I worked in a high school library for a couple of years. My son was in junior high when I started and then high school. Our school district used the Accelerated Reader (AR) program and the librarian for the district went against the company's own guidelines in setting goals for students. The company said to set a point goal WITH the student after having them take a certain test, but she set them where she thought they should be and it took an act of congress to change them. I should know, I tried to get my son's changed.
The second year, when it came time for the placement test, I advised my son to miss every third question, so as not to rate so high and get the top points required. (He had already read all the top point books in the library and couldn't reread and retest) He, instead, missed every other question on purpose, then told the librarian 'I' had told him to. She approached me and started reprimanding me. I told her that she was wrong, I had not told him to miss every other question, I had told him to miss every third. Why shouldn't he game the system like everyone else in the school? The students openly admitted to blowing the test.
Needless to say, she was livid with me. Her theory on making students read was 'lead that horse to water and FORCE it to drink'. I told her that would only cause the horse to drown if it didn't want to drink, or didn't like the water she had shoved its head in. She then told me that if one of my husband's athletes didn't practice he wouldn't play him in the game because he wouldn't be any good. (she actually talked about one specific athlete) I agreed with him, but pointed out that if my husband pushed too hard the athlete would quit completely, so her analogy didn't hold up.
Can you tell I worked in another part of the school the next year?
This librarian tried to talk all the teachers into making their AR goal part of the students' grades. All classes. Math teachers weren't happy with her. She and the Spanish teacher had a fight on their hands when they decided to do just that and I informed them that my daughter could be held accountable for reading some elementary level books in Spanish, but that anything else was completely inappropriate and I would go to the school board if needed. Why should my daughter's reading disability reflect poorly on her ability to learn Spanish? (Her Spanish was bad enough, no sense in dragging it down further.)
When a reward system was instituted where students got candy at the end of the six weeks for reaching their goal participation increased, but not greatly. Competition had been tired, that didn't work. No one wanted to win.
TL
R version? Kids will read if they want and a competition isn't really going to change that. Some will be motivated by the desire to win, but mostly if they like reading to begin with. Athletes do not excel in a sport they detest.