Hosts of “Fox News and Friends” Thursday discussed the merits of yoga for children, comparing the practice to kids’ team sports. The segment was in response to an earlier report by ABC News that referred to yoga as the “fastest-growing sport in America.”
Yoga is being practiced by more and more children, leading to the segment, which asked: “What happened to team building and competition, softball and dodge ball?”
“I think yoga is amazing. I think it’s wonderful. I’m going to say that because I don’t want those yoga Nazis coming after me on this thing,” said guest Larry Winget, who wrote the book Your Kids Are Your Own Fault: A Guide For Raising Responsible, Productive Adults.
Winget noted that yoga is an individual activity that doesn’t teach kids about winning and losing. “[Sports] teach you to get knocked down and get back up,” he said. “You don’t get that in yoga unless you slip on your mat, and that’s not going to teach you anything.”
Winget argues that while yoga is a great exercise and can be a great complement to team sports, it can’t and shouldn’t replace sports for children.
He went on to say that yoga is a part of a bigger trend he calls “the wussification of America,” and promoted his soon-to-be-released book Grow a Pair. “We need to toughen up and stand up for ourselves and learn to be a lot tougher than yoga’s going to teach us to do all by ourselves, I can guarantee you that,” he said.
