Devon's Development Insider No. 6: It's a Game

The goal of many kids when growing up is to play professional sports. I was no different. 

If that is your goal or the goal of your children, you need to support yourself and them unconditionally, through thick and thin. 

My parents were a prime example of parents who were there from the beginning to the end. From day one, when they purchased that big plastic yellow bat from K-Mart (wow, a blast from the past) and let me swing away aimlessly until I realized what baseball really was, they were there. Once I determined that this was something I wanted pursue, their support was there. 

Everyone can pinpoint a time in their life when their journey in the sports world became more than what they ever expected, when it was more than just a sport. Prime examples are the stories you hear about parents living vicariously through their children and pressuring them beyond belief. 

There is pressure in any sport, and everyone deals with it differently. For example, I came from a small town in Ontario, Canada, and had a distant, but attainable, goal to play college baseball in the U.S. With the help and support of my family and friends, I attained that scholarship. 

After four years at York College in Nebraska, I was in the position to play professional baseball. Transitioning from a small school to a professional league, I could literally tell that this was a different world. It was not the game I knew; it was a business. Jobs were on the line, you could be cut anytime and the players on our team had big-time Division 1 and professional experience. 

The pressure was immensely different, but it was something that you had to put in the back of your mind if you wanted to succeed. The cream rises to the top, and unfortunately, my talent could not keep me on the squad. 

Everyone handles the pressure differently, and that’s where each individual has to have the support system to back them up. 

For those interested, the book Basketball Junkie, by Chris Herren and Bill Reynolds, is about former NBA star Herren and his battle with drugs. The pressure began at a young age, when Herren carried the high school basketball team on his back.

The book and the ESPN Films 30 for 30 episode “Unguarded” delve deeply into his addiction and recovery. Nearly three years clean, Herren now helps kids realize their dream without the pressure. His slogan “Let them play” gets the point across clearly. 

Sometimes we forget it’s just a game, and if something big comes from it, then that’s a bonus. Until that journey is fulfilled, let them play and have fun, because that’s where the desire began in the first place.

Devon is the founder of The GM’s Perspective

Devon is a former professional baseball player with the River City Rascals and Gateway Grizzlies, and is now an independent scout.