Talent should come before family name in sports

Growing up around sports and participating in them at different levels has exposed me to one common theme that angers me. It is a main reason I quit playing some sports. The theme is the Name Game.

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, the quick version of the Name Game is if you have a “famous” last name for your town or school, you are picked to play first over other athletes.

Before an uproar breaks out, I want to explain myself a bit more. I have played basketball, volleyball, softball, bowling, ran track, and I’ve been around baseball and football my entire life. Following all these sports from middle school through my college career I have noticed, especially in small towns or small communities, that coaches focus on the athletes whose families are well known within the community.

This may not seem like a big deal to some, but I have seen coaches start athletes with the “name,” over athletes who are actually athletically perfect for a particular position.

Unfortunately, in our society it is becoming more socially accepted, and sometimes even encouraged, to start someone based on his or her family name. I have watched as records disappeared, teams go from being the top ranked to no longer ranked, and qualified athletes become frustrated and quit because they never saw playing time.

I come from a small town where this situation is common, and it is the main reason I quit softball in high school.

When coaches choose to play the Name Game they are doing two things. One, they are feeding the athlete’s ego. This normally this occurs when the athlete isn’t qualified to start over another. Two, they ruin the hopes and intentions of the players who are being overlooked.

Coaches have a huge impact on their players, and if a player who is athletic and qualified to start sees no playing time, that athlete is more tempted to stop trying as hard or maybe even quit altogether.

Athletes work hard to prove their worth on the  team. When they are overlooked because, say, John Doe’s family members were starters, even though John Doe is not as athletic as one of his teammates, the overlooked players notice that.

This situation has been noticed and pointed out at middle school, high school, and even collegiate levels in athletics, and it’s disheartening. No athlete should be judged based on his or her family name. They should be placed appropriately on the roster based on his or her ability to perform.

I’ve watched talented athletes be overlooked and miss opportunities from scouts because the coach doesn’t want to upset a powerful family. When did our society become so concerned about pleasing those of higher power, and stop focusing on ability and talent? Why should certain individuals who work hard and prove themselves be overlooked simply because someone else’s family member stood out in the community?

Children do not necessarily share in their parents’ athleticism. I come from a relatively athletic family who stood out both in high school, and even at this college. However, I am not nearly as athletic as they are. My brother is very talented and athletic, and he was noticed for this.  He now plays collegiality. Even though we come from the same family, we are separate individuals and obviously one is more athletic than the other.

Just because someone has an athletic family, or even a prominent family in the community, it should not give that athlete an advantage over his or her teammates. Coaches in every sport, at every level, need to learn to watch ability and performance instead of worry about what the athlete’s last name is.