Like many Americans, I have helped keep Tom
Brokaw's book, The Greatest Generation, on the "bestseller"
lists for many months. It's a stirring tribute to the sacrifices
and successes of my parents' generation. In fact, Brokaw's prototype
for the generation was born in 1920, the year of my father's birth.
When they might have enjoyed a teenager's foolishness, they had
the great depression. When they might have turned college degrees
into job offers, they had World War II.
Subsequent generations know nothing of the suffering, fear and
delayed gratification that forged discipline, dedication and persistence
that we don't really fully appreciate.
Maybe that's part of the reason my generation has been so lousy
about our kids and their sports.
The youth sports image of parents today is that, against all odds,
we believe our child has a college athletic scholarship in his
or her future; we criticize our children, even publicly, for every
idle moment or any momentary lapse of focus or proficiency in
competition; we challenge the coach regarding decisions on position,
playing time and strategy; and we loudly chastise officials for
cheating our kids.
Of course, the kids need none of this. Here's what they really
need.
Jim Abbott was born without a hand but went on to be a star high
school athlete in Flint, Michigan, and to pitch for the University
of Michigan baseball team, pitched the United States to a Pan
American Games gold medal, and pitch successfully in Major League
Baseball. When asked what his father did to prepare him for a
major league baseball career, Abbott said: "My dad and I
did what was necessary to play catch. We didn't form the basis
for a major league career. We just played catch."
What do kids need from us? To just play catch.
They just need a fan. They need a fan, not a fanatic; they need
an encourager, not an embarrasser.
They need us to let them live their lives, not relive our lives
with all the rough spots smoothed out. They need us to delay
our gratification in their lives permanently.
I didn't make this up. This is what my kid told me.
--Jack Roberts
MHSAA Executive Director