All trophies must be EARNED in the Harrison household, including pointless ones from youth sporting leagues. That much was made crystal clear Saturday when Steelers linebacker James Harrison posted the following message on his Instagram account (in addition to his Facebook page):
You can probably read the caption but, in case you can't, here it is:
"I came home to find out that my boys received two trophies for nothing, participation trophies! 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. I'm sorry I'm not sorry for believing that everything in life should be earned and I'm not about to raise to 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. #harrisonfamilyvalues"
Only time will tell what effect this will ultimately have. But if Harrison's boys (ages six and eight) are playing in the NFL in 20 years, we'll all look back and point at this as the turning point.
[via Instagram]
