As a middle school soccer coach, I strive to make winning not the focus — instead it’s all about making the players feel valued and preaching that it’s how you play the game that’s most important.

And I believe that, I really do. But sometimes I step back from my little PC-world and wonder if fragile little middle school egos are really worth so preciously preserving. Middle school, heck, childhood is filled with painful lessons. It’s how we learn and grow and learn to persevere.

I can’t help but think of my guardianship of developing egos when I look to see us Americans deciding on who will be our next leader. Again, shockingly, we are transfixed by mediocrity. Cheer on the regular joe, the six-pack joe, the small-town American — fine, I can say let’s cheer them on. But why elect them president? What is so wrong with being the smartest, most intelligent candidate? Why do candidates now have to hide their intellectual power, take off the tie and pretend to be not-smart and not-successful? When did this become a qualification to be president? I can’t help but wonder if our celebration of everyone, instead of celebrating natural talent mixed with hard work, has become so imbedded in our culture that we now feel like mediocrity is often the primary qualification to hold the highest office in our country.