James Harrison Gives Back Sons' Participation Trophies

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https://gma.yahoo.com/pittsburgh-st...ticipation-132517209--abc-news-parenting.html


Pittsburgh Steelers’ star James Harrison is one of the toughest linebackers in the NFL, known for his explosive play.

And when it comes to tackling parenthood, the veteran player is proving he is just as fierce.

Harrison, 37, revealed on Instagram this weekend that he had taken back the trophies his two young sons received for just participating in sports.

"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,” Harrison captioned a photo of his sons’ student-athlete trophies. “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 ended his post with the hashtag #harrisonfamilyvalues.

While most commenters agreed with Harrison’s post, writing comments such as, “Kids today don’t know what the reward for hard work is,” others disagreed.

“You’re their dad and it’s your decision, but I couldn’t disagree more,” one commenter wrote

Harrison, a two-time Super Bowl champion and five-time Pro Bowl player, frequently posts photos and videos of his own workouts on his Instagram page, along with photos of himself with his sons.

A parenting expert says the responses to Harrison’s post show there is no one solution for how to handle praise and children.

“For some children participation is a struggle, so getting a participation trophy is important,” saidRobyn Silverman, a child development specialist. “For other children, they simply need to learn sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.”

Among “Good Morning America” viewers, an online survey found that 70 percent of respondents believe participation trophies are not a good idea for kids, while just 30 percent believe they are a good idea.
 

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PFaulk

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My strong feeling about what an informal poll on participation trophies would look like:

- A majority of kids that receive participation trophies don't feel any better that they got a participation trophy.

- A majority of coaches and league administrators who pay for and then disburse participation trophies do so out of a fear of those few parents (some of GMA's 30%, perhaps) who might sue if their kid didn't get a participation trophy.

- A majority of companies that make and sell participation trophies like them very much.
 

Akrasian

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Giving back the trophies is fine - why post about it on Instagram though? Giving the trophies back is trying to show the kids the importance of earning honors - but posting about it can embarrass them AND sort of smacks of Harrison feeling like he deserves a good parenting trophy or something, and bragging about what he did.

Going the social media route imo is where Harrison went astray.
 

ChrisW

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Socialism is just around the corner, fellas. That's what we get for wanting to accommodate everyone.
 

HometownBoy

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Meh, I don't see the big deal in participation trophies. Mostly because I don't see the effects everyone says they have, I've never met one person in my life who was HAPPY to have received a participation trophy. It always seemed more like it motivated them to do better so they could get the real deal.

Never seen this complacency they're supposedly creating.
 

IowaRam

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I read somewhere yesterday where he said

He believes in equal opportunity not equal outcome ,
 

LesBaker

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Giving back the trophies is fine - why post about it on Instagram though? Giving the trophies back is trying to show the kids the importance of earning honors - but posting about it can embarrass them AND sort of smacks of Harrison feeling like he deserves a good parenting trophy or something, and bragging about what he did.

Going the social media route imo is where Harrison went astray.

Exactly, he is trying to make himself look like a "man" or something.

Why not sit down with your boys and say that it's a meaningless trophy, you didn't really win anything, explain the diffeence and be doen with it.

Instead he wants to flash his "family values". Which would include beating up a girlfriend several years ago (roid rage IMO) and several dirty plays in the NFL.

Fuck this asshole.....
 

PFaulk

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I'm wondering how the kids reacted to it.

My guess is they were probably like, "ok. Are we having pizza for dinner?"
 

LesBaker

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I'm wondering how the kids reacted to it.

My guess is they were probably like, "ok. Are we having pizza for dinner?"

Or doing what so many kids have done over the centuries.....saying in the head "shutup Dad!"
 

Dieter the Brock

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Why is raising kids well somehow newsworthy ??
I mean it's not,
So if raising your kids is not newsworthy - and his has somehow come up as "news" to me I can only deduce that what Harrison is just saying (tweeting) this as some bullshit diversion for some greater evil - cause obviously Harrison as the bestower of such wisdom and sage parenting advise must be rare -- hence the news coverage -- because who covers ordinary things on the news like you or me taking out the trash???

my recommendation for him would be to shut the P up and let you kid enjoy his fucking trophy you bastard fuck
 

Force16X

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you know what i got when i participated in sports? the opportunity to play, on a regulation sized field, not one where "everything right of the doghouse is out of bounds, or the oak tree is an automatic out." ;)
 

Athos

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Sounds a bit douchey, especially when parents take to social media to tout their brand of parenting. Sounds more like "look at me" mentality being taught.

Anyway, some kids just going out and participating, i.e., socializing with other kids, can be an accomplishment in and of itself.

Anyway, I think way too much emphasis is put on kids to win because most of the time, it's all about the parent, not the kid.

They're fucking kids. Fun is goal #1. Learning how to work well with others is goal #2 at the young age.
 

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Why is raising kids well somehow newsworthy ??
I mean it's not,
With the advent of Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Vine, Snapchat, etc., everything is newsworthy.
 

HometownBoy

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Exactly, he is trying to make himself look like a "man" or something.

Why not sit down with your boys and say that it's a meaningless trophy, you didn't really win anything, explain the diffeence and be doen with it.

Instead he wants to flash his "family values". Which would include beating up a girlfriend several years ago (roid rage IMO) and several dirty plays in the NFL.

freak this icehole.....
This too, seems like it's just trying to bolster the image of a guy who's probably already given his kids more bad life lessons than good.

Hey I beat the shit out of woman and unnecessarily try to hurt people over a ball game, but at least I don't think you should get a ribbon for participation, aren't I such a great guy?
 

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Not really.....
I guess it depends if you think a fart is momentous
I say it's not
I didn't say *I* personally think it's newsworthy.
It's just the world we live in now.
 

iced

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Why is raising kids well somehow newsworthy ??
I mean it's not,
So if raising your kids is not newsworthy - and his has somehow come up as "news" to me I can only deduce that what Harrison is just saying (tweeting) this as some bullcrap diversion for some greater evil - cause obviously Harrison as the bestower of such wisdom and sage parenting advise must be rare -- hence the news coverage -- because who covers ordinary things on the news like you or me taking out the trash???

my recommendation for him would be to shut the P up and let you kid enjoy his freaking trophy you bastard freak

Consider how low the bar is set - anything Kardashian is "news worthy".