Do you ever hate seeing those helicopter parents who are at every sporting event, cheering on their kids and managing to get up in the face of the referees and coaches when they don’t agree with a call or how much playing time their kid is getting? Some parents will even attend practices, taking time out of their day to give coaches a piece of their mind on how to best utilize their kids on the team to make sure they are put in-position to succeed and make themselves look good in the process.
Well, Pittsburgh Steelers CB Joey Porter Jr. experienced part of that scenario Thursday at OTAs with his father and former Steelers OLB Joey Porter Sr. in attendance to watch practice and see his son go through individual and team drills.
However, according to Porter Jr., Joey Porter Sr. wasn’t a helicopter parent in the slightest, observing practice as a bystander while watching the coaching staff and fellow teammates instruct and coach up his son.
“He stayed in his lane and let me do me,” Porter said about his father Thursday according to a tweet by 93.7 The Fan. “He doesn’t want to overhype anything. That’s the perfect thing about it, he understands me and knows I need my space. He was just a visitor today.”
While his father was elated that he was selected by his former team that he won a Super Bowl with, Joey Porter Sr. has mentioned several times that he wants Joey Porter Jr. to tell his own story and write his own legacy rather than attempting to follow in his father’s footsteps, a legacy that would be hard for any rookie to live up to. Porter Sr. has mentioned that while he likes to be involved in his son’s life and motivates him to be the best player he can be, he doesn’t want to intrude on Coach Tomlin and how he treats his son, knowing that he will have to earn playing time and that he shouldn’t expect a handout due to carrying the family name.
Parents should want to be on-hand to watch their kids play sports. For a guy like Joey Porter Sr., watching his son play for the team that drafted him and helped him develop into a Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion is a dream come true. However, Porter Sr. has a great perspective on the situation he finds himself in, being able to be there to support his son and relish the moment, but not get too involved and try and micromanage his son as a former player. This will allow Porter Jr. to carve out his own legacy and develop into player he can become rather than constantly living in his father’s shadow.
