Enliven Daily

“With football you can have up to 28 guys you consider starters, and if they can pick up the slack when some aren't playing so well, you don't have to turn those two game losing streaks into six-game losing streaks.”

On Monday, I was with my two boys at Target as they needed some school supplies.  We were near the book section and both of them saw the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series as my oldest has read a few of them.  In that same section was a book by Mike Lupica titled “Million-Dollar Throw” and it caught my eye.  I had read a few of Lupica’s books in the past and always enjoyed them but this book and some others are geared towards teens so I bought to read myself but hopefully my sons would want to read too.  (Click Here) to see a story on the author as well as a look into the plot.  I read this book in one day.

As you will hear Lupica mention while on the Today Show, for kids, being a teammate is one of the most important things about sports.  It is also something that many parents and coaches forget or even better yet, never realize.  Too often adults, especially parents, forget what it was like when they were a pre-teen or teenager.  I don’t.  I can remember vividly almost all the trials and tribulations I went through as far back as 4^th grade.  Many had to do with sports but there were plenty of experiences with school, family and friends that shaped many of my beliefs and values to this day. 

As parents, we think we know what our kids want and we certainly feel we know what is best for them; after all, we are “the parent”.  But as Lupica highlights in his appearance on the Today Show and so perfectly in this book, just like it was for you and me 10 or 50 years ago, a child’s friends are the world to him or her.  When it comes to sports, most parents want their child to be the star player and make the big play or big shot because whether they know or want to admit it, they see it as a reflection on them as a parent and equate it to social status.  But what kids want most is to play and feel part of the team.  A winning team helps but it is not as important to the child as it is to the parent and even coaches for that matter.  Check it out next time your child’s team loses.  Within an hour, they forget about the loss and are doing something else while the parents and coaches are still replaying the game.

I am not sure if it is luck, something I am doing or a combination of things but the teams I have coached over the past few years have been very successful and I am not just talking about the wins and losses.  I have had my share of challenging kids but when they have been on my team, they have been a great teammate.  As a matter of fact, the only challenges I have had with kids over the years have been with some of their parents.  Not many, always a small percentage but it always centers on playing time in the games as mom and dad feel their child should be playing more.  What parent does not want their child playing more?  But just like when I was a kid and looked at my teammates, I knew which ones deserved to be playing more than I did and rarely questioned it.  On teams when I did not play a lot in games, I never cared because I loved practices and being with my friends.  I also knew I would get my chance and like a key theme in “Million-Dollar Throw”, I would be ready. 

If you are looking for a great gift for a parent, pre-teen or teen in your life, pick up this book, you won’t be sorry.  For you Tom Brady fans, he not only gave us our opening quote, he is a big part of this story.