James Harrison won’t let his sons accept participation trophies

[Arkansas Bengal]

I generally hate anything about the stealers, but I really agree with Harrison on this:

 

James Harrison won’t let his sons accept participation trophies

Posted by Michael David Smith on August 16, 2015, 9:19 AM EDT

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Anyone who’s ever watched Stealers linebacker James Harrison play football knows that he’s an intense competitor who wants to win at all costs. So perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising that Harrison is passing along that intense competitiveness to his sons.

Harrison took to social media this weekend to lash out at the idea that his sons should receive participation trophies simply for playing sports, saying that when he found out his sons were given such trophies, he demanded that they be sent back. Harrison believes that a trophy should be something you earn by being the best, not something you receive just for trying.

“I came home to find out that my boys received two trophies for nothing, participation trophies!” Harrison wrote. “While I am very proud of my boys for everything they do and will encourage them till the day I die, these trophies will be given back until they EARN a real trophy. I’m sorry I’m not sorry for believing that everything in life should be earned and I’m not about to raise two boys to be men by making them believe that they are entitled to something just because they tried their best…cause sometimes your best is not enough, and that should drive you to want to do better…not cry and whine until somebody gives you something to shut u up and keep you happy.”

Harrison concluded with the hashtag, “Harrison Family Values.” In James Harrison’s household, there’s no credit given for just showing up. If you want a trophy, you’d better win.

 

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/08/16/james-harrison-wont-let-his-sons-accept-participation-trophies/

[JC]

James is awesome.  I can't ever hate that dude.  

[fluhartz]

James is awesome.  I can't ever hate that dude.  

agreed...and I love this...

[scharm]

Eh,  people post this stupid stuff about youth sports all the time.    Rally against participation trophies.    Rally against whatever and for a bunch of reasons.

Then on the other hand you really have an obesity problem with youth and can't get them to play sports. 

If handing a kid a trophy or ribbon at the end of a season helps them carry that interest forward for another season I have no problem with it at Kindergarten, first/second grade level teams getting that stuff. 

How old were his kids? 

  

[-GoBengals-]

glad someone agrees, these kids are roughly 5 and fucking 8. there was no tournament this isnt premium select sports, you people realize that 60% of the kids on these teams dont do anything sports aside from showing up to the 1 practice and 1 game, no playing catch(for baseball), nothing, several kids fall off by years end and stop coming, these arent 13 yr old getting pats on the head, we are talking about 5 and 8 year olds getting a trophy for completing what seems to be a football camp/event like thing..

big fucking deal.. 

seems most assholes saying kids shouldnt all get trophies is the clown yelling at his 6 yr old in tee ball, like he should be derek jeter or tom brady by now trying to live through their kids sports..

james harrison is a stupid bitch for this move, kids under 9  shouldnt be competition driven assholes hellbent on being the best, enjoying the sport, STILL LEARNING THE SPORT, and being a good teammate all matter far more at these ages than winning.. especially since winning isnt even a fucking thing at that age in most leagues.. score isnt kept, in baseball at those ages, a coach is pitching to you from like 30 feet away.. in football its a bunch of midgets falling on eachother.. oh you didnt fall down the least.. FUCK YOUR TROPHY BITCH!!! THOSE KIDS FELL DOWN SLIGHTLY LESS THAN YOU!!!11 loser isiot fucking loser kids... you get nothing!

get fucking bent, over some pointless trophy.. the kid doesnt think he just won the superbowl.. its a fucking reward for trying hard and sticking it out..

what a bunch of twats...

[T-Dub]

^ this

 

It's about recognizing the team effort & encouraging the kid that went 0-72 at the plate but didn't quit to go huff glue behind the bleachers. Life will take care of that hard knocks stuff, you don't have to be a fucking tyrant. Anyone has to learn to play a sport, even future HoF LB's. It's not like your kid's gonna pop out of the womb with a sick crossover move or 80mph slider. It also encourages them to do it for their own enjoyment - even at 6-8 years old you still know that other kid is faster than you or can jump higher, but you kept running sprints anyway.. So maybe you're not a future HoF'er, but you can be a millionaire because you were that next man up like that time when Daddy broke the rules trying to hurt another Daddy and had to go sit in the corner.. IT teaches you sportsmanship - the only knock that might keep him out of that Hall.

I guess I'm the only one that was ever a bench player in any (4) of the organized sports they played growing up? By 10 or 11, yeh my basketball team went 2-6 or some shit and all we got was pizza & a t-shirt. Saddest pizza party ever, we all knew we sucked. It wasn't meant to turn us into pro athletes. The point was that some of us came back the next year.

IDK, not my kids at the end of the day but I would hope there were bigger, better trophies coming, recitals and science fairs and a 4H blue-ribbon goat . Let them enjoy their juice boxes FFS.  

