Athletic Support: Cat’s in the cradle eli.cranor@gmail.com March 6, 2022 Eli Cranor is a former professional quarterback and coach turned award-winning author. Please use the “Contact” page at elicranor.com to send in questions for “Athletic Support.”

Dear Athletic Support: My grandson is heavily involved in basketball, football, and baseball. I love supporting him in all his activities, but lately I feel like I’m doing more than supporting. His parents are both deep in the throes of their professional lives. They’re very busy. As a result, they don’t get to make it to many of his games. Actually, they’re rarely able to take him to practice. That’s where I come in. I enjoy taking him to all these events and supporting him best I can, but I’m also getting up there in age. I’m tired. I also don’t think it’s good for his parents to miss so many games. Do you have any advice on how I can broach this subject with them?

— Tired Nana

Dear Nana: First off, kudos for being so involved in your grandson’s life. My daughter is only in dance at this point. I can’t quite fathom having a child who’s involved in multiple sports just yet.

With that being said, you need to have a talk with his parents. They’re the ones who should be highly involved.

It won’t be easy—talks like this never are—but it is necessary. Be sure to plan the conversation so that your grandson won’t be around. You don’t want him to feel like his athletics are a hindrance to you or his parents.

Regarding what you should actually say during this conversation, just shoot from the heart. If that doesn’t work, you could always play them “Cat’s in the Cradle,” by Harry Chapin. That song puts things in perspective every time.


Dear Athletic Support: My son will be a sophomore quarterback next fall. This is his first offseason with the high school football team. I’ve been kinda surprised that the coach has spent so much time trying to tweak his throwing motion. Guess I thought when they got to that age, there wasn’t any point messing with mechanics. What do you think?

— Gunslinger

Dear Gunslinger: Watch any good quarterback, especially these days, and you’ll see one thing in common. You know what it is?

Here’s a hint. It’s not a perfect throwing motion.

It’s the ability to make off-balance throws from varying launch points.

The game is faster now than it was ten years ago. Even if a quarterback isn’t a pure runner, he has to be able to move. More importantly, he has to be able to throw while he’s moving.

Lucky for you, this is easy to drill.

Get some flags, put them on your son’s waist, and have a buddy chase him around while he tries to make accurate, downfield passes on the move.

In the end, practicing proper throwing fundamentals is usually something coaches do in the offseason, especially during the winter months. When things warm up, I bet your son will be back on the field and all those fundamental drills will be a thing of the past.


Previous columns:

• Calling it quits after that halftime show
• I won’t watch the Olympics
• Pickup games causing trouble in neighborhood
• Do coaches still cut kids from teams?
• Son falling behind, again
• Forced to play on fractured ankle
• It’s not about winning in seventh grade
• Daughter can’t keep weight-loss resolution
• The Polish Goal Line Tactic
• Is dance a sport?

Athletic Support Columns 2021
Athletic Support Columns 2020


Outside of athletics, kids’ brains are also at risk. Who knows what sort of impact virtual learning will have on their cognition and critical thinking skills. In this regard, I offer one simple tool — a good book! And luckily, I know just the book for kids struggling with the shift to virtual learning:

BOOKS MAKE BRAINZ TASTE BAD! Okay, you caught me… I’m the author of this book. It was published last week and awarded a #1 New Release ranking on Amazon. BMBTB deals directly with the same topic covered in this column, except in a much more lighthearted, kid-friendly way (zombie teachers and brain-munching screens!) If you end up purchasing this book for your children or grandchildren, I only have one final suggestion — ask them to read it while standing up! Eli Cranor's new book Books Make Brainz Taste Bad has just been released. ZOMBIES HATE BOOKS! Especially the zombie teachers at Haven Middle School. That's why they're using VR headsets to fry kids' brainz. Luckily, Dash Storey knows how to save his classmates from the zombie teachers—BOOKS! They make brainz taste bad! "Eli Cranor has an almost unbeatable advantage. He can remember how it felt to think like a twelve-year-old and he can see the very same events like the adult he is. Don't try to resist this book!" - Jack Butler, Pulitzer-Prize nominated author Eli has a new book coming out March 8th. Don't Know Tough is a football-themed thrilled reminiscent of Friday Night Lights. The book is published by Penguin Random House and is available on Amazon.com.