Verdict Is In On Lexi's Prom Date Stunt: "That her parents or her agent didn't anticipate the backlash here is unfortunate"

Bob Carney with a nice round-up of the mixed-to-negative reaction from commenters at this site and the very negative replies on Twitter to Lexi Thompson's Facebook plea for an older military man to take to her prom. Kind of makes Steiny's latest attempt to wrap his head around social media look charming.

Lexi Thompson is 17. Seventeen-year-olds, even 17-year-old professional golfers with professional handlers, do sweet, naive things. They aren't nearly as clever or calculating as we give them credit for -- or as we are. That her parents or her agent didn't anticipate the backlash here is unfortunate, but it offers us all a lesson.

Patriotism is in season right now. On the campaign trail. On TV. On tour. It is so in-season, in fact, that corporations are "cause marketing" the military. What brand can seem most grateful for our soldiers -- and in the process collect a bit of gratitude for itself. Maybe Lexi reminds us that patriotism isn't that easy. Read the Pulitzer-Prize winning Huffington Post series by David Wood on wounded vets---read it all, as a patriotic act--and you'll see what we mean. Good for Lexi to try to draw attention to their sacrifices. And if you think her video is too calculating, make a contribution to the American Lake Veterans GC and don't tell anyone about it.