Anoint or Identify

So often today in youth and high school sports we tend to anoint a youngster as the latest and greatest. When we do this we set up unrealistic expectations on the part of the youngster and all those who surround them, especially the parents.  It is certainly acceptable to reward and praise excellence, but it must be tempered by a clear vision of the big picture. It is just as important to be able to criticize when necessary, but that becomes tougher and tougher when the youngster is anointed early.  The vision of the big picture must be clear to all involved including the athlete from the earliest days of identification as a ‘Talent.” Often they are a big fish in a small pond and that really does not mean too much. All these scouting services, web sites and showcases are doing a tremendous disserve to kids and parents. They are setting unrealistic expectations determined by evaluators that have little or no idea of what it really takes to succeed at the next level. If I hear one more high school coach here where I live in Florida say in their evaluation of a player that this guy has the talent to play on Sunday, I am going to puke. It is a long process to climb the ladder of success. The gap between Friday night and Sunday afternoon is a chasm wider than the Grand Canyon. I watched a high school game on TV Friday night where all the announcers could talk about were the number of Division I prospects on a team. I really zeroed in on one kid that they were particularly effusive about, no way. Many are called and so very few are chosen. Those chosen are truly special in terms of talent and giftedness but above all work ethic and character.