When I started playing football back in 1989, I distinctly remember how proud I felt when the coach gave me my first trinket on my helmet. It was a star because I contributed to one of our wins that year. I also remember my older brother who had dozens of trinkets on his helmet (similar to Ohio State players who have buckeye trinkets all over their helmets) and I dreamed of the day I’d have a similar helmet.
Unfortunately, that day never came… My youth program stopped giving kids trinkets because they said it wasn’t fair to the kids who didn’t earn any trinkets. In other words, everyone on the team had to be treated fairly regardless of their performance on the field. Hey, I’m all for equality and fairness, but in sports, it doesn’t make any sense. Teams must pay more attention and give more reps in practice to their best players if they want to win. It’s that simple.
