In True Competition: A Guide to Pursuing Excellence in Sport and Society, David Light Shields and Brenda Light Bredemeier eloquently present what is, in my mind, the best map to date for how we as parents, teachers, coaches and community members can view competition in a new way and, more importantly, how we can begin to reengineer our sport environments for healthy development. The authors have done an exceptional job of identifying the essential problem, analyzing the relevant research and then determining a new way of thinking—indeed, a new language—for addressing the issue. Their book is deep and broad in scope, yet easy to understand.
The core issue is competition and its merit. As the authors state, “[c]ompetition is blood in our veins, fiber in our muscles, and the wind at our backs” (p. 2). If competition is so good, then what is the problem? Why do we need yet another book on the merits of competition? In fact, by acknowledging the darker side of competition “paradoxically, those who most loudly proclaim the virtues of competition … often turn it inside out and subvert its potential” (p. 2), Shields and Bredemeier succeed in reminding the reader that competition is a multifaceted phenomenon which is more complex than society heretofore has fully grasped. This book demonstrates how, historically, the debate on competition often begins simplistically and eventually gets lost in complexity. In this sense, Shields and Bredemeier have moved the competition debate to simplicity-beyond-complexity and they have provided a unique way to view the competition debate.
In their prelude, Shields and Bredemeier provide a helpful review of research from Sherif and Sherif to Deutsch to Johnson and Johnson, and Kohn. The review begins with an insightful review of the Sherifs’s work on the role of competition in promoting positive results of teamwork and then turns to Deutsch’s work which concludes that most “competition” consists of win-lose games wherein the participants’ goals are mutually exclusive—if one person or team wins, the other loses. That is negative interdependence (p. 14).
The prelude concludes with a review of Kohn’s work in which he argues that competition is inherently bad because it interferes with optimal performance and prompts us to focus on winning rather than performance. In Kohn’s view, competition is psychologically harmful in that we look to the outside instead of inward for personal worth and ultimately validation. In Kohn’s words, “what you have … is the essence of the concept: mutually exclusive goal attainment (MEGA) … the failure of others is devoutly to be wished” (p. 20).
Acting as defense attorneys in the case against competition, Shields and Bredemeier then proceed to rebut the powerful arguments put forward by Kohn and in fact they suggest that what “competition” suffers from is a case of mistaken identity. In the words of the authors, “we believe competition is an incredibly positive mode of human interaction that can build positive relationships, foster personal growth, and promote ethical behavior” (p. 20).
Shields and Bredemeier next take their argument to a new and refreshing understanding and in the process they introduce a new word, inducing the reader to think about competition differently. They move from Kohn’s No Contest to their idea of Noble Competition by introducing the concept of decompetition— that is, competition does not have to be bad, rather its merit is based upon how we think about it. The authors acknowledge the reaction many may initially have—but, really, why a new word? The answer is, because we sometimes need new words to highlight important distinctions. Shields and Bredemeier convincingly argue that the positive process of competition is actually fragile, and can easily degenerate into the opposite of competition (decompetition), which is a contest that has devolved into people or teams striving against one another rather than “striving with one another [to seek] excellence together” (p. 25).
In my mind, the authors have identified the true strategic point here. In order to move to this innovative understanding of the benefits of competition, we have to create a new way of thinking and talking about competition. Shields and Bredemeier have brilliantly offered us a new lens into competition. The following quote takes this line of thinking a little further.
When limestone is buried deep in the earth and exposed to heat and pressure, it transforms into marble. Fortunately, we have two words to distinguish the two rocks. Similarly, when a log decays into mulch, it would make little sense to continue to call it a log. And when striving with decays into striving against, it ceases to be competition.We need to call it what it is. It is decayed or decomposed or degenerated competition. It is decompetition. (p. 25)
This is the essence of Shields’ and Bredemeier’s argument. I believe the authors adeptly set the stage early in the book, support their argument with a review of the literature, and then they move the argument to this new paradigm. Once this persuasive argument has been set forth, we now have a language to begin to investigate other important aspects of competition.
Rather than concluding there, the authors proceed to offer a field guide or map of sorts to define true competition, which involves a thorough investigation of motivation, the role of opponents, rules, goal-setting and how to create what is referred to as the ideal contest.
True Competition: A Guide to Pursuing Excellence in Sport and Society offers a whole new way of understanding how we interact with one another in sports, family, society and the workplace. In every sense, the authors have succeeded in reaching a wide audience. I am currently exploring how this book and its contents relate to my challenges as the Headmaster of a large educational institution. I am using the concepts presented by the authors as a new lens to view faculty hiring, professional development, legal and business issues, as well as for the restructuring of our entire athletic department.
Shields and Bredemeier are the thought-leaders in the field of sports and competition, and once again they have offered a compelling and eloquent presentation on how competition can be viewed in a new and healthy way. Shields and Bredemeier are not only great researchers, but great thinkers. The authors provide a forceful, three-dimensional continuum of the multifaceted phenomenon we call competition. Finally, someone has tackled the age-old myth of competition and has demystified the long-term dichotomy between competition and performance. I trust readers will find this book fun, instructive and thought-provoking, and one of the most thorough sport-based investigations of the role of competition in performance and excellence.
