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StumbleuponTHE AUDIBLE | COMMENTARY
Why punish a kid for the crime of being too good?
Thursday, August 28, 2008
I've been trying to come to grips with the silly philosophy in youth sports that believes everyone deserves a trophy, no matter what their performance — even though I believe it builds artificial self-esteem. But the sad saga of the banned 9-year-old pitcher is more than I can stand.
Jericho Scott of New Haven, Conn., is apparently a baseball prodigy. He has an unhittable fastball and seldom misses the plate. But instead of giving him a platform to display his giftedness, the adults in charge of the Youth Baseball League of New Haven barred him from playing.
The league obviously felt batters would suffer irreversible shame and humiliation if they had to face Jericho again. Tell me, how does that prepare kids for the real world? Haven't we all encountered someone more skilled in our field, and haven't we all survived?
And doesn't that just lower the bar for everyone else in the league, telling them mediocrity is an acceptable standard?
I hate to sound like a crotchety old man (I probably am), but here's a telling factor in this whole drama: The other boys in the league didn't have a problem playing against Jericho. It was their parents who intervened.
Shielding their kids from reality might make Mom and Dad feel better, but it increases the likelihood that the next generation will have a few more wussies in their ranks.
"He's never hurt anyone," said his coach, Wilfred Vidro. "He's on target all the time. How can you punish a kid for being too good?"
Exactly.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2125 or dharris@DaytonDailyNews.com
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