Ivanka Trump tweeted a message Monday morning about kids and sports that isn’t going over well with some. The first daughter took it upon herself to tell her followers how great leadership is attributed to the many lessons learned from playing sports. She continued that kids who participate in sports are more successful overall in other areas of their lives, such as test scores, the likelihood of attending college, and earning more money.
“Many of America’s greatest leaders attribute their lifetime achievements to lessons learned from playing sports. Kids that participate in sports have up to 40% higher test scores, are 15% more likely to go to college, and have up to 8% higher annual earnings,” Ivanka Trump wrote, adding the hashtag #YouthSports.
The tweet caused a few people to react by telling Ivanka she’s merely putting a wedge between sports-driven kids and those who possess other talents.
Some of the reactions seen here contain arguments over Ivanka’s message. These don’t include the many tweets of people asking Ivanka who she thinks she is or where she got this information about kids playing sports from. A few remarked that Ivanka isn’t being a champion for all children by posting this. Costs associated with kids playing sports were addressed by many users. The more critical responses have to do with the president being a poor example of fitness or athleticism, and there were those who asked Ivanka what sports she played in school. However, there was a group of people who agreed with Ivanka’s message about kids who play sports.
School athletes are traditionally hailed as heroes by their peers and are typically an outgoing group. By contrast, kids who’re quiet or excel in other activities don’t get the same praise despite the fact they’ve gone on to accomplish many great things in the world.
Many of America’s greatest leaders attribute their lifetime achievements to lessons learned from playing sports. Kids that participate in sports have up to 40% higher test scores, are 15% more likely to go to college, and have up to 8% higher annual earnings. #YouthSports
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) January 22, 2018
What about the kids who have other talents than sports? Don’t forget activities for them!
— Jeffrey Graham (@Jeffrey52095461) January 22, 2018
And many kids who don’t or can’t play sports attribute their learning to books and art. I’ve been a classroom teacher for 20 years. I’ve seen it. And, Ivanka, you are What again?
— Anne Spollen (@Anne_Spollen) January 22, 2018
Sports are well and good, but by tweeting this, you’re driving another wedge between TAG kids, quiet shy kids, kids who don’t do sports etc. Every child deserves respect for their achievements. I’m disappointed in your post Ivanka. I thought you were every child’s champion…
— Susan???????????? (@Susiejwp_susan) January 22, 2018
Can you cite your statistics please, thanks.
— AF (@alexandskittles) January 22, 2018
Ivanka Trump is known for tweeting tone-deaf messages, such as the one she posted about Oprah Winfrey’s speech at the Golden Globe Awards in which the media mogul rallied the #MeToo movement.
“Just saw @Oprah’s empowering & inspiring speech at last night’s #GoldenGlobes,” Ivanka tweeted, adding a link to the full speech. “Let’s all come together, women & men, & say #TIMESUP! #United.”
The tweet didn’t make sense to those who read it given the fact she supports her father, who’s accused by multiple women for sexual harassment or abuse in the past. According to Politco, Ivanka didn’t consult with one of her aides before sending out the tweet.
Friends and colleagues who know Ivanka Trump told the news publication that she was probably “oblivious” to the irony of her tweet expressing support for Oprah. They add that Ivanka was most likely frustrated by the negative reactions she received and feels that she’s being treated unfairly.