Values and inspiration

As a volunteer mentor to a local school I have the pleasure of chatting with an eleven year old boy each week.  The aim is to support his learning and help with any problems, but of course I know I'll learn as much as I hope I can offer.

Today we got talking about football and what to do when people wind you up.  Next thing and we've moved on to talking about the Olympics and me hearing about the inspiration of Leon Baptiste visiting school.

The visit had clearly been inspiring, with Leon's story rich in dedication and determination to overcome injury and achieve his goals through sheer effort. (My charge was impressed with the the fact that Leon trained 7 days a week)

Compare this with the culture in the premier league and it's perhaps no surprise that a young boy should be turning his back on such a world and instead setting his sights on hard work and determination to succeed.

The 2012 London Olympics it seems as least for one young man has been an inspiration and a million miles away from some discussions I've had with lads of a similar age comparing how much football players are 'worth'.  I can't imagine football nor occupying a significant place in youth culture but perhaps its values are changing.  And if not perhaps they need to in order to chime with young people's natural instincts for fairness.