Message to sports parents: "You do not know what you're talking about"

I'm posting two opinion pieces, one pulled from the Denver Post, another from a lively weekly podcast produced by students at the Park School in Baltimore.

Here's what these two commentaries have in common. In both, the authors make the case that sports for kids aren't what they could be, and for that they fault the adults. In both, tellingly, the commentators also are teenagers.

Thanks to Ed Wiest for the tip on the Denver Post article, and Ben Hyman for the lead on the Park School podcast

On the podcast, choose "Season Five," then "Episode 85 - The Park Culture." The commentary begins at 16:36. So, cue up the audio feed to that point. It takes a few seconds, but is well worth the effort.

A high school runner's lament

I've never met Gabriel Weiss, but I'm already mightily impressed by him. Gabriel is a junior at a Jesuit high school near Dallas. He is a cross country and track athlete. And he is a thoughtful young man who, on the subject of kids and sports, expresses himself well. Last week, Gabriel wrote a piece for the Dallas Morning News about why he continues to play competitive sports. This paragraph stopped me.

"The games have been played the same since my grandfather's era, but a different mentality has taken over. The motivation beneath the helmets of football players and other competitive athletes is heavily influenced by scholarships and intense pressure from coaches and parents. The emphasis put on lengthy practices, which begin long before the season, transforms many high school sports into an almost full-time job. Can this high-stakes, pressure-infused way of playing possibly enhance the game, or is this tainting the true meaning of sports?"

The adults (myself included) may think we've disguised our ambitions and expectations for our kids in competitive sports. As Gabriel points out so well, most of us haven't.

Thanks to Doug Abrams for pointing out Gabriel's commentary.