Life Lesson On Following Sports Stars

[Fijimn]

Talking with one of my co-workers and he was telling me that his son (9 y.o.) is just crushed that Andre Johnson is leaving the Texans. He said that his boy was just inconsolable. He tried to explain that it was no one's fault and that the team and Dre had a disagreement that couldn't be worked out. He told his boy that when he got home, if he still felt this way, to write a letter to the Texans and Andre about how he feels. Thought it was a cool way to handle it. Maybe me think about events that upset me.

I recall throwing away all my Rams items when they traded Eric Dickerson.

 

[FSUTribe76]

I still was ticked even as a mostly an adult at how poorly the Dolphins treated Shula and then Marino at the ends of their careers. So I was prepped for the Bobby situation.

 

[tommynole3476]

Sounds like you have a co-worker who failed as a parent. Why would you let your child watch anything without explaining the details of the business behind said thing? TV shows get cancelled, players change teams, restaurants shutdown, life happens...

And then he covers up the mistake with yet another one... you think Andre Johnson or the Texans are going to give two heaping chits what some 9 yo thinks? Especially one who doesn't understand the intricacies of sports' contracts and transactions?

 

[Fijimn]

C- troll attempt. I expect more from you. One day self-ban should be instituted....hari kari style.

 

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

My son is 11 and between all the PED scandals in baseball, the Hernandez murders and domestic violence issues in the NFL, Lance Armstrong's lies, Luis Suarez biting his way through the World Cup, Tiger Woods' trials and tribulations and all the assorted mischief in college football over the past few years, he pretty much knows not to look up to anyone he doesn't know personally, and even then you never know...

 

[seminoledq]

This probably bothered us more as kids than it will our own kids because of the sports landscape thee days. When we grew up it wasn't uncommon for a player to stay with one team his entire career. Now it is the norm. My son used to like me to bring him a jersey when I traveled somewhere. Now he would rather just have a shirt of a team because so many of the jerseys he has are players no longer with that team.

The one sports thing that bothered him locally was when Carmelo got traded. He didn't know the Nuggets without him so he didn't want to see him go but he quickly got over it and took the fat head off his wall.

 

[NDallasRuss]

You sure that's a troll attempt?

Someone lets their kid get so wrapped up in professional sports that they become "inconsolable" when a player leaves a team?

Kids don't know any better. They need a parent to give them perspective and explain to them that players and coaches will come and go from a team over time, for a lot of different reasons. You root for a team, because it represents your city, or your family's history of cheering for them, whatever. Like Seinfeld said - we're cheering for laundry. You shouldn't get that emotionally invested in a player who's only responsibe for looking out for their own best interests, and will only be coveted by the team as long as they can help win and/or bring in more money for the team. That's a pretty tenuous relationship for a kid to use as they basis for their support and loyalty.

I agree with Tommy that the parent should have worked to make sure the kid wasn't so emotionally tied to something that is based on a business relationship that couldn't be expected to last as long as that kid would have liked.

 

[tommynole3476]

It was half troll, half serious; trerious, or serioll if you will.

But if I see my daughter getting wrapped up in something similar I hope I'll have the foresight to make sure she isn't distraught when something happens to it. I mean, think about Hanna Montana. I'm sure there were some little girls who absolutely loved that show and character as much as this 9 yo did Andre Johnson and the Texans, so FF a few years and what happens when they happen to see Hannah Montana on a wrecking ball naked and licking a sledgehammer?

Maybe that's not truly apples to apples, but it is close.

I can't remember being that distraught when my favorite players got traded as a kid though. But most of mine didn't get traded, or played for teams I didn't actually like that much. Mine were Ryne Sandberg, Chipper, and The Kid. But I also played little league, and was more wrapped up in my own W-L column than any of my favorite teams'.

Trollerious maybe?

 

[Fijimn]

Originally posted by NDallasRuss:
You sure that's a troll attempt?

