Sorry. I did not communicate effectively, grand Poobah.
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Play a musical instrument, academics, social skills...good.
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i meant that music, academics and social skills were a good thing. I used "good" literally in the literal sense.
It is the other stuff, naturallY i am complaining about: the small parts of life that have gradually become overemphasized, at least in our country. I am also complaining about the casual implication of their importance in our culture.
Rather than taking a protectionist bent, discussing ncaa rules, my mind goes to these topics when i hear of european and soith american guys dominating us college tennis.
To be sure, SureshS, I do not doubt social media is pervasive in other cultures. From the ranked kids i know and hit with here in the US, i think a lot of them have social media addiction on the order of middle school girl, whereas the foreign kids i know seem a lot more dedicated and a lot less distracted. Granted my opinion is based upon a sampling which includes american jrs and foreign college players, so this comparison is unfair.
As for your point about dropping out of school at 16, haha, i see lots of homeschooled kids begin that path at eleven or twelve. Not a fan (and i have kids who play a good level). But it is becoming necessary for the kids who want to compete. Sadly.
Hope that was more clear.
Re: watching sports...
In this country, at this time of year, during a non-tournament weekend, i see kids half-ass their tennis and academics to watch four or five college football games on a weekend, on top of some nfl and nba games. Selfishly, as a guy who hits with good jrs, i am annoyed by their "schedules". Somehow, as an adult with a family, i am much more flexible, because i am not a slave to watching sports. Ok, maybe the world series, a davis cup tie or a playoff game.
Unlike thirty years ago, our kids seem to make watching several football games a priority, and work a bit of tennis around it. Hmm, maybe it represents valuable time with their family and friends, but i think it is excessive compared to the Occasional, big soccer matches the european kids might fixate on.