Is It Fair To Punish A Team When You Punish An Individual?....YES

Let's get right to the point, as this has been brewing with Sarge for a while now. The question has been asked more than once of late, if it is fair to bench or suspend a great player for a big game since it would be punishing his teammates also? Being as LOUD and CLEAR as I can, YES - IT IS FAIR!

If a player breaks a team rule or commits behavior unbecoming of the program, he or she must be dealt with. Discipline is huge in the world of sports. Without discipline, success is hard to find. Teamwork depends greatly on consistent unbiased discipline. Players must know that they are all held to the same rules. Of course, in the real world consistent unbiased discipline doesn't always apply. Favoritism is found in every profession, but that doesn't mean it is right or best for the organization as a whole.

One of the most severe punishments one can have is to realize that his or her actions have hurt others or cost others who are innocent. I have learned as a parent that to get your child's attention sometimes you MUST push the button that hurts them the most. Whether it be a favorite toy, a favorite tv program, or a favorite place to go, a parent must be willing to take it away from the child in order to correct poor behavior. For many youngsters who love sports, the button that must be pushed is the suspending of their participation in sports, individual or team. Of course, if the child is an outstanding player in a team sport this will punish his or her team also.

Maybe it isn't fair to the coaches or the teammates to bench a person for behavior outside of the playing field. However, it is necessary sometimes to correct behavior. If playing that sport is the number one enjoyment that person has in life, the playing of that sport being taken away will get their attention better than anything. More important, is the life lesson that will come from the punishment. Our actions can have an impact, good or bad, on many lives whether we realize it or not. Each innocent teammate should also realize that if they break rules they can hurt innocent people just as they have been affected in this situation. Again, life lessons are more important than games. Make a bad decision early in life and get benched, it can ruin a GAME for many people. Make a bad decision later in life (crime), it can ruin LIFE for many people.