In today’s world our youth have been exposed to adages such as "Winning isn’t everything, it is the only thing," "Second place is for losers," "Whatever it takes to win" (Sage, 1998). Do these phrases have bearing on the moral development, or character development of youth? Many researchers and authors claim that phrases such as these do have an influence on our youth.

Turning our attention to psychologist, Lawrence Kohlberg and his 6 stages of Moral Development, we can peak into the moral development of children. We will specifically look at the first two stages. The first stage is called the "preconventional" stage and pertains to young children - some say up to age 9. Children at this stage tend to view morality as obeying rules set forth by adults, typically parents.

The second stage is called the "conventional" stage, and is in reference to children 9 to adolescence. During this stage, children begin to contemplate situations from different viewpoints. Morality is defined by adults (parents, coaches, teachers, etc.) and the children aim to fulfill expectations set forth by those adults.

Taking into account the stages of moral development, and adages, of some adults (whether parents, teachers, coaches, etc.) it is evident that phrases such as "Winning isn’t everything, it is the only thing," "Second place is for losers," and "Whatever it takes to win" could have an impact on a child’s moral development (Sage, 1998).

You can conclude that children at a young age will believe those phrases to be the "right-way" of thinking, and that their moral beliefs will form around winning to be good or correct, and losing to be bad or wrong.

So now the question is, "What do we do about this?"

For thorough information:
Chapter Seven: Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Development
Kohlberg's stages of moral development
Chapter 3: Personality Development

Sage, G. (1998). Does Sport Affect Character Development in Athletes? Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance. 69(1), 15-18.

The Citizenship through Sports Alliance
“The Citizenship Through Sports Alliance is the largest coalition of professional and amateur athletics organizations in the United States, focused on character in sport. CTSA promotes fair play at all levels - youth leagues to professional sport - to reinforce the value of sport as a test of character.

Since 1997, CTSA has been building a sports culture that encourages respect for self, respect for others, and respect for the game.”

National Sportsmanship Day - March 1, 2005
Are you committed to improving sportsmanship at your school? Do you believe that gamesmanship has negative effects that are felt throughout sports? Are you interested in learning more about ways to become involved with an exciting program designed to enlighten student-athletes on the merits of fair and honorable play? This is a site you need to check out! - source: site

Looking back into history we can find that the slogan of "sports builds character" dates back to the 1800s in England where British boarding schools implemented physical exercise as a way of developing moral courage and teamwork.

During the 20th century, the notion that "sports builds character" made its way to the United States. School officials believed that organized sports programs were a good way of teaching students about becoming a "good" citizen (On a separate note, up until the 1970s, females were excluded from the world of sports and thus reinforced gender differentiation. The correlation between sports, and success in society, was lost on females. Over time women have fought for equality and, though there has been a minor shift, much more needs to be done).

Fast forward to today... Although sports can teach our youth about teamwork and social relations within the sporting context, there is an aspect of moral and ethical attribute that is growing; "winning at any cost is the ultimate goal." This is reinforced by some television programs that portray athletes, coaches, and parents who cheat in the pursuit to win. It also relays a message that these behavior are alright as long as you do not get caught (Sage, 1998).

Although I do not want to generalize this judgment of the "win at all cost" concept across all programs and sports, I do want to provoke thought and, perhaps, insight as to what kinds of messages our youth are receiving from playing sports.

If it is believed that moral education is important, and that sportsmanship plays a large part of shaping our values, how can we promote its growth? Hedlund (1990) talks about a non-traditional team sports college course that she has developed; the primary focus is "moral and ethical dimensions of sport, development of realistic and positive self-concept, and responsible group membership."

The course also incorporates "life long physical fitness" as a secondary goal. The activities are low in organization, and each person has a chance to experience success; the physical requirements are basic motor skills.

Some examples of games that include these aspects are flickerball, ultimate frisbee, beachball, and earthball. Due to the loose organizational aspect of this course "new games" were developed, or different rules were applied to familiar games in order to promote inclusion of everyone. The activities promote individual moral and ethical responsibility as there are no officials or team captains, they must work together to determine what is "fair."

The author further explains that some students struggle with this concept, especially when it conflicts with already existing thoughts and behaviors. To help combat this conflict, students are able to write about their thoughts in a journal. It is noted that the greatest strength of this course is that it provides personal meaning for each student (Hedlund, 1990).

Hedlund, R. (1990). Non-Traditional Team Sports-Taking Full Advantage of the Teachable Moment. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance. 61(4), 38-42.