Recently, with negative aspects of the sports world—like incidents of corporal punishment in school clubs—gaining media attention, there’s been a growing discussion about the problems of a “Winning-is-Everyting” mentality in youth sports.
Leading athletes in the professional leagues, such as former pitcher Masumi Kuwata and current Yokohama DeNA BayStars slugger Yoshitomo Tsutsugoh, have raised their voices to warn against this excessive emphasis on winning in youth development categories.
This article aims to deepen the discussion on this topic and explore new philosophies that could replace it.
What is the “Winning-is-Everything” Mentality?
The “Winning-is-Everything” mentality is a philosophy in sports where winning against an opponent is the absolute, highest priority.
Since sports involve competition, it’s natural to strive for victory. In the realm of professional sports, an athlete’s job is to win. So, it’s understandable that this mentality exists here (with the precondition that unfair play or doping is not tolerated).
However, in amateur sports, especially at the youth development level, this “Winning-is-Everything” mentality is widespread and causing significant harm. From here on, I will focus specifically on this issue in the context of youth sports.
What are the Dangers of a “Winning-is-Everything” Mentality?
Excessive Coaching
The first thing that comes to mind is excessive coaching. In the past, there have been widely reported cases of coaches using corporal punishment and bullying, leading to the tragic death of an athlete. There have also been major news stories where coaches forced players to commit fouls, causing serious injury to an opponent. This single-minded focus on “Winning-is-Everything” can lead to actions that, when thought about rationally, seem unthinkable.
Career-Ending Injuries
When winning at a specific age category is the top priority, players are often forced into abnormal levels of overwork. As a result, they suffer fatal injuries or disabilities, leading to their athletic careers ending prematurely. This happens daily in many youth sports. It’s especially common for young children whose bodies are still developing to overuse the same body parts, making it impossible for them to continue playing. The responsibility of the coach in these cases is immense.
Burnout
This focus on winning at a specific level can lead to a situation where a child spends almost all their waking hours on a single sport. What started as something they did voluntarily and for fun gradually becomes a sense of obligation. Eventually, they lose interest and, in the worst cases, their passion for the sport entirely, causing them to quit. This is a common occurrence in youth sports.
Loss of Talent Development Opportunities
When winning in a specific age category is the top priority, coaches tend to only focus on players who can help them win immediately. For example, in volleyball, a tall player (who is likely a good attacker) might only be taught how to attack and block. At the same time, a short player (who is likely a less effective attacker) might be restricted to practicing only receiving. When coaches judge and instruct players based only on their current abilities, they lose the opportunity to develop that player’s true talent.
It’s also common for players who start a sport later to be overlooked by coaches in that age category. As a result, they finish their experience without their natural talent ever being fully developed.
Loss of Diverse Life Experiences
From a short-term perspective, it’s true that you can achieve a certain level of skill improvement by dedicating most of your time to repetitive practice. This is why there is a common belief in Japan that it is admirable to specialize in a single sport at a young age and practice it tirelessly. Even if a child wants to try another sport, it’s often difficult. The prevailing attitude is that if you want to play two or more sports, it’s “cheating” or “running away,” a sign that you’re not serious.
However, especially for children in their “golden age” or whose nervous systems are not yet fully developed, it’s far more important to have a wide variety of sports experiences than to focus on just one. Learning different movements and tactics can, in the long run, create more potential for growth and make them more dynamic athletes.
Blindly chasing short-term results in a specific category and spending all your time on one sport can crush a child’s future potential. This isn’t just about losing the opportunity to try other sports; it also means missing out on chances for family trips or just playing with friends, all of which enrich life.
As I wrote about the dangers of this mentality in youth sports, I was once again reminded of how immeasurable its effects truly are. But merely lamenting these issues won’t change anything, so I want to seriously consider the factors and reasons why a “Winning-is-Everything” mentality is so prevalent.
What are the Factors Behind the Spread of a “Winning-is-Everything” Mentality?
The Confusion of Martial Arts and Sports
This is a more abstract, conceptual point, but by looking at the origins of Japanese martial arts (Budo) and sports imported from other countries, we can get a sense of why this mentality has spread.
When I think of “Budo,” the first thing that comes to mind is the word “samurai.” During the Edo period, samurai engaged in martial arts like Kendo, Judo, and Kyudo to win life-or-death battles. They endured harsh training to master their “path,” accepting pain and suffering to survive and protect their lives.
