An Excerpt from the Book No Contest by Alfie Kohn
Consider the following passage from Joseph Heller's novel Something Happened, in which a school gym teacher is complaining to the narrator about the behavior of the latter's son:
"I try to give him a will to win. He doesn't have one.... When he's ahead in one of the races, do you know what he does? He starts laughing. He does that. And then slows down and waits for the other guys to catch up. Can you imagine? That's no way to run a race, Mr. Slocum. Would you say that's a way to run a race?"
"No." I shake my head and try to bury my smile. Good for the kid, I want to cheer out loud ... for I can visualize my boy clearly out in front in one of his races, laughing ... staggering with merriment as he toils to keep going and motioning liberally for the other kids in the race to catch up so they can all laugh together and run alongside each other as they continue their game (after all, it is only a game).
Contrast the whimsical, mischievous, other-affirming, spur-of-the-moment delight depicted here with the grim, determined athletes who memorize plays and practice to the point of exhaustion in order to beat an opposing team.