ABSTRACT
The Massachusetts Youth Soccer Association has some big news. From the season on, all tournament games involving players 10 and under will have no winners or losers. Keeping score is prohibited. The idea here is to have a restful, pressure-free, no-winner, post-season tourney with no parents or coaches ruining everything by screaming hurtful advice to the players. Trophies are not allowed unless every player on every team gets one. "The non-results-oriented competition," said Dean Conway, head coach of the soccer association, will give kids "more opportunity to develop all-around soccer smartness" and will "enhance natural, intrinsic competition", although how the children will actually be competing is unclear, since nothing seems to matter and victory is not allowed. Under non-results-oriented competition, Conway thinks applause will be doled out equally too, since there is now a "higher likelihood that parents will cheer for all the kids in the game". Professional sports may wish to keep an eye on no-scoring, non-results-oriented competition.
