By Phil Mushnick
August 19, 2017 | 7:59pm
Kids, by definition, are impressionable. They know only what they know, what they’re given to know and what they’re interested in knowing. And then that knowledge, often in the form of prompts, is applied.
Years ago my family was seated with the Drobnis family at dinner when talk turned toward the Vietnam War. Mike Drobnis said that after he was drafted he joined the Coast Guard.
His son, Danny, about 10 at the time, grew excited.
“Dad,” he said, “you were drafted?”
“I was,” his father answered.
“Wow,” said Danny. “What round?”
But impressionable cuts all ways, thus, by now, Bill Henel should have known better, should have cut himself a break and watched something else. Or read a book.
Henel was a Brick, N.J., Little League umpire for 20 years, and a member of its board of directors for 25 years.
“But this is my last year,” he wrote. “I’m tired of trying to tell kids about sportsmanship. It’s hopeless, and TV shows the worst of them as funny and cool. A sad state.”
His son, Danny, about 10 at the time, grew excited.
“Dad,” he said, “you were drafted?”
“I was,” his father answered.
“Wow,” said Danny. “What round?”
But impressionable cuts all ways, thus, by now, Bill Henel should have known better, should have cut himself a break and watched something else. Or read a book.
Henel was a Brick, N.J., Little League umpire for 20 years, and a member of its board of directors for 25 years.
“But this is my last year,” he wrote. “I’m tired of trying to tell kids about sportsmanship. It’s hopeless, and TV shows the worst of them as funny and cool. A sad state.”
https://nypost.com/2017/08/19/little-leaguers-getting-infected-by-adults-bad-sportsmanship/
