Should there be competition?

I no longer believe in competition. In fact, like Chesterton, Belloc and others, I am fast becoming a distributist. But this article isn't about distributism, it is about competition; specifically, in children's sport, should there be any?

Just yesterday, while I was extolling the virstues of a unique sport league for young children which specifically removes heavy-handed competitiveness (everyone plays, everyone has the opportunity to score, no one is labeled a "winner" nor "loser"), the person to whom I was speaking, developed a stern glare, placed his hands upon his hips and reminded me that "there comes a time in everyone's life when they need to learn that there are winners and there are losers."

Is this true? What does the Bible say about it?

If one is considering the existence of persons who "win" or "lose", then yes, this is true. Jesus said things like, "the poor you will have with you always" (Matthew 26:11) and "The rulers of the Gentiles Lord it over them" (Matthew 20:25), informing His audience and us that there were and will be those who exercise authority, often undeserved - the "winners" of this life. But one must not stop reading at this verse, for in the following stamement, Jesus admonishes His disciples that, "It should not be this way with you". In fact, Jesus made sure that His followers knew that in order to be considered a "winner" in His kingdom, one had to become a "loser" on earth. In American parlance, winners are not beaten, cursed, reviled, tormented, put upon and downtrodden, yet this was precisely the lot of Jesus followers in His day and is frequently the lot of his true followers today. Jesus never said, "to win is the ultimate goal". Rather, He said, "He who would be greatest in the kingdom of God must be the servant of everyone". (Matthew 18:1-3)

Obviously, Jesus wasn't hip to America. If He were here, He would be Jesus, CEO, right?

Wrong. I think Jesus weeps when He thinks about our country and what we have made of it. Yet, as the gentleman to whom I was speaking suggested, "Isn't competition healthy? Doesn't it promote a successful marketplace?"

Competition as in anything devoid of Christ is evil at best and destructive at worst. Capitalism without Christ is far worse than communism for it pretends to offer a path of prosperity and fairness to its participants, when in reality it rewards the strong and punishes the weak. Communism, while a wretched system, at least does not pretend to be fair - communists are avowedly self-centered, and the communist system is understood as such.

Competition in sport for youth mirrors this. When children are rewarded for winning in the western sense, then another is punished for losing. This is ungodly and doesn't help either the child labeled a "winner" or "loser". Think if you will of the 12 Apostles. Although we have no physical descriptions of any of them, (for good reason - Romanists have worshipped them without knowing what they looked like. Can you imagine how things would be if we knew how they appeared?) Some were undoubtedly tall, others short. Some were perhaps strong, others weak. Some handsome, others not. Peter's behavior was brash and James and John were bold enough to desire to rule over the others but were cowardly enough to get their mom to ask for them. But Jesus didn't pick some over others. To each He gave instruction and we know that some received tasks which others didn't (John was to care for Mary, Peter would begin Christ's church) but even Judas who betrayed Jesus wasn't singled out - even though it was known to Jesus that he was a thief and stole money from the Apostles. Did the lack of purposed competition cause these men to become weak-minded do-nothings? On the contrary, through them the church of Christ gained the whole of the world. All of them save John would die a martyr's death without renouncing their faith or purpose.

What has competition given us today? Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Lyle Alzado, etc. etc. In business competition has given us Ken Lay, Michael Milkin and T.Boone Pickens. In government, competition has given us Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and on and on. Does it seem as if competition is working?

Recently, I talked with an amazing man who has developed a non-competitive soccer league. Pele was his model. He told me that at age 17 Pele led Brazil to its first world cup. They win almost every year. Why? No competetive leagues - chidren kick soccer balls everywhere they go because they love doing it.

I prefer Jesus' method where everyone is equal in His eyes and everyone is loved regardless of their ability or skill. Competition isn't God's way and it isn't helping our nation or the world. Find something you love and something which will let you serve God and do your best and forget competing against others, for one day each of us will lose the battle against death and then it will not have mattered.