Saturday, August 22, 2015

The Wussification Of America

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison became an overnight cultural hero when he announced this week that he doesn't want his kids to accept trophies they "haven't earned."
Harrison tweeted that he was returning his sons' "participation trophies," all the rage in kids' sports these days. Awards, he said, should be for achievement, excellence and winning.
What's a post about WUSSES without our 
fearless leader? The man who wants a pat on 
the back for what may be The worst Deal 
(Iran) in America's history.
Harrison reports that he's received thousands of congratulatory responses from fans who agree America's entitlement culture has gone too far. Everything is about building up self-esteem and making sure children feel good about themselves.
Harrison was undrafted out of Kent State, but through guts and hard work, and against all odds, he became a starter in the NFL after years of rejection. He thinks "participation" trophies undermine the drive to be exceptional and fail to prepare kids for the hard knocks of real life.
Many youth sports don't even bother to keep score nowadays so kids don't feel the sting of losing. I'm not arguing for teams with superior talent running up the score — that's poor sportsmanship, also rampant in youth leagues. But sports, as in life, produce winners and losers.
Several years ago my 11-year old son and I were playing miniature golf. He had an 18-inch putt and missed badly. I blurted out reflexively, "Son, are you blind?"
The jaws of nearby mothers hung open in rage. They scolded me for my negativity and for wounding my son's sense of self-worth. They seemed close to calling Child Protective Services so I could be put in sensitivity training.
Read the rest of this op-ed HERE.

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