As you can see, it’s natural for a martial arts philosophy to lead to a “Winning-is-Everything” mentality. But what about the origins of sports? We can understand this intuitively by looking at the etymology of the word. The word “sport” comes from words meaning “diversion” or “to have fun.” It feels like the complete opposite of Budo, which is constantly alongside death.
When we look closely at the history, origins, and purpose of Budo and sports, we see that they are similar but fundamentally different. However, because they share so many commonalities—like having a winner and a loser and being physical—I believe there’s a phenomenon of confusing sports with martial arts.
The Inclusion of Sports in School Education
It’s likely that no one would disagree that the “club activities” system in Japanese schools plays a huge role in youth sports. For Japanese people, it feels completely normal to be in a school sports club, but globally, this kind of youth development system is a minority.
However, I believe that this system is one of the factors behind the “Winning-is-Everything” mentality. This is because the teacher-student relationship from the school system is brought into club activities.
Within the framework of school education, there is an absolute hierarchy between a teacher and a student that cannot be overturned. This absolute relationship creates an implicit rule that “a subordinate cannot defy a superior.” This can lead a teacher (who acts as a coach in the club) to a self-serving mentality, where they want to “win no matter what, by using the students to satisfy their own ego” and “will use any means necessary (corporal punishment, harassment, bullying, etc.) to achieve a victory in the shortest amount of time.”
Of course, not all teachers are like this. But I believe that coaching in the framework of a school system makes people more prone to developing this kind of personality or way of thinking.
Game Results Affecting Future Education and Employment
Related to the school education system, the fact that game results can greatly influence a player’s life by affecting their future career path is a major factor accelerating this mentality. It is a commonly held belief that if you perform well in games, you can open doors to what society considers “good” schools and “good” jobs.
This common belief makes coaches, parents, and even the athletes themselves hold a biased view that “all that matters is getting good results in games” and “the process of achieving those results is not important.”
The very existence of a career path where game results are directly tied to future education and employment is what creates this one-sided and distorted way of thinking.
A Majority of Games are Tournament-Style
As I mentioned before, the word “sport” has the meaning of “diversion” and “having fun.” This etymology suggests that sports should be something that happens on a regular basis.
However, consider the format of games in Japanese youth sports. While soccer has introduced league system, I believe the majority of sports for elementary, middle, and high school students are played in a tournament format.
In a tournament, once you lose, it’s over.
A loss is synonymous with no longer being able to enjoy the sport. A team that can’t win only gets to play one game, which means they can’t have fun. To have fun, there is no option but to win.
When you think about it this way, tournaments have a lot in common with Budo, but they are far removed from the original concept of sports.
So, what is the best game format for sports?
It’s league system.
While there are many ways to do it, league system is not a format where you stop playing as soon as you lose. The concept is that the strongest team and the weakest team get to play the same number of games. I believe that the concepts of “enjoying sports” and “avoiding a ‘Winning-is-Everything’ mentality” are inherent in the league syetem.
Is There an Alternative to the “Winning-is-Everything” Mentality?
Up until now, I’ve discussed the dangers of a “Winning-is-Everything” mentality in youth sports and the reasons for its prevalence. So, is there an alternative? I believe there is.
The alternative I propose is a “Multi-Faceted Evaluation Philosophy.” This is a term I came up with myself, and it has the following meanings:
- Winning is not the only metric for evaluation
while not denying the goal of winning - Value and evaluate multiple things besides winning.
For example, correctly evaluating a player’s growth or a new skill they demonstrated in a losing game - Think deeply and evaluate what “winning” means from a long-term perspective
not just a short-term one. For example, in volleyball, instead of just funneling every ball to the absolute ace to win a single game, giving multiple players a chance to attack.
If the adults involved (coaches and parents), and even the players themselves, can adopt this kind of multi-faceted evaluation instead of just focusing on winning, I believe it could prevent them from falling into a narrow “Winning-is-Everything” mindset.
And if coaches, parents, and players can all discuss and agree on “what to value,” I believe things can move in a positive direction.
The current situation, where questions and criticism of this mentality are erupting, can be seen as an opportunity for positive change. We shouldn’t let this discussion end without action. We need to identify the current issues and problems and work together to create a new way of youth development (in terms of philosophy, systems, etc.).
If we don’t bring about this change immediately, I believe there is no future for sports in Japan.
