There has been a lot of opinions flying about regarding what James Harrison (Pittsburgh Steelers) said regarding his children's participation trophies.
For those of you who missed it, James Harrison stated he gave his children's participation trophies back because they had not earned them. He further went on to say that he doesn't want his children being raised believing they are entitled to anything. There is some merit to that attitude although, James Harrison is not the first person I would consider a role model considering his history.
I can not totally agree or disagree with his approach and now social battle cry he has started.
He has a valid point in the fact that our society has become soft and as a result, there are many that feel entitled..... I won't go into details because so many of the talking heads and social pundits have already rung that bell.
I however want to state strongly why I disagree. I have been teaching martial arts to children for over 20 years. I have coached youth swimming, youth football, and even now youth lacrosse.
I believe strongly in the importance of building confidence as well as teaching and coaching a good work ethic.
Not every child has the genetic make up or means to be the BEST. Why should they not be rewarded for being the best THEY can be?
I grew up a severe asthmatic. I was small, slow, and couldn't run without having an asthma attack. When I was young and first started football, I rode the bench like so many other kids that aren't good enough to start. I can't tell you how much the trophy I got at the end of my first year that stated, "Most Improved" meant to me. The next year the trophy that stated "Most heart"...... and so forth. These things helped build my confidence. They meant so much to me that they helped me keep going even though I wasn't the best. I was not blinded to believe that these trophies were as good as a championship or all star trophy but I was growing in self confidence. Each year that confidence helped to come back stronger, to work harder, to believe what I was capable of. I learned the importance of hard work.
I didn't blossom into an athlete till much later in life. My body took a long time to catch up to my heart and drive. Medication finally began to help me cope with my asthma.
I believe the positive reinforcement from my coaches along the way kept me going. Every little achievement I accomplished was recognized by my coaches and helped me to be ready for when my body caught up. I never grew into a football star as I graduated high school at a whopping 135lbs but I did grow into a swimming star and received a college scholarship.
As a martial arts instructor, I believe very strongly that is not as important for a child to be the BEST but to be the BEST THEY CAN BE!! I believe that so strongly I preach it nearly daily.
I have many students that are in martial arts because they are not natural athletes.... Some have physical disabilities, others have other limitations. Why should they not be rewarded for simply working hard to be the best they can be?!
When I coach football or teach martial arts, I don't believe in rewarding lazy kids or kids who screw around. However, I would sooner reward the kid who works his tail off to be the best he can be rather than the natural athlete who is lazy or has a poor attitude.
Developing confidence and a good work ethic is
Children should not be rewarded for just showing up......but they should be rewarded for being the best they can be....especially at an early age. As they get older, they will quickly learn that life is not all sunshine and rainbows.......
That doesn't mean we can't build them up while we educate them!
For those of you that read this whole post, thank you for letting me have the platform for a moment. I will now step off my soap box.
The article linked below has the complete opposite point of view....
The great thing about our nation, we are all free to state our opinions. http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/steelers/2015/08/17/james-harrison-kids-trophies-entitlement-culture/31870883/
See you on the mat!
Sensei Rob
