So I started writing this a few months ago and left it on the back burner. I wasn't sure how to write it without sounding like an insensitive jerk but here I am. In this new world of million dollar athletes and over priced lifestyles I decided to write on the one common denominator.
As most of you know by now my son is still recovering from his surgery and we are nearly back. That being said he has had to watch his buddies travel across the country and compete again for a second summer in a row. I'm very happy to report that they are killing it and he still has a pretty good attitude for the most part. As a treat to our entire family and to try and capture some quality time away from the gym, softball field and rehab center I decided to bring the entire family up to Edgewood Resort in Lake Tahoe. This is the week of a major celebrity golf tournament and what a cool venue.
We have seen quite a few celebrities check in and walk around while we have been here. One thing keeps coming to mind when you see these guys. Angel brought it up actually as she did not really know any of them. "Look how big he is." Haha yes pun intended and yes I understand what my wife meant but it still sounds funny typing it out. Truth is these guys seem to just stand out and that's pretty cool. So far each and all of them have been pretty cool role models for my kids. Yes they are millionaires and yes they are famous but they are still humans. They treat the folks around them politely and have not been rude nor demanding and that was cool for my family to see.
I spoke about how each kid's journey is their own and how we as parents should try not to get caught up in the next kid's journey. Some will get offers early and look from all sorts of coaches while yours may be more talented or more suited for a program. This is the hardest thing to see from a parents point of view and I get that but it's life. We as parents can teach our kids that hard work and dedication will eventually get them where they deserve to be.
Size matters..... This can be applied in any matter you like but for this blog i'm applying to sports. A jockey can not be 6 feet tall and 200 lbs if he wants to win the Kentucky derby. Let me rephrase that. A jockey that is 6 ft tall and 200 lbs has a much harder time winning the Kentucky Derby than his smaller counterparts. That's life. What you look like is the first thing people see and what the first people judge you as. I know that is not nice but it is the truth regardless of what anyone tells you. It's human nature. Apply that to your child with regards to what other coaches see and how they access value. A good example of this was when Joey played on a high level AAU basketball team anytime the other team had a kid who was anywhere near 5 feet tall we just knew or we just assumed that the guy was probably lighting fast and handled the ball pretty well. Otherwise how did he make it to this level? This usually proved true but not always. Sometimes we all shook our heads and just asked ourselves why he’s out there.
In baseball and softball I'd say the height thing is probably one of the factors you assess value last. It doesn't hurt to be 6 '5 however is my point. If you're 5'5 you will just have to do more to stand out. Not my rules, just the way the world works. If your kid is 5'5 I am not saying to stop playing sports I am simply saying to read the room and understand that they are in the size range where they don't stand out. Now just because you are tall doesn't mean anything if you can't play. There are plenty of large individuals who can't seem to chew gum and walk but if they could I bet they got picked for kickball in the first 2 rounds.
I appreciate that we are in 2023 and that we as a country have adopted this philosophy that you can be whatever you want to be if you just put your mind to it. Some of that is true and can be applied to life but with sports I am not so sure about that. My point is just that if you are smaller then expect to be noticed differently then the kid who's taller.
All in all our kids have to be good humans first and the next athlete to their ability second. One thing I noticed about most of the famous athletes we saw this past weekend was how big their families were. Not in size necessarily but in numbers, most people had 3-4 kids! Apparently these guys can afford all the team dues that are coming lol.
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