IN THIS ISSUE:
- News and Views:
- Handshaking Incidents Threaten Tradition
- All-American Sportsmanship Schools
- UCLA May Have Lost More Than the Title
- Who's Responsible for Fan Behavior?
- Off the Bookshelf: A Guide to Sports Parenting
- Sportsmanship Trivia Test: Who "Disgraced" This Southern, Rural Sport?
- You Make the Call: Should Professional Golf Outlaw Souped-up Balls and Clubs?
- In Their Own Words: Tiger Muffs, Money Drops, Nigeria Shocks (well, not really)
- Sportsmanship Principle of the Month: Sports Programs Must Foster Good Character
- From the Ultimate Sportsmanship Tool Kit: How to Chart Your Team for Maximum Performance
- Sportsmanship Trivia Test: Answer
- Upcoming Events: Training Courses in 2006
- Commentary by Michael Josephson: "The Hijacking of High School Sports"
Sportsmanship is when a guy walks off the
court and you can't tell if he won or lost.
-- Jim Courier, tennis player
|
|
NEWS AND VIEWS
School-Based Sports
Handshaking Incidents Threaten Tradition
It's inspiring to see athletes line up after a hard-fought game and shake hands. Ask players and coaches, though, and you may get a different story.
"Man, there have been times I've walked through a line [after beating someone] and girls slap my hand as hard as they can," a softball coach recently told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Postgame handshaking, a tradition in many youth activities, has unfortunately evolved into an opportunity for the losing players to retaliate. Incidents of cursing, spitting, fighting, suspensions and even arrests have caused many schools and leagues to ban the practice.
Parents, however, want to keep it. When high school organizations in Northern Virginia and San Francisco banned the practice last year, fans and parents raised such a stink that the handshake lines were reinstated. Other states have moved the ceremony before games during warm-ups when players' emotions are not so high.
For now, the ritual continues, but if it is to last, most say coaches must lead the way. According to Principle 11 of the Arizona Sports Summit Accord, "Coaches have a special responsibility to model respectful behavior and demand that their athletes refrain from disrespectful conduct, including verbal abuse, profane or belligerent trash-talking, taunting and inappropriate celebrations."
Harold Pearson, football coach at south Florida's Piper High School, says handshaking is more than just walking off the field. "That's not teaching life's lessons," he said. "My kids know whether we win or lose, we're lining up at the 50-yard-line." [South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 4/15/06]
I run on the road long before
I dance under the lights.
-- Muhammad Ali, boxer
|
|
School-Based Sports
Eight Schools Honored Nationally as
All-American Sportsmanship Schools
The University of Rhode Island's Institute for International Sport announced its first annual All-American Sportsmanship School Awards last March. Eight schools, chosen nationally among elementary schools, middle schools and high schools, were selected for their outstanding sportsmanship programs.
A spokesman for the IIS said the judges were most impressed by the schools' strict ethical codes of conduct, including signed contracts in some cases, that each had in place for their athletes, coaches, parents and even spectators. The winners are:
Chaminade-Julienne Catholic High School (Dayton, OH)
Cocoa High School (Cocoa, FL)
Jefferson Township High School (Oak Ridge, NJ)
North Hills Senior High School (Pittsburgh, PA)
Northrop High School (Fort Wayne, IN)
Our Lady of Mount Carmel School (Englewood Cliffs, NJ)
South Brunswick High School (Monmouth Junction, NJ)
William Penn High School (New Castle, DE)
For more information on the award program, click here.
One man practicing sportsmanship
is better than 50 preaching it.
-- Knute Rockne, college football coach (1888-1931)
|
|
Collegiate Sports
UCLA May Have Lost More Than the Title
Not three days after UCLA lost to Florida in the 2006 NCAA basketball championship, the Los Angeles Times reported Bruins’ coach Ben Howland was shopping his two star starting guards -- sophomores Jordan Farmar and Arron Afflalo -- to the NBA.
Howland's decision to do "what is in the best interests of our players" by canvassing NBA general managers to gauge their interest in them is inexplicable. "I am 100 percent behind them," he said, "as is our whole UCLA basketball family, in their decision to test the waters."
Really? What does this say to the rest of the team, which he may have just gutted? Or the university, which may have wanted a little more out of their investment? Or future recruits, some of whom may actually want to stay four years? Why, after finally building a program some were comparing to Wooden's, would Howland want to encourage his two best players to not only forego a chance to return to the NCAA championship arena, but earn a college degree?
Section 1.2(c)(3) of the Gold Medal Standards for Amateur Basketