Bring your kids to the post game?
At the end of Game 1 of this year’s Western Conference Final, Golden State’s Steph Curry brought his 2 and a half year old daughter, Riley, with him to his post-game press conference. And since then, there’s been a big to-do in the media about it. Is it appropriate? Is it not? Charles Barkley has come out and said kids don’t belong at the post-game. So I pose to you the question, what do you think?
A friend of mine wrote a great opinion piece on the subject for the San Jose Mercury News. I have included the article below. (You can also find it online here).
Steph Curry as Dad: Bringing daughter to press conference set a great example
By Eric Rodriguez | Special to the Mercury News
POSTED: 05/22/2015 10:00:00 AM PDT2 COMMENTS| UPDATED: 3 DAYS AGO
After the Golden State Warriors defeated the Houston Rockets in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, the unexpected happened during the news conference. The star of the game, Stephen Curry, approached the microphone with his two-and-a-half-year-old daughter. In what is normally an exhausting exchange between tired athletes and reporters facing deadlines, Curry’s daughter kept things lively and entertaining behaving like — well, a two-and-a-half-year-old child enamored with her daddy.
Not everyone felt this was appropriate. A few reporters expressed frustration at the lack of professional decorum on the part of Curry; some suggested having the NBA ban children from news conferences.
This image provided by SFBay.ca, shows Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry with his daughter Riley during the post game press conference after the first game of their Western Conference finals of the NBA Playoffs in Oakland, California, on Tuesday, May 19, 2015. (Sarah Todd / SFBay.ca via AP)
It is important to note that Curry’s daughter did not prevent him from answering questions. Perhaps she was a distraction to some reporters, although most suggest she brought a level of “mega cuteness” to the news conference. I agree. What is more, Curry’s own happiness at having his child by his side was obvious. His smile lit up the room much in the same way his athleticism electrified the court moments earlier.
In the years I spent working in social services in Sacramento, one of the challenges we faced was how to shift the paradigm of fathers as breadwinners and disciplinarians to more capable caregivers to their children. The research we saw suggests that fathers’ affection and family involvement help promote children’s social and emotional development across families from all ethnic backgrounds.
The opposite effect also is true. When fathers do little to connect with their children, children and families suffer over time.
The choice to be distant or involved is not straightforward. Many cultural issues play a role. One study from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management found that “men who are active caregivers get teased and insulted at work more than so-called traditional fathers and men without children.”
Systemic challenges are also prevalent. Take paternity leave. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, 15 percent of U.S. companies offer some paid leave to new fathers. But many new fathers opt not to take it. Fathers report “losing status” or “facing resentment from co-workers” as reasons.
Curry and his NBA colleague Chris Paul, who has also brought his young boy to news conferences, show no concern about losing status or being teased. They embrace their roles as fathers. In Paul’s case, his young son can be seen sitting on his lap at other prominent sporting events. He was even next to him on the mound at a Dodger’s game when Paul threw the first pitch. Each displays the qualities of a father who loves and cares for his child — qualities we should admire and celebrate.
This is why the events at the news conference are significant. Stigmas continue to prevent fathers from ditching the antiquated idea of fatherhood; adopting a healthier form of parenting will continue to evade men if the sort of backlash Curry experienced for having his little girl attend the news conference continues.
Society still demands that Curry be a basketball player — a professional — first and foremost. It veils its uneasiness at seeing him excel at being both a compassionate father and star athlete by claiming his behavior is “unprofessional” and “inappropriate.” It is nothing of the sort. Curry’s behavior is the very essence of what we should expect from fathers and role models. What should change is the way fathers are criticized for having the courage to go against the status quo.
Eric Rodriguez is a trustee emeritus of Brown University, a term member at the Council on Foreign Relations and a former consultant to the California Department of Social Services in Sacramento. He wrote this for this newspaper.
