Geno Auriemma's Message About Entitled Young Athletes
If You Have a Child Who Plays Sports, Please Spend 2 Minutes Watching This
Parents: If you have an athlete above the age of 7 in your hou...Parents: If you have an athlete above the age of 7 in your household, sit them down and watch this with them for 2 minutes and 38 seconds. (Geno Auriemma, Head Women's Basketball Coach, UConn)
Posted by Coach Lisle on Monday, March 20, 2017
As the UConn women's basketball coach, Geno Auriemma has had years of experience in dealing with grown athletes, but he also has meaningful thoughts on today's generations of kids that every younger player needs to hear.
Although his remarks are from a 2016 press postgame press conference, they are now going viral because his timeless message is still relevant for all kids and their parents — no matter what sport they play or what kind of team they're on.
"Recruiting enthusiastic kids is harder than it's ever been because every kid watches TV . . . and what they see is people just being really cool. So they think that's how they're gonna act," Geno said. "They haven't even figured out which foot to use as a pivot foot and they're gonna act like they're really good players."
For Geno, it doesn't matter how amazing a kid is, he would rather see the team lose than watch someone play with a selfish attitude. Instead, he wants to remind players to be "upbeat, loving life, and love the game."
And it isn't just the kids' behavior that Geno is calling out, but their parents as well: "That's the world that we live in today, unfortunately. Kids check the scoreboard sometimes because they're going to get yelled at if they don't score enough points. Don't get me started."