James Harrison
 

Steelers linebacker James Harrison generated some headlines last summer when he made his sons, who were 7 and 5 at the time, return their participation trophies, saying they hadn't earned them. His Instagram post about it has nearly 20,000 likes, and Harrison received praise from those who believe the self-esteem movement has gotten out of hand.

Steve Harvey invited Harrison on his show a few weeks ago to talk about parenting.

"What I wanted them to learn was you have to earn everything you get and that nothing is going to be given to you," Harrison said. "My parents raised me that way, and I turned out pretty good."

Last week Harrison posted an Instagram video that shows a parent can give tough love and have fun with a child at the same time. Here's Harrison with his son, Henry, on the martial arts mat:


I had to give him that kamehameha #Goku#Kakarrot

A video posted by James Harrison (@jhharrison92) on

If you're unfamiliar with the lingo Harrison uses in the caption, here's an explanation of kamehameha.

Harrison's opposition to participation trophies is backed by research that shows the mass awarding of them may set kids up for failure. Last year HBO's Real Sports examined the problems with the trophy culture. Here's a portion of the report:

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