We live in a world where everyone is in a hurry. We want it all and we want it now; we want it cheap; we want it easy. Forty years ago, there were no such things as mortgages and credit cards – if we wanted something expensive we would have to wait until we had saved up enough money to buy it. As a result, we knew the value of it and we knew the importance of it so we saved and waited. Then it all became so much easier with the “Buy now; Pay later” opportunities that banks and building societies began to offer. It did not matter that we actually pay more in the end; we got what we wanted when we wanted it. It did not help in Zimbabwe when inflation was so rampant, when there was no point in saving money as either the chosen item would not be there tomorrow or it would cost double the price. We could not wait. We are in a rush. It is in that context that we can reflect on how we do sport, for we are similarly in a rush to have our children playing national sport, being awarded colours and medals and trophies. We have to ask though: Why the rush?
The first reason may be in the question itself – we are in a rush because of the rush, the adrenaline rush! We want the thrills, the kicks, the rush now. It is a quick fix, an exciting high, a cheap thrill. The thrill could of course come later, and mean more, but we want it now.
Secondly, the rush may be for the glory that comes with early representation. We want the fame and fortune as soon as possible. It is exactly like the typical youngster in a long-distant race who will tear off at a ridiculously fast pace on the first lap, passing the crowds in first position only to be overtaken by everyone and finish last. The rush may have brought temporary glory but it was cheap and worthless. So our youngsters want the kicks, the kit and the kudos but not the hard work.
Thirdly, the rush may be due to the opportunity being there. Pupils are, after all, always encouraged to ‘seize the day’, to take every opportunity, and here, it would seem, is a wonderful opportunity. Some argue that if they do not take the opportunity then someone else will so they MUST take it. And if one sports association does not take the youngster when he or she is young then another one will. Others argue that as other countries are doing it, then so must we, or we will be left behind.
Fourthly, the rush may be due to availability. The child is ready to take the opportunity and it is best for them to do it now because they may not want to do it later. But if a child is going to give up early, what is the point of coaching him? What is the merit of being able to say they represented their country at such a young age? No-one ever asks a potential employee if he was a Prefect at his Primary school.
Fifthly, the rush is on because of the demand. We see others doing it so we must do it. Such an argument, that states that ‘it must be right if lots of people do it’, is fallacious and superficial.
Sixthly, the rush is due to the pursuit of instant gratification and satisfaction. We want the pleasure of the experience without the commitment or the meaning, in the same way that people seek sexual gratification. They do not place it in its context.
Lastly, the rush is due to the sense that we consider it is our right to play for our country whenever we want. It comes from a sense that we do not have to earn or prove it over time. However, it is not a right; it is a responsibility, not just for a short moment but for a long time.
So society and sport like to project the positive mantra that you can have what you want now, whether young or old. The age of national representation gets lower and lower, though with no rational explanation as to why one age is selected – we do not lower the age for Prefects in our school though! Where is the logic in rushing in earlier and earlier and where will it stop? Like the characters in “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory”, those who are rushed in early are either sucked away into mid-air and lost forever; they are rejected by those who selected them; they are shrunk into a tiny, unrecognisable and unnoticed nobody. Our youngsters pay for it later; they burn out or get bored. They freak out because they do not know how to handle disappointment or do not know how to wait. We have not said, “No! Wait!” so they do not know how to wait. So, say it: Wait!
