I think I want to talk about what happened this Halloween. I have gone back and forth on this topic, but I don't think I can just let it rest.
I am tired of the mean-ass football players. They suck. I hate all of them with the power of seven suns. Why the heck do they think it is a good freakin' idea to pick on kids that don't play football or aren't athletic? I know, everyone has their gifts, kids are mean, blah, blah, blah. But, I just don't get it.
Why do you get your jollies from mocking someone else? Are you that insecure? I thought football was supposed to make you a man. Apparently not so much. Do they cut the penises off football players? I am really not sure about this, I try and avoid them as much as possible. Is that why they are such douches?
I am not talking about high school here either, I am talking about little runts that play football in elementary school. But let me back up the train bit..
When we lived in rural Connecticut, kids didn't play football when they were 5, they played soccer. Soccer is a much better game, but I digress. So, when we loaded up the moving van and headed to the midwest, imagine my surprise when we arrived being oh so many years behind in playing football. Not that any of my kids play football now, nor will they ever as long as I live.
So, here is the deal, these parents spend thousands of dollars on football. Making the small fortune we spend on soccer look like the parking fee. They have personal coaches in 2nd grade. I know, it was shocking to me how much time and money these parents spend on this game. It is highly unlikely many or even any of these kids will get scholarships or go pro. Just from a pure statistics point of view.
Here is the part that I find so surprising, while they are learning technical skills about how to play the game, they aren't learning sportsmanship and how to be good stewards for their team. Sam is the best soccer player on his team. If Sam displays ANY un-sportsman-like behavior the coach will pull him from the game. This will hurt the team, but it teaches Sam a lesson about how to act. This is more important than winning. Apparently this is not the case with football.
Sam represents the Panthers everyday, every where he goes. If his coach heard that he was picking on kids, he would bench him. Learning to be a good citizen is part of learning to be a good soccer player. We can not all be the best every day or every time, but we sure can represent every day and every time.
So, why is it that these football coaches do not do this? Because when I see a group of kids picking on someone, it is 99.9% of the time the football kids. This needs to stop. These kids need to learn to be good citizens. When is it that the coaches are going to man up and teach these kids how to be respectful. Or is it that you can not teach someone to be a man when you aren't one?
When Toby moved west, he switched from Minnesota hockey, which he loved and had been playing since he could stand up under all the protective gear, to California's non-contact sport of elementary school football. He's in high school now and has always be fortunate to have coaches who are excellent role models. Miss practice? Benched. Skip a class or get a bad grade? Benched. Even THINK about bullying? Kicked off the team. Another elementary school, that I won't name but begins with E-d-i-s-o-n, actually holds back kids academically so they can be 2 years older than other SIXTH graders. And they were recently fined for allowing/encouraging kids on academic probation (failing elementary school) to be active members of the team.
ReplyDeleteNFL players now risk fines for overaggressive behavior on the field (isn't that an oxymoron?). They talk about how this mindset is actively cultivated year after year by coaches and parents and peers at all levels and how difficult it is to suddenly change ingrained behavior that has always been positively reinforced. Maybe the NFL, through public example, can instill better values in kids who want to be like their heroes.
Unfortunately, Clovis Unified teachers and parents encourage cutthroat competition at all levels. Succeed academically by any means necessary; to hell with ethics and teamwork. Pretend to fit in with the crowd in order to step on them on your way up. Above all, give your parents a reason to feel superior to other parents. It's reality TV's Survivor: School.
Chrystalyn didn't do well in this environment and eventually dropped out because it was so contradictory to the values I instilled in her and the values of families we associated with. While I was bullied in Elementary and Jr High, she never was because she was self-confident and well-liked and understood bully psychology.
My motto is "I'm not an idiot. I think with my brain". My goal is to "Do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly." I believe that "laughter can heal, love is stronger than hate, and good trumps evil every day of the week." My fallback position is chocolate. So back away from my chocolate and no one will get hurt.