Kids then & Now – Were the good old days really so good?

I
have seen and heard much discussion regarding how different kids are today. I
hear that they are lazy, not fit, disrespectful, they just won't do the things
that kids did forty or fifty years ago. Since I am still involved in day to day
coaching of high school athletes I also have given this issue much thought. I
guess the perspective of coaching 41 years at all levels of competition gives
me some insights that others who started later may not have. I also have been a
classroom teacher, history and geography, a teacher of physical education and a
coach of multiple sports. A few preparatory points are necesaary1) The older
you get the easier it is to remember the good of the good old days and forget
the bad. 2) We live in an entirely different world today than 41 years ago.
Those points being made please indulge me as I attempt to explain what I see in
kids today.

Lets
look at then first:

Students
rode bikes or walked to school

Kids
had mandatory daily physical education

Most
kids started playing three sports in elementary or middle school and then
narrowed it down to two by high school

Family
structure was still there

You
seldom saw a latchkey kid

Less
litigation

No
high fructose corn syrup

No
professionalization of youth and high school sports

Sports
were centered in the schools and recreation departments

Parents
were interested, but not directly involved

There
were virtually no competitive opportunities for girls

Coaches
were usually trained teachers, often physical education teachers

Coaches
were the experts, because in many cases they were

Coaches
did not specialize they coached multiple sports

A
sporting event on TV was special because there was not many of them

No
national high school or youth championships

You wore Converse or Keds, black or white was the choice of
colors

There
were strict transfer rules – no changing schools in midyear because you did not
like the coach or you were not starting

Let
look at now:

Students
ride to school

No
mandatory physical education and no recess

Kids
specialize in one sport from an early age

Sports
are centered outside the schools

Coaches
are not trained as educators; in essence anyone can be a coach

Parents
are involved; they run and have ownership of school and club programs because
of fundraising

National
championships in youth sports and high school sports

Sports
are on television 24/7

Our
diet is worse than most third world nations

Kids
spend hours a day on computers and cell phones

The
only time many kids play is at organized practice

We
have more knowledge in sports medicine and sport science

We
have significantly better facilities

Unlimited
competitive opportunities for boys and girls

If
you are not a starter or a star you either quit or transfer

So
what the conclusion? First of all you cannot separate sport from society. I
have always felt sport is a reflection and in some ways a magnification of what
you see in society, both good and bad. We are a nation of consumers, instant
gratification and fast money. So a logical step as a reflection of society is
to use kids to make money and build reputations. The shoe and apparel companies
really do not care about kids they are concerned with the bottom line. In your
face ads and smack talking sport stars sell shoes. With sports on 24/7 the kids
imitate their role models good and bad. We live in a throwaway world, national
champion at 13, nobody at 16. Who cares? Essentially we – adults, parents,
coaches and administrators have created a monster. What we see in today’s kids
is the result of an over indulgent culture. We have lowered the bar, eliminated
behavioral expectations and compromised sound educational principles to chase a
pot of gold at the end of the rainbow that is not here.

So
is it all l that bleak, all gloom and doom? No way! We need to stop and take a
long look at what we as parents, coaches, administrators, in short the adult
authority figures need to do. We need to raise the bar, set a higher level of
expectation for the kids in areas that matter. I see the kids that I work with
day to day achieve at a very high standard, just like the kids I coached 40
years ago. I have the same standards and they know what they are and reach up
to those standards. Lets stop blaming the kids and look at ourselves in the
context of society. These kids are crying out for teaching, structure, and firm
fair discipline, they want the special experience that real coaching can
provide. Lets not cop out and blame the kids, we all need to look in the mirror
and raise our standards.