When kids are so focused on winning that it takes them up to a day to recover from a loss, they likely link their self-worth or self-esteem to winning. That’s not the best scenario. When sports kids lose a game, their self-esteem suffers. Kids should not link their self-esteem with winning.
Kids’ self-esteem should be based on who they are as people–not as athletes or their level of success. I suggest you help kids define their “self-concept” beyond sports. This is a way of helping kids learn who they are outside of sports. This way, they will understand who they are as persons, no matter if they win or lose in sports.
Check out The Ultimate Sports Parent website for more sports parenting tips.