Someone lets their kid get so wrapped up in professional sports that they become "inconsolable" when a player leaves a team?

Kids don't know any better. They need a parent to give them perspective and explain to them that players and coaches will come and go from a team over time, for a lot of different reasons. You root for a team, because it represents your city, or your family's history of cheering for them, whatever. Like Seinfeld said - we're cheering for laundry. You shouldn't get that emotionally invested in a player who's only responsibe for looking out for their own best interests, and will only be coveted by the team as long as they can help win and/or bring in more money for the team. That's a pretty tenuous relationship for a kid to use as they basis for their support and loyalty.

I agree with Tommy that the parent should have worked to make sure the kid wasn't so emotionally tied to something that is based on a business relationship that couldn't be expected to last as long as that kid would have liked.

Adults shouldn't get emotionally invested. Kids do. Dad talked to him about the situation, how there is no bad feelings and the two sides just couldn't agree. You guys may be different, but most kids of that age look up to players. It's as if reading comprehension skills at FSU decreased substantially since my time there....

 

[tommynole3476]

I do kind of have a problem with the letter idea though. It's almost like writing a letter to Santa.

This is probably how kids grow up to be adults that follow and tweet at HS recruits.

 

[cmanole]

I quit following FSU recruiting when Bobby didn't deliver Dishawn Platt...

 

[Ward17]

Kids don't even care half as much when mommy and daddy get divorced these days

 

[fsugrad06]

Originally posted by tommynole3476:
Sounds like you have a co-worker who failed as a parent. Why would you let your child watch anything without explaining the details of the business behind said thing? TV shows get cancelled, players change teams, restaurants shutdown, life happens...

And then he covers up the mistake with yet another one... you think Andre Johnson or the Texans are going to give two heaping chits what some 9 yo thinks? Especially one who doesn't understand the intricacies of sports' contracts and transactions?

Apparently, it works in hockey.

9 year old gets Dad traded

 

[Fijimn]

Originally posted by tommynole3476:
I do kind of have a problem with the letter idea though. It's almost like writing a letter to Santa.

This is probably how kids grow up to be adults that follow and tweet at HS recruits.

Or go on message boards and ask for pictures of shirtless players....

 

[Nole Lou]

I learned my lesson as a child. My childhood sports hero was Tennessee quarterback (and Tallahassee native) Tony Robinson. I was crushed when he got busted for drugs. Never had another here, and I would never allow my son to identify with a given player like that. At least in the past, when these guys did something wrong, there was a good chance it will never get out. Today you know it will become news.

You can enjoy watching a guy play, but that's about it. You don't idolize the man. It's just not something I consider an acceptable part of childhood like it used to be, even if that's kind of a sad thing.

Actually, I did have another sports hero I stuck with quite awhile, Toronto Blue Jay George Bell. Loved that guy, but because he was already an infamous a-hole, I adopted him as almost an anti-hero. I thought that was safer.

 

[SeaPA]

It was difficult for me to not badmouth my sons' favorite hockey player when Marty St Louis got his panties bunched & abandoned his teammates in the middle of a playoff run last year.

 

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

Trying to picture NoleLou with a Jheri curl

 

[DMoriarty]

I remember being devastated when the Oilers traded Earl Campbell to the Saints

 

[Nole Lou]

Originally posted by Formerly Rockymtnole:
Trying to picture NoleLou with a Jheri curl

LOL, yep, that's my guy!

 

[JohnnieHolmesNole]

This is all part of growing up (i.e., realizing things/people you thought were "awesome" really are not). No reason to blame the parents....this will work out fine and be an amusing family story in the not-too-distant future.
Posted from Rivals Mobile

 

[West Duval Nole]

So Noles fans shouldn't become Bucs fans when they pick Jameis. Nor should they stop being Bucs fans if they don't pick him?

I agree with that. Either you are a fan or not. It shouldn't matter who is on the roster.
Posted from Rivals Mobile