 

 

[Go Skins]

For those in DC, Jim Vance is a legend here (works for NBC):

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2015/08/18/jim-vance-giving-kids-participation-trophies-is-child-abuse/

Veteran news anchor Jim Vance has never been shy about weighing in on sports-related topics. The NBC Washington stalwart has offered opinions on the Redskins’ name (“vulgar“), the team’s quarterbacking situation and, recently, Bryce Harper’s ejection.

But Monday brought an exceptionally hot sports-related take, when the subject of giving kids participation trophies came up during the station’s 6 p.m. newscast. Vance’s stance? “Child abuse.”

Sports anchor Jason Pugh passed along Stealers linebacker James Harrison’s comments, made via Instagram, that he would be returning a pair of participation trophies given to his two young boys “until they EARN a real trophy.” Harrison added, “I’m not about to raise two boys to be men by making them believe that they are entitled to something just because they tried their best.”

[scharm]

Jim Vance sounds like an idiot, IMO.    A lot of them are out of touch with youth sports.       Even at the ages of 5-9, I've seen multiple examples of parent/coaches getting together and building "super teams".       A kid that lands on another team that has no chance even before practice starts is being "abused" or doesn't deserve a reward just because the talent pooled was rigged?   

OK?  What about the flip side?   Parents taking 1st graders and playing them a grade up?    Those first graders don't deserve anything because a parent/coach wanted them to get their butt kicked playing against tougher competition?

I've seen it many different ways.  Participation trophies have no major effective across population of sports participation from what I've witnessed.   

For example:  My oldest and her teammates got their ass kicked an entire 1st grade basketball season.  They got a participation bobble trophy from a tournament they got whooped in that is still proudly displayed on her desk along with about what is now dozens of championship trophies and t-shirts.  That group of girls, I'm guessing has won about 90% of all games they've played together in all sports since.

They got their assed kicked because the league allowed them to be entered as first graders in a league that was mostly 2nd grade teams.  

 

The statements adults make trying to use youth sports as example are plain dumb.   If you want to talk reality.   Building "Super" teams at that level is probably more harmful than participation trophies because typically those teams are carried by a player or two that are just more advanced at that age and your reserve players never are forced to play critical minutes or positions.

Many high school and college level coaches have started pleading with youth coaches to build diversity.   They get too many "big" kids that can't dribble or a team of shortstops that don't know the basics of outfield or catching.

At the end of the day participation any youth activity (Sports, Art, Science)  is no where near as bad as not participating in youth activities despite some of the negative in all.   

 

 

 

   

 

[MichaelWeston]

Eh,  people post this stupid stuff about youth sports all the time.    Rally against participation trophies.    Rally against whatever and for a bunch of reasons.

Then on the other hand you really have an obesity problem with youth and can't get them to play sports. 

If handing a kid a trophy or ribbon at the end of a season helps them carry that interest forward for another season I have no problem with it at Kindergarten, first/second grade level teams getting that stuff. 

How old were his kids? 

  

I hate the "Be a man" dads. They raise unbalanced kids, even if they are successful in sports. Kids are not all equal. For some kids just being on that team changed their life. I don't understand not keeping score. I do understand not giving the same trophy to everyone. What I don't get is success should never be measured by whether or not you win or lose. If James Harrison's son doesn't work very hard but is naturally gifted and wins is that trophy somehow worth more than my son who isn't naturally gifted and worked his butt off, or your son who has social anxiety disorder and dealt with crippling anxiety every day he was on the field but go through it. The world is a diverse place and people are unique. Measuring success by who wins is simple and ok at some levels, but if that's all we are doing why does NAIA football exist? Why do the Cleveland Browns exist?

[MichaelWeston]

Just reading through all of it and I love the takes from some of you that have kids (not sarcastically, I think you get it very well). For many of these kids the actual sport has nothing to do with what they are doing. It's the band of brothers--I get to meet new people, go through some tough times, eat some pizza and take risks---experience that matters more. The kid might not even like football. He just likes running around and hanging out with his friends and above all TAKING RISKS. The kid has gotten out of his room, off his computer, away from the TV and stepped into a situation where he might not be good and therefore might be embarrassed. And he lived. And he learned that he doesn't have to stay in his safe place, he can try things and be bad at them and there is still a positive in it. And they celebrated that. And he was rewarded. And guess what, he will do it again. And that is how you are successful in life. None of this James Harrison all that matters from the sport is winning stuff. 

[scharm]

Let the kid have their trophy.   Out of what seems a 1,000 youth sports seasons.   I think I have 1 example of a participation trophy given at the same time a champion was awarded.

Most of the leagues I've seen that give out participation trophies are instructional basketball, T-Ball, and Soccer leagues.   Leagues in which there are no scores kept.  There aren't goalies because they don't want those kids getting bored.  They don't call walking and play on 6tf rims.   They don't play 3 outs.   Geared toward 4-6 year olds. 

 

In the end these super ego adults are making negative examples of kids that chose to participate while there's thousands more that don't for a variety of reasons.