I watched Talladega Nights for the first time the other day. I loved the movie, and, like everyone else, I laughed when Ricky Bobby and his wife declared that they named their children "Walker" and "Texas Ranger" because they wanted to raise winners. Unfortunately, I think America is on a path to being filled with a bunch of "Dr. Quinns" and "Medicine Womans". Why? Because we're raising a generation of wimps. Well, at least that's what they're going to be if "concerned" parents continue to get their way.

This isn't the first time I've bemoaned this trend. But, this latest episode in the continued wussification of America's kids hits close to home. My 18-year old nephew has been banned from his high school's home and away basketball games. I know what you're thinking. He must have smuggled in alcohol or led the crowd in an obscene cheer. Nope. His "crime" is nothing more than excessive team spirit. "Concerned" parents were upset because fans (of which my nephew was identified as the ringleader) held up newspapers or turned their back when the opposing team was introduced. It gets even worse. These rabble rousers were also guilty of "yelling too loud" when the opposition shot free throws.

Sadly, I'm not making this up. How in the world do we expect kids to learn how to deal with real adversity when we won't even let them deal with trivial problems like playing basketball in a hostile building? The "concerned" parents claim that they were upset because their precious darlings weren't shown enough "respect". You know how you earn respect? You go in and beat the home team. You don't have Mommy & Daddy make it all better.