I, Witness(ed): on and off the field, of play 

Fresh: While it's still fresh in my mind, after witnessing a highly contentious, hard fought campaign on a local soccer field (adjacent to where recess! is held on a more daily basis) -- one which seemed to serve both participants and spectators alike -- where both teams of 5–6-year-olds both claimed victory (sounding familiar?) -- I am compelled to write here and there (as to the editors of the local paper) to dispel two rumors swirling in and around the school yard: that keeping score and giving out academic grades are harm-full to the well-being of our students/athletes. If this were true (i.e., if it had been empirically established) someone forgot to inform the participants. I mean, these youngsters, whether playing under supervision or just out on the playground, start keeping track from an early age of not only the overall score (always open to dispute) but who shoved who first, how many names were called that gave rise to trash talk on and off the field of play. They rival the odds makers in Vegas and the now omnipresent sports betting firms; it seems to come naturally to these little analytics. If you don't believe me, with my four decades of experience as both a sports and educational psychologist, I suggest you volunteer to referee a so-called "friendly" (see the UK for examples) game of "Four Square" or better yet hang around what's now called the "Gaga" pit at recess. Let's see what impressions and bumps/bruises you come away with. And in the school setting itself, children I have worked with over the years have showed more than a 'passing' interest in not only how they fared on any given classroom assessment, but how they 'stack up' against the competition -- that they learn to share discretely amongst themselves via whispers and note passing ("hey, how did you do on Ms. Smith's totally unfair quiz...?") and later via social media (as in "I'll bet Melissa was a curve raiser, after I saw how hard she was studying...") It's as if they, despite what they've been told by some in the educational establishment, anticipate having to compete more globally in the future. So, I'm here as a witness and to testify that competition is here to stay so we, those stake holders in the future of our student-athletes, should get about the business of fostering the conditions of what we sports psychologists refer to as "healthy competition" (that which brings out the best in both of us) -- which is not all that difficult to accomplish if we just practice some fundamentals of fair play...