That's a good honest answer from Gorts, and it's appreciated. I think for some kids, and you see this with generational shifts in the workforce.... like you would with any other job.... the kid's value systems are different. What they prioritize is different.
It's one of the reasons why I thought Quinn was a very progressive hire. A type of coach who can be a good father figure to these Gen Z stars. You have to understand something: This is the generation that has their own highlight reel, entourage, and groupies depending on their situation... sometimes that's at age 16... sometimes that's at 22. I remember a story about a college recruiting my associate's kid back in 97. The college that sent the VHS montage of his son got the acceptance letter. Only one college sent a highlight reel.
These days, some of these guys are cutting their own reels on the way to practice. The "feeling" that my associate's kid experienced for him was a once in a lifetime experience, because it literally was. He wasn't good enough. But said cyclicality of that "feeling" as well as the de-materialization of said "feeling's" importance is what you are getting with Gen Z athletes. Their value systems are different because their reward mechanisms are different, and what happens when you give a hot shot 16-17 year-old control over their own reward mechanisms that can drive their own sense of fame through something as simple as their phones?
Do you have to be an NHLer to be a baller? What does $200K in purchasing power get a teenager? What was he pre-conditioned to?
Starting to make sense?
