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I was listening to former Chicago Bears running back Neal Anderson talk this morning on The Score (670 AM).
He said he couldn't see himself coaching today's athletes because he has an old-school approach when it comes to work. You work hard all the time - period. He, like so many other former professional athletes, believe today's athlete is different.
In other words, they believe today's athletes are lazy.
Anderson, who now resides in Florida, has three kids and two of them play soccer.
While I think it's unfair to label every single player and say a generation doesn't work as hard as the last, I will say there are times when I shake my head when I see the lazy, careless attitudes of some high school players.
I've always said that today's high school athlete and their parents have forgotten that it's an honor and privilege to be a high school athlete. Just because you pay taxes or go to the school doesn't mean you have a right to be a high school athlete.
You have a right to tryout - that's it. But I think this is one area where the generations are different. In the past, if you got cut from any team - a parent would say you have to work hard. Today, if an athlete gets cut, either a parent starts his own team or blames the coach.
To this day, the hardest working high school player I have ever covered was Sandburg's Kris Nowak in the late 1990s. When it came to soccer, she wasn't the most technical player on the field.
But what Nowak did more than any other high school player I have ever seen is that she outworked everyone on the field. You hear people say go hard for 80 minutes - Nowak did.
Full speed - 100 percent of the time.
I can't think of a player today that does that.
Can you?
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I completely agree with you that today's parents and students believe it is their RIGHT to make the team. One need not look any further the NV's varsity squad and jv squad. Several seniors were placed on the jv side because they just failed to live up to Kees new expectations.
Then again, it is nice to a bunch of new senior transfers into the district to help improve your team. mmmmmm
Agree 110%!!!!!!!!
No way!!!! Today's athletes work hard my son is a college freshman and I know he worked hard all through High School. Always working on physical fitness as well as practicing his skill level. All summer long he ran hard to make sure he played in college. I don't buy it. These guys work hard especially in a non glammer sport like Soccer.