Response to "The Price of Success"

I knew lots and lots of kids who had this same experience. Little league hockey was a really big deal where I grew up, even more than professional hockey, for both boys and girls. A lot of parents would push their children to play more aggressively, to join more than one league, and occasionally even to cheat during games. A lot of kids stopped liking the game, or else treated it purely as a way to gain their parents' approval, which turned out even worse. By the time they were in high school, it was pretty crazy. I heard stories about kids trying to break each others' shins and stuff, getting into fights about games outside of the rink, and one about this girl who tried to hurt her team mate so she could take her place.