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Sports skills are life skills

This week’s Ad Missions – the little biweekly rating of an ad campaign I…

by Andrew Potter on Friday, August 7, 2009 8:37am - 3 Comments

This week’s Ad Missions – the little biweekly rating of an ad campaign I contribute to for the Post — looks at the KidSport spots that are running in BC promoting the idea that “sports skills are life skills.” KidSport is a great program – I’m linking it here mostly to promote it, but also you should check out the TV ads we evaluated this week, they are a riot.

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Tags: KidSport

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http://www.intensedebate.com/people/jolyon jolyon

Those are funny ads. The best one was Post-Its but the life-preserver one was funny as well. I also liked your quip about 'throwing like a girl' but it would be too much to ask that women get made fun of as well as the men.

Has BC been overrun with political correct ninnies like we have been here in Ontario when it comes to sports? I am not sure what 'life skills' my niece and nephew are learning when they play soccer and baseball because they don't keep score, no one wins or losses and trying hard is discouraged because others might not play as well and you don't want to hurt their feelings.

Instead of letting the kids play and excel, they are using sports to indoctrinate and encourage mediocrity.

MJ Patchouli

They don't keep score? Are they really young, or what's the problem?

I always disliked the jocky-boys when I was in high school, but somehow managed to raise one myself. My son is now a young adult, and I must say, the skills he learned in sports all those years are indeed vital to him now, at university, in his relationships and at work.

He IS a team player; he IS committed to what he does; he WILL ALWAYS love all the guys from his elite basketball team. I"m proud of him, and I support kidsport because back when he was a kid, and I was a single mum (and university student), putting him into organized sports was really difficult. I"m glad I managed to scrape together the money needed for used hockey equipment and registrations; I'm glad I got up at 5 am on Saturdays to drive him through the unholy prairie landscape for tournaments; I'm glad I yelled like a banshee when he was on the ice or on the court or field. To this day, he continues to live a fit and fun life, playing sports in every season.

Oh yeah, and the ads were funny.

Joan Strauss

I absolutely detest these ads. They are ridiculing the clumsy and inept and I for one suffer when I see this. I have been ridiculed in this manner all my life. Participating in sports (or attempting to participate) as a child only added to the pain, the bullying and the exclusion. In your opinion sports skills may be life skills, but forcing or even suggesting that a child with poor coordination participate in sports and be made a laughing stock or worse, to me is child abuse. I know, I lived it, when physical education was compulsory at my school, both elementary and high school.
There are many people out there with no "sports skills" that have great "life skills".
Please reframe this ad.