*cover2
*Quincy FL
*Living too long
*Any of my dogs I've been fortunate to have (currently "Gunner," our Brittany)
*Came in 2nd in a dance contest in a seedy bar, protested the decision (drunk and loud), was forcibly removed from the establishment, embarrassed my lady partner, no happy ending
My opinion is based on 30 years of working with young people, many of whom were athletes, and 59 years of living. I believe we are cultivating younger generations to be uber cognizant of their rights and privileges, but bereft of responsibilities. I am a firm believer that it sometimes takes a harsh response to get a point across, to offenders and would-be's alike. If getting dressed down in front of your team, people who rely on you and you on them, is in humane, then competitive sports may not be for you. If it worries you that people around the country might know you had to ride an equipment truck home for a personal f'up, then I can't imagine how you'll respond when you don't get that promotion you think you deserved or, God forbid, lose a job and have to scratch up money to pay the bills.
How does one situation relate to the other? Part of what competitive sports and team membership, especially in football, teaches is that life is hard and you will get knocked flat, but to succeed, you have to get back up and keep playing. And you have to be responsible to your teammates and coaches with your effort and conduct, lest you are mob and not a team. Correction has to be swift and significant to be effective. And forgiveness will not be eternal in these situations, despite what you may have learned in Sunday School. If your mama and daddy didn't teach you this, it is your coaches' and teammates responsibility to do so.
I count myself lucky to have been raised as such. I f'd up along the way, but was fortunate to not get by and learned about consequences and life. I learned that mistakes are a part of human growth and development, but learning from them and not repeating them was an important key. One lesson I remember well was taking something that didn't belong to me and having to stand before the owner and apologize as well as make restitution. It was tough on a twelve year old, but getting away with it would have been tougher still. I learned a lot about my responsibility as a citizen and to the people I loved and depended on. I didn't fall into a life of alcoholism, drugs, or murder as a result. My self-confidence didn't shrivel, but actually grew from accepting my expectations. I have raised my children likewise and now that they are grown, they have shown appreciation. I can only hope they will pass it on.
I believe that the lesson the Clemson player had bestowed upon him, depending on his reaction, can be a valuable gift. I wish more young people got the same opportunity. The world might be a better place. Although I'm not as loud in my corrections these days with the kids I deal with and their parents, I try to be firm and consistent. They'll need the resiliency that we try to teach many times in their lives. Sometimes a kid and/or their parent accuses me of being too hard. The only thing I can tell them is that it's a hard life. Everybody's going to have to ride the equipment truck at some point. It gets you to the same place the plane would, hopefully a little wiser.