We are said to be leaning our ladder up against the wrong wall when, for all our efforts to climb the ladder, there is little to show for our efforts.
Have we improved participation in sport? No.
Have we improved the injury rate in adolescent athletes? No.
Do major sporting events create a legacy for the youngest watching? No.
The idea that a wide sports participation base benefits both society and the pinnacle that is elite sport is a fallacy.
We are leaning our ladder against the wrong wall.
Of course, we could continue to impose our adult worldview on children (not mini adults) and follow the money. Or we could leave that for professional sport, and the rest of us could turn our attention to a new wall to lean our ladder against.
Coaching at its best teaches us first to coach ourselves, and then ask how we can best coexist with others – the wall we should lean our ladder against is that of being better humans, not better at building a structure that would have the ancient Egyptians in fits of laughter.
Time to learn from history, wouldn’t you say?