Matters of "Personal Currency"

As we are well aware of, athletics/sports essentially have two main reasons for people's inclusion in the associated activities - you either are simply participating or you are competing. Now I know that these are rather rudimentary explanations, but they are the overwhelming rationales as to why people become involved or are interested in the games that are played.

With that premise being stated, there are two differing outcomes for each concept:

To the "participant", the payoff comes in the form of value derived of activity and from interaction with others. "Victory" is more delineated from an intrinsic measurement where personal satisfaction trumps some externally-referenced standard. It is assumed that one grows from the actions taken as opposed from the final results establishing credibility.

To the "competitor", the payoff is far more complex. A competitor can derive satisfaction similar to what was stated in the previous paragraph, but the end product of competition is appreciably more tangible than basic participation. After all, there are certainly games to be won, titles to be pursued, and championships to be attained....and let me be the first to state that there is NOTHING wrong with those pursuits. Goal orientation is a valuable motivator and educator to our physical. intellectual and attitudinal development.

But what is more troubling in our modern athletic culture is how a crippling by-product has begun to overwhelm the cultural dynamic:

The pursuit of "Personal Currency."

Currency is the (by-in-large) tangible assets that an athlete, coach, administrator or even parent can lay claim to, as a result of their membership in athletic competition. Let me draw out some examples of what currency looks like at the various levels of the athletic continuum:

Professional: The most obvious here is money paid for their services to a franchise. It also takes the form of honors, titles, endorsements, and even "idol" status.

Intercollegiate: At this level, currency is most often defined as scholarships earned by an athlete for their commitment to a chosen educational institution. At the Division I level of competition, athletes view their experiences

as a training ground for advanced opportunities at the professional level. And while there is a vast chasm between Division I and Divisions II and III, the athletes at those smaller levels also receive benefits/perks for their athletic involvement with the school - not in the form of scholarships, but in other tangible opportunities that they can utilize either during their time on campus, or after they graduate.

Interscholastic: At the high school level, athletes are participants and competitors almost interchangeably. Yes, they often times are involved as a manner for extra-curricular opportunities to bond with classmates and represent the community. But the reality is that many athletes (and coaches, parents, and even administrators) look at high school sports as a stepping-stone for broader horizons. The lure of collegiate scholarships drives many athletes today - that is why team placement, leadership titles, position definition, and playing time have all become critical forms of currency in the modern high school culture.

Youth: Not all that dissimilar from high school in that while participation is a key reason for involvement, many people look at youth sports also as a step in the athlete's progression to the interscholastic level. While that is an obvious (and acceptable) reason why people are involved in youth athletics, concerns of team placement, position titles, and actual game-playing time have become the "gold standard" of defining value in the actual experience.

How the athletic experience has devolved over the past 50 years or so is basically rooted in the unquenchable thirst to accumulate these currencies. Now let me be clear about this point though...I have no problem with any individual's pursuit of a better contract, a scholarship, a varsity letter, or a spot on the "A" team. In a capitalistic society, the competitive chase for spoils of victory should not be frowned upon. What can be frowned upon (greatly, I might add) is when the pursuit of individual reward profoundly overshadows the pursuits of the team. In it's absolute nadir, the individual preoccupation with currency is the gateway to self-absorbed, narcissistic behaviors...which do nothing to advance the cause of a championship quest. I have seen far too many examples (and getting more frequent by the day) where the trek to personal glory completely and thoroughly erodes the relationships, character, and ethics of a team - which are, of course, the foundations of their greatness.

I am not here to offer any deep, meaningful solutions to this issue. What I want to do is offer at the very least an awareness that these issues exist, and that ultimate failure to rein in these cultural foibles will ultimately doom athletics in becoming the truly functional and educational medium that it once was.

Failure to find and define the true nature and value of athletic currency, can (and will be) organized sports fatal wound.