- Apr 1, 2010
- 1,675
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This probably applies to parents watching their kids in sports. The more you know about the game, the more flaws you'll see in your DD's game. Of course, the more you will see flaws in others as well, but if nothing else, that knowledge of the game should make you humble.
Meanwhile, I think a lot of parents who overrate their children in sports just don't understand the game that well. They aren't biased as much as they are, for a lack of a better word, ignorant. Maybe they don't see the big picture. They assume that if their kid's team won 8 tournaments last year that all those players must be some of the best in the state. But they have no idea what level they're playing, or what really made the team win, who the difference-makers were, etc.
I've always found the research on the Dunning-Kruger effect fascinating. I believe I heard or read somewhere that it's a good idea to become very knowledgeable at something...anything!, so that you would begin to grasp the vast gulf between ignorance and expertise. It follows that if you had previously been unaware of thousands of things about x, that you must be equally unaware of thousands of things about...everything. The opinion of someone who has pertinent knowledge (like the UIC) might just be due more weight than the opinion of the 8U parent in the stands... ;-)