Ron Swanson
Footballguy
What say you?
A boy's best friend is his mother.I’d like to get Tanner 9919’s thoughts on this. I bet he has an opinion.
I bet he uses the terms "snowflake" and "cuck" a lot.I’d like to get Tanner 9919’s thoughts on this. I bet he has an opinion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIys-MgidpgCan you provide some context for the statistic in the OP? Is it that 62% of kids today never play organized sports? Or that 62% of kids quit playing organized sports by a certain age? ...
I’m sure there is some context to the quoted percentage that I’m missing.
You're not wrong, but I would add that there have always been 'those' parents. We're just seeing more of them as more opportunities are available. When I was playing intramural boys club basketball in the late 70's, the ref (a dad who coached a different team and was just volunteering) had to stop the game to calm down a group of unruly parents/siblings. TBH, while I don't remember the particulars of what was said, I'm pretty sure that paid officials now endure abuse on a more intense, constant basis, so I'll concede that the idiotic behavior is getting worse, but I still say it has existed probably as long as competitive youth sports have existed, which to me is more of a function of society at large and how we're allowed to act/respond to things that don't go our way.In my humble opinion, adults have ruined it for kids. They sit the stands, they carry on like it's the end of the world if their little Johnny isn't the starter, isn't the focus, etc. They yell at the volunteer refs and embarrass the rest of us, I have seen this time and time again. Honestly, I used to physically get up and sit in a different area of the stands because I was so repulsed by this childish and embarrassing behavior. Ultimately, a lot of the parents become coaches so that they can center the game around their son and they surround themselves with like minded parents who don't give a damn about anything except supporting that coach so that THEIR son can start on the team as well, I'm specifically talking about football, it's pretty disgusting really.
And, stupid adults being stupid adults think the other children and parents are clueless morons that don't see what is CLEARLY happening or they simply don't give a damn what anyone else thinks because all that matters is that their kid starts, plays 90% of the game on both sides of the ball and to hell with everything else. When I played sports, honestly, we had two coaches for football. One was a really old guy that was also the school janitor and the other guy was some guy who loved football, neither of them had kids, grandkids or relatives on the team. If you didn't start the game it was because you weren't trying hard enough, you weren't good enough or you pissed the coach off by doing something he told you not to do but by and large everyone got a chance to play in the game.
I only saw this happen one time but I recall one of the Dad's came down to b!tch to our coach about why he took his son out. Our football coach, whom I couldn't stand at the time because he used to run my ash off, looked at him and said "get back in the stands, you don't belong here, I am the head coach." And that was that. This would NEVER happen in a million years today. I have seen kids in tears and throw temper tantrums because they were taken out of scrimmages so the backup kids could play, seriously, scrimmages. I don't blame these kids, it's their idiotic, selfish, worthless parents who have turned these kids into these little monsters.
That doesn’t help explain what the number means.
Curly nailed it imoTechnology is more fun now?
14M children in the US are obese. It may be the end all sooner than they think.Sports are not the end all and be all.
The 62% is meaningless without context. In my experience, the youth sports pyramid is much more intense - meaning, tons of young kids play sports but they get weeded out and numbers decline pretty quickly. By the time kids are 11 or 12 or so, there is already pretty strong pressure to have picked one or maybe 2 main sports to focus on. The best kids (or kids with the most intense parents) focus on club over school teams in almost all sports from a young age.That doesn’t help explain what the number means.
Unfortunately that doesn’t really provide any helpful context. It just says “If 62% of kids have given up on sports, what are we doing wrong?” I guess it does indicate that we are talking about kids who played organized sports, and then chose to stop. I’m pretty sure that happens, and has happened, all the time. In my day, kid’s who played little league stopped playing baseball unless they were among the few good enough to make the high school team. Same for basketball and football.
My son’s high school fields five football teams. That’s right, five full squads. Of course, I live in Texas.The 62% is meaningless without context. In my experience, the youth sports pyramid is much more intense - meaning, tons of young kids play sports but they get weeded out and numbers decline pretty quickly. By the time kids are 11 or 12 or so, there is already pretty strong pressure to have picked one or maybe 2 main sports to focus on. The best kids (or kids with the most intense parents) focus on club over school teams in almost all sports from a young age.
I can see 62% being the number by the time kids finish middle school.
My son is a freshman in high school this fall. The freshman football team is no-cut, as is cross-country. If you want to play soccer or volleyball, you'd better have been playing at a top club in town since 5th or 6th grade to have a shot. He wasn't even allowed to try out for both soccer and volleyball, his two main sports. He made the VB team, but next year the numbers shrink to such a low number of boys, they have to be at the very top of the very best clubs to have a chance.
Also, at my son's high school and at most colleges there are tons of intramural sports opportunities. People can play bar-league volleyball and soccer into middle age and beyond. So I question what it means to say 62% have given up on sports.
the substantial increase in childhood obesity is a bit alarming, but other than that, I totally agree.I find it odd here that people are always upset at how society changes. Kids don’t play sports, kids don’t go outside, kids don’t get jobs, kids don’t whatever... things change. Do you get upset that adults don’t go into offices as much anymore? Does it bother you we online shop now instead of going to stores?
Who cares? Let people do what they want to do and stop remembering your childhood through nostalgia lenses.
I think you're missing the point. I would suggest kids aren't playing sports as much because their parents won't let them fail anymore. So who cares? We should all care. Because those kids are going to grow up without the benefit of the life lessons that failing and succeeding in team sports teaches. They'll be worse human beings because of it. And we'll all suffer for it.I find it odd here that people are always upset at how society changes. Kids don’t play sports, kids don’t go outside, kids don’t get jobs, kids don’t whatever... things change. Do you get upset that adults don’t go into offices as much anymore? Does it bother you we online shop now instead of going to stores?
Who cares? Let people do what they want to do and stop remembering your childhood through nostalgia lenses.
don't you fail playing video games? why isn't the failure of for instance trying to beat a particular level over and over and then eventually succeeding just as beneficial.I think you're missing the point. I would suggest kids aren't playing sports as much because their parents won't let them fail anymore. So who cares? We should all care. Because those kids are going to grow up without the benefit of the life lessons that failing and succeeding in team sports teaches. They'll be worse human beings because of it. And we'll all suffer for it.
Different kind of failure. You can just hit reset button. And it's not typically done on a public stage, like team sports. I'm not ripping on video games. I'm ripping on parents who won't let their kids fail at anything, that are sheltering their kids and raising miserable human beings in the process.don't you fail playing video games? why isn't the failure of for instance trying to beat a particular level over and over and then eventually succeeding just as beneficial.
That is a fair point, but I’m not sure there’s much correlation to teak sports. I played football, baseball, and basketball growing up. It turned me into an obese offensive lineman and into an obese adult. I lost all that weight by running and changing my diet as an adult.the substantial increase in childhood obesity is a bit alarming, but other than that, I totally agree.
And do you really fail at video games? I mean, you might not beat a level the first time, but you usually always do eventually.Different kind of failure. You can just hit reset button. And it's not typically done on a public stage, like team sports. I'm not ripping on video games. I'm ripping on parents who won't let their kids fail at anything, that are sheltering their kids and raising miserable human beings in the process.
yeah, all these kids not volunteering for the military and forcing the US to bring back the draft is horrible. We need failure to weed out the weak and make strong kids so that we can maintain the best military in the world...I think you're missing the point. I would suggest kids aren't playing sports as much because their parents won't let them fail anymore. So who cares? We should all care. Because those kids are going to grow up without the benefit of the life lessons that failing and succeeding in team sports teaches. They'll be worse human beings because of it. And we'll all suffer for it.
Coaches who help you cope? You guy’s had much different experiences. I loved playing sports, but the coaches were meatheads who never got past their high school glory.And do you really fail at video games? I mean, you might not beat a level the first time, but you usually always do eventually.
If we're talking about playing against other kids, it's easy for a kid to just give up if he keeps losing. The benefit to the sport is that you have a coach who can help you cope with losing and teach you to get better.
I know you're not. And maybe, but there's still a similar lesson to be learned. With video games, there's the additional benefit of having to figure it out all on your own. You don't have a coach there telling you exactly what to do. To BigMarc's point, i think each have their benefits but we tend to emphasize the benefits of sports and to disregard the benefits of video games b/c of our own frame of reference.Different kind of failure. You can just hit reset button. And it's not typically done on a public stage, like team sports. I'm not ripping on video games. I'm ripping on parents who won't let their kids fail at anything, that are sheltering their kids and raising miserable human beings in the process.
I don't think you've ever played Age of Empires at the hardest level. To this day, I can't beat that.And do you really fail at video games? I mean, you might not beat a level the first time, but you usually always do eventually.
If we're talking about playing against other kids, it's easy for a kid to just give up if he keeps losing. The benefit to the sport is that you have a coach who can help you cope with losing and teach you to get better.
It might also have something to do with the fact that physical sports have been a thing for thousands of years and video games are about two scores old.I know your not. And maybe, but there's still a similar lesson to be learned. With video games, there's the additional benefit of having to figure it out all on your own. You don't have a coach there telling you exactly what to do. To BigMarc's point, i think each have there benefits but we tend to emphasize the benefits of sports and to disregard the benefits of video games b/c of our own frame of reference.
There's certainly multiple factors at play, but what we're seeing is just the moving of the line where people become overweight and eventually obese.That is a fair point, but I’m not sure there’s much correlation to teak sports. I played football, baseball, and basketball growing up. It turned me into an obese offensive lineman and into an obese adult. I lost all that weight by running and changing my diet as an adult.
Nutrition definitely needs to change, but as far as team sports, I’m not sure that changes anyone’s BMI much anyway.
When my lazy ### tries to order clothes guessing at the right sizes and it's a pain in the ### to ship things back and guess again I do. Ahh nevermind, going to the store is actually worseI find it odd here that people are always upset at how society changes. Kids don’t play sports, kids don’t go outside, kids don’t get jobs, kids don’t whatever... things change. Do you get upset that adults don’t go into offices as much anymore? Does it bother you we online shop now instead of going to stores?
Who cares? Let people do what they want to do and stop remembering your childhood through nostalgia lenses.
I think most people that rip on video games are ripping on it within the context of that's ALL the kid does. All the time. Nothing else. That's a problem. Let's do both. Or rather, all of the above. Kids should try lots of different things. There are plenty of people (me included) that rip on sports if that's all a kid does - particularly one sport year-round.I know you're not. And maybe, but there's still a similar lesson to be learned. With video games, there's the additional benefit of having to figure it out all on your own. You don't have a coach there telling you exactly what to do. To BigMarc's point, i think each have their benefits but we tend to emphasize the benefits of sports and to disregard the benefits of video games b/c of our own frame of reference.
I agree that kids should be exposed to variety of things and to me that variety should include physical activity but not necessarily sports. If a kid is getting sufficient exercise and also learning to play the violin, that's just as good if not better than playing just sports. I was going to make the point that the flip side is typically not true where people will rip on a kid for playing sports all the time so at least you're consistent.I think most people that rip on video games are ripping on it within the context of that's ALL the kid does. All the time. Nothing else. That's a problem. Let's do both. Or rather, all of the above. Kids should try lots of different things. There are plenty of people (me included) that rip on sports if that's all a kid does - particularly one sport year-round.
Yep, the life expectancy of the average American has declined three years in a row now. American parents are a huge part of the problem - they would rather binge watch Netflix for four hours a night than be burdened with insisting their kids do some kind of physical activity.14M children in the US are obese. It may be the end all sooner than they think.