Youth football fines for winning

[F3SS]

THE ‘WUSSIFICATION OF AMERICA’?: YOUTH FOOTBALL LEAGUE FINES TEAMS $200 WHEN THEY WIN BY 35 POINTS

So from now on, mercy will prevail.

The NCFYF has added teeth to the mercy rule this season for its age 7 to 13 teams, instituting a $200 fine for squads that win games by 35 points or more and a one-week suspension for violating teams’ head coaches, according to KCRA.

Rather than easily turning the corner down the sideline for another touchdown, player opts to jog to sideline to avoid penalty for mercy rule violation. (Image source: KCRA-TV)

NBC Sports’ Dave Briggs called the move the latest chapter in the “wussification of America” and a “ridiculous rule,” saying it teaches “lesser teams that there’s always someone there to cushion to blow.”

But league brass beg to differ.

“It’s teaching them compassion for the other team,” Rochin said. “It’s teaching them sportsmanship.”

Proponents say it also helps “create a level playing field” when there’s a disparity of talent between opposing teams, KCRA reported.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/09/25/the-wussification-of-america-youth-football-league-fines-teams-200-when-they-win-by-35-points/

Wow. Can you liberal progressives possibly try and raise a more sissified generation of spoiled brats that don't know the meanings of NO, Too Bad, Try Harder, You Lose. I know you like to punish adults for their good fortune but do you have to punish kids for their success too. Cry me a river you bunch of pansies.

[Bama13]

Wow. Can you liberal progressives possibly try and raise a more sissified generation of spoiled brats that don't know the meanings of NO, Too Bad, Try Harder, You Lose. I know you like to punish adults for their good fortune but do you have to punish kids for their success too. Cry me a river you bunch of pansies.

I don't understand why they don't just call the game. Many sports use a "mercy" rule. In college baseball if one team is ahead by 10+ runs after, I believe, the 7th inning then, if both sides agree, they simply end the game. In the Louisville football game last weekend they ran the clock the entire 4th quarter to shorten the game because it was a blowout.

Now if one team was deliberatly running up the score then maybe I see just cause to punish them for poor sportsmanship.

[F3SS]

I can maybe see that, your last sentence. But if it's so humiliating to the losing team, what's stopping them from forfeiting? What's worse? Quitting and learning/understanding your shortcomings or punishing a good team for being good with threats of fines and suspensions? I choose the former because like all other "level playing field" ideologies the incentive to strive and succeed is punished.

[aztek]

why don't they just stop the game???? other team already lost anyway,

[+DieChecker]

Here in Oregon in most youth sports if one team gets too far ahead, they just say that they win and the game ends.

Fining people because they are winning is idiotic, but is directly relatable to the mentality of uber-left liberals.

[Sir Wearer of Hats]

what a load of fetid dingoes kidneys.

I've been on a team that had it's asses handed to them. You know what we learnt? We learnt to try harder and to find victories in the little wins. In personal bests etc.

Also we learnt how to trash talk the opposition, but that's not the lesson the leaders of our Boys' Brigade company wanted to hear.

I have to agree that is this a crazy "everyone is a special snowflake" law that will only punish everyone. Successful teams will be afraid of being "too successful", losing teams will always wonder if they lost by the score they did because the other team took pity on them out of fear of the law etc.

Teaching kids as I do, I have seen a team of kids "throw a goal" (if you will) because they've totally dominated the other team, so the goalie (it was soccer/football) let a ball through (it was a good fake out actually, I totally missed it until they told me they allowed it through) so the other team didn't feel too bad.

Why?

They're KIDS (that lot were 8 years old). they don't get competitive until the hormones kick in and they're fighting for the attention of the girls and it's a game. You're meant to have fun, and you don't have fun when you're being thrashed by a better team.

Incidentally - we won the year after we were thrashed.

[Mantis914]

How are kids supposed to learn from their mistakes and grow from bad experiences by fining the winners? That one parent brings up a good point, little athletes that are doing well will now be benched all in the name of "levelling the field of play"...

Speaking of which, has anyone else noticed that since the NFL has been pounding in more safety rules and regulations, the player's helmets are always coming off and seem to come off more easily than in the past? Just an observation...

[Michelle]

That one parent brings up a good point, little athletes that are doing well will now be benched all in the name of "levelling the field of play"...

That was always standard practice at my school. If a team was winning by a wide margin the coach would put in some of the second string players, who usually don't get to play, so that they can get a little field time during an actual game. I think that's the best approach to take.

[Agent0range]

That is also the approach that professional teams take. I mean, this isn't really a new concept..you hear the criticism all the time no matter what level of play it is. An NFL coach that goes for it on 4th and 1 in the 4th quarter when his team is up 30 is going to hear about it from the media and other coaches for the next week. It is not creating "wussies", it is just preparing them for the next level.

[Mantis914]

That is also the approach that professional teams take. I mean, this isn't really a new concept..you hear the criticism all the time no matter what level of play it is. An NFL coach that goes for it on 4th and 1 in the 4th quarter when his team is up 30 is going to hear about it from the media and other coaches for the next week. It is not creating "wussies", it is just preparing them for the next level.

When professional teams are picking players or when players get awards, they go by stats. How are they going to get good stats if they are considering the other teams feelings?

[DecoNoir]

Ok, somebody please examine who ever proposed this idiotic er, thing, and please give him his balls back.

[Agent0range]

When professional teams are picking players or when players get awards, they go by stats. How are they going to get good stats if they are considering the other teams feelings?

So are you saying pro teams don't do this? Last week when the Seahawks were up big, they took their star quarterback (Russell Wilson) out in the third quarter. It is 100% regular practice and it occurs on a weekly basis.

[BarnabasCollins]

Winning is one thing, but a "massacre" is quite another. The rule does not discourage a team from winning. Rather, it teaches another principle which we follow (or should follow) in many other areas of life. Take boxing for example. When one of the fighters is knocked down by a solid punch from his opponent, the one who delivered the blow is not allowed to keep hitting his downed opponent to make sure he doesn't get back up. I know the rule we are discussing is different because in boxing we are talking about preventing injuries that could be life threatening, etc. Still, the principle is the same.

The principle is that once you have won whatever the challenge, it is time to stop the endeavor. I think that continuing to rack up points is the equivalent to the winning team turning to their opponents and snickering at them and making fun of their loss rather than treating them with respect for having competed.

As for the fine, I don't think that is a good idea. I think the proper rule should be that the officials call the game and declare the team that is ahead by 35 points the winner.

[Mantis914]

So are you saying pro teams don't do this? Last week when the Seahawks were up big, they took their star quarterback (Russell Wilson) out in the third quarter. It is 100% regular practice and it occurs on a weekly basis.

I don't think they are considering the other teams feelings, its more they are protecting their prized investment...

[Bama13]

So are you saying pro teams don't do this? Last week when the Seahawks were up big, they took their star quarterback (Russell Wilson) out in the third quarter. It is 100% regular practice and it occurs on a weekly basis.

The Patriots don't. But then what can you expect from a bunch of cheaters.

[Merc14]

As the dad of a 7 year old boy I thiink a league should have a mercy rule if for nothing else than the sanity of the parent's. When the kid's are down 35-0 and there is still 5 minutes left in first of two, 20 minute halves of a flag football game, I say call it a loss and release us all from the pain. I saw this happen and there is only so many lessons you can learn by getting your ass kicked weekly by a couple of teams that have been together for 3-4 years and your team of bobble-heads has had 1 practice together. That is a problem in our 7-8 year old indoor league and I actually didn't let my kid play this year because, after two seasons of this, it gets a bit depressing for all involved. You're either on one of these neighborhood teams or you are dog meat. I am currently looking for something else he can compete in and have a chance to win if he works hard enough, wrestling or swimming maybe.

[+DieChecker]

That is also the approach that professional teams take. I mean, this isn't really a new concept..you hear the criticism all the time no matter what level of play it is. An NFL coach that goes for it on 4th and 1 in the 4th quarter when his team is up 30 is going to hear about it from the media and other coaches for the next week. It is not creating "wussies", it is just preparing them for the next level.

I think you are missing the point of the thread. What if the 49ers beat the Seahawks by 49 points and then were fined 20 million dollars for doing so? Would the 49ers then start purposefully allowing opponent touchdowns, or would they purposefully start ordering players to not play as hard, regardless of it they put in the 2nd string or not?

What if even 20 points difference resulted in a 5 million dollar in fine?

It is that the team was fined, not that they beat the other team so bad that is the point of the thread. Mercy rules exist everywhere, but no one slaps a fine on teams instead. If the winning team broke a barrier and got fined, that instead should have simply ended the game.

[Myles]

Winning is one thing, but a "massacre" is quite another. The rule does not discourage a team from winning. Rather, it teaches another principle which we follow (or should follow) in many other areas of life. Take boxing for example. When one of the fighters is knocked down by a solid punch from his opponent, the one who delivered the blow is not allowed to keep hitting his downed opponent to make sure he doesn't get back up. I know the rule we are discussing is different because in boxing we are talking about preventing injuries that could be life threatening, etc. Still, the principle is the same.

The principle is that once you have won whatever the challenge, it is time to stop the endeavor. I think that continuing to rack up points is the equivalent to the winning team turning to their opponents and snickering at them and making fun of their loss rather than treating them with respect for having competed.

As for the fine, I don't think that is a good idea. I think the proper rule should be that the officials call the game and declare the team that is ahead by 35 points the winner.

Yes, maybe calling the game is the way to go. But only if both teams agree. Many times the winning team uses games like this to get their bench players playing time. I don't think it is fair to the bench players to lose their playing time because it hurts another childs feelings.

But putting in 2nd and 3rd string players and asking them not to do good is not teaching anything.