Should participants in youth and recreation sports programs have equal playing time over the course of a season? There are a number of justifiable reasons for not giving young participants equal playing time and the definition of unequal time on the court varies from coach to coach.
The following reasons are based on past experience, a review of literature on the topic, or discussions with other coaches, parents, athletes, or experts in the field.
• Winning is the top priority. In other words a coach makes a decision to play the strongest team in hopes of maximizing the number of wins.
• It is fair to give more inexperienced players playing time after the outcome is determined.
• There are many life lessons to be learned from unequal playing time – one of them is that the team takes precedence over the player.
• Unequal playing team teaches players that you have to earn when you get. In other words, the better players often work harder than the benchwarmers.
• Playing time is a privilege that is earned, not a right.
• The majority of learning occurs during practice. Unequal playing time is a non-issue.
• Organized sports are not designed to facilitate equal playing time. Equal playing time is more likely to occur in unstructured play.
• Unequal playing time teaches players to appreciate teammates with stronger skills. As well it provides them with an opportunity to learn to respect those with lower skills.
• Volunteer parent coaches often have difficulty monitoring and ensuring equal playing time. They shouldn’t have the burden of equal playing time placed on them.
• Playing time should be allocated based on attendance at practice.
• Players who show the strongest commitment or hustle should have the most playing time.
• Injured or ill players should be rested until they are well enough to play.
• Players who have violated team rules will not have equal playing time.
• Playing time may be awarded based on classroom performance.
• Players who are not emotionally or physically developed should not play as much.
• A player who is not in condition may not have the stamina to play a full game.
• At some point, kids note that they have inferior skills. Inexperienced players are not likely to benefit from situations where they are getting beat soundly.
• Team chemistry is essential; the group of players that produce the best team chemistry should play a majority of time.
• In individual sports, league rules may dictate that players must play a certain number of matches at their level to qualify for a conference championship at that position. This may be relevant in individual sports like tennis.
• Players may be specialists, which dictate they only play in certain circumstances. For example, a linebacker may be most effective in passing situations and play primarily on third downs.
• Players who have demonstrated poor sportsmanship will receive less playing time.
• Players may be required to play a minimum amount of time to receive rankings or be acknowledged for awards or statistics.
• Playing time may be determined by head-to-head competition (individual sports), skills tests (team sports) or some other type of selective process.
There are successful programs with varied philosophies about playing time. For a look at the justifications for equal playing time go to the post on July 23, 2011, entititled “Should Participants in Youth Sports Programs Have Equal Playing Time?”