twice a week and being on time for pregame activities. When a volunteer coach cuts work early to plan for and set up a practice, it is inconsiderate and rude to show up late and leave early. More importantly, impressionable young athletes are taught that it?s okay to come and go as you please with little regard to the effect on other people. Team to Team Transitions The emergence of travelball has also weakened commitment in youth baseball. Tournament play is more or less year-round, which means that there is not really a start and stop to the season. The lines between when a season starts and ends are therefore blurred, and so then the degree of commitment is also blurred. Athletes join and leave teams on a whim, searching for a perfect situation and jumping ship at the first sign of trouble. Because there is no formal league, the barriers to entry are decreased and new teams can pick up and play on a whim. Don?t like the current situation? Grab 13 players and sign a check ? you can play. Punctuality An example that we feel directly at Lifeletics is punctuality. Lifeletics workouts are highly popular because of the tight itinerary structuring each event - The way that each station and each day?s instruction builds upon the previous one, as well as the fact that each workout is held to a strict timing schedule. This tight schedule allows Lifeletics to efficiently work out a group without long lines or significant down time in between stations. One of the biggest detractors to this efficiency is players arriving late. These players miss the warm-up and stretching portion of the workout, and now the group must wait? or an instructor must be dedicated to guiding this late athlete through an appropriate warm up. The most frustrating part often occurs when an athlete or family shows little remorse for being late. While there are often times when the situation can not be avoided, it should be expected that when the late athlete does show up? he would run from the car to the field and do everything possible to get caught up to the group. The simple fact that many of these athletes are oblivious that players and coaches are waiting on them, is a direct indication that the lack of commitment in the family is directly affecting the young athlete. An interesting thing happened this week which can be included in a discussion about commitment: Roger Clemens returned to the Yankees. However, he did so after skipping Spring Training and the first two months of the season. Additionally, Clemens has negotiated concessions into his contract such as the ability to travel to and from New York in between starts. A local talk radio host asked the question, what is Roger Clemens showing the young baseball players of tomorrow about commitment? Certainly, at age 45, Roger?s commitment to staying physically fit and mentally sharp cannot be questioned. Also, his contributions to the waffling New York Yankees will undoubtedly prove to be important. However, is it okay for an individual to simply check in and check out of a team sport? Clearly, the capitalistic market has said yes in Clemens? case ($28 million times) as a big-time business was willing to invest the money. But how will teammates respond to this player when the team goes on a losing streak and they are left to deal with the big-city media criticism? Will resentment grow when the team boards a plane at midnight for a cross-country flight after dropping last inning loss? And will the grumbles grow louder when 24 of the 25 players get blasted by a frustrated owner for lack of team production? Now consider those situations when the player in question rests comfortably at home with his family. Naturally, teammates may grow frustrated by the lack of commitment on the part of Clemens, and rightfully so. Coming back to the topic of youth baseball, does our lack of commitment affect the kids? Are we neglecting to teach them the importance of commitment through our decisions and actions with regard to this team sport? The Life in Lifeletics says YES! Does the fact that I drop my kid off at practice 20 minutes late really matter? Well, does the same kid that shows up late to practice come home with a detention slip from school because he was tardy at class? Does the fact that I pick up and switch teams every 3 months really matter? Well, does the same kid changing teams have trouble keeping friends? Is that athlete constantly searching for something bigger and better, losing sight of the challenges and tasks immediately at hand? Commitment does matter. The importance of the lessons learned through commitment to a sports team should not be undervalued. A lack of commitment can force an athlete to miss out on some of the fulfillment associated with the accomplishments and successes of an individual in a team sport: a middle infield combination that plays together from pony league through high school; a group of all-stars that compete together for years before conquering the district, section or state; the camaraderie and laughs associated with building lifelong friendships over a long and grueling career. And while ALL of these are not guaranteed to a family that shows commitment through and through? NONE of these are available to the commitment-challenged family or athlete that simply can not find a way to consistently follow through. |
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