Liberal Logic: Reward the Benchwarmers—Punish the Producers

Written on Friday, August 30, 2013 by David L. Goetsch

I started playing football and baseball in the pee-wee leagues when I was just a child. These two sports remained a fixed part of my life through high school, college, and the military. Over the years there have been many changes to the sports I played and loved—not all of them good. But one thing that has not changed is this unwritten but immutable rule: if you want to win reward your producers. What this rule of thumb indicates is that winning teams operate on the basis of merit. From the pee-wee leagues onward our coaches followed this rule to the letter. On every team I was a part of, players made the team by producing. In baseball, the best hitters, pitchers, and fielders made the team. Those who could not produce in these categories didn’t. In football, the best blockers, tacklers, receivers, and passers made the team. Those who could not produce in these categories did not……To Read More……