Sport(s) in the USA

To those that aren't already familiar with the Sport Ethic that drives many Americans, of all generations, you should know one thing; this drive never stops. Nike is one of the biggest sports product manufacturers that has capitalized on this mentality making many products, tee shirts being the most frequently noticeable, with slogans such as, "Can't Stop, Won't Stop," "I Run This Game," and "Necessary Toughness" written across the front of the shirts. These shirts are produced for boys (I haven't seen any for girls) as young as elementary school age. This is just one example of the insanity that is the American way of sports. Boys and girls are trained at a very young age to breathe competition and to never let another competitor get in their way. Losing is the last option that there is, but if that is the case, it needs to be done with good sportsmanship. That being said, losing the game, match, set, or whatever the course of one game is called, is a huge blow to children because of this sport ethic that we have  instilled in young children. I've seen this drive go two opposite ways.  I've seen a friend train from before I met her (we were in the 8th grade) in the art of karate and she has made it to national and even world events for her competitive drive that has brought her so far. I've also seen my little brother choke up at batting in the end of his baseball games and cry when the game is done because he feels that he let his team down.
While the sport ethic is great in conditioning athletes and giving a solid, stable, environment that young athletes can be guided by in the future, the process of getting to the end result can be trying. The article mentions that coaches use the child-like mentality that they see in their team members to make sure that the team relies on the coach. I think this is absolutely the truth in that, coaches break people down only to be the savior that builds them back up. If it's not the coach to bring them back up, it's the love of the game. This probably stops players from getting too big headed for the game.
While there is the positive of community and being able to rely on a team, the pressure can be demanding in such a way that makes athletes physically push themselves too far and feel bad if they are injured and can't play.
I think that for the foundation that is set in such young children to be the reason that some of them wake up every day, over all it is a good thing. People can go so far in life from athletics and even if they don't make high ranking or national teams, there is still the value and skill set in them from being a part of something greater than themselves that brings Americans such pride and joy.