On behalf of a grateful nation, I thank Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver for saying exactly what so many have been thinking when it comes to millennials and their toughness.
And what does Mr. Sarver have to say? He says millennials aren’t tough.
Speaking to the Arizona Republic about the recently suspended Markieff Morris, who was disciplined for “conduct detrimental to the team” after throwing a towel at head coach Jeff Hornacek during the team’s 104-96 loss to the Nuggets on December 23rd, Sarver said:
“I’m not sure it’s just the NBA. My whole view of the millennial culture is that they have a tough time dealing with setbacks, and Markieff Morris is the perfect example. He had a setback with his brother in the offseason and he can’t seem to recover from it.”
But Sarver didn’t stop there:
“I’m not sure if it’s the technology or the instant gratification of being online. But the other thing is, I’m not a fan of social media. I tell my kids it’s like Fantasy Land. The only thing people put online are good things that happen to them, or things they make up. And it creates unrealistic expectations. We’ve had a number of setbacks this year that have taken their toll on us, and we haven’t been resilient. Therefore, it’s up to our entire organization to step up their game.”
The net is cast fairly wide over the millennial generation. For example, I just learned that people born in 1985 somehow count as millennials. And there are exceptions to every rule, such as, clearly, the millennials who are fighting and have fought terrorists all over the world.
But exceptions don’t make the rule. The generation of man-buns and safe-zones is by and large a disaster. And Sarver is absolutely right to say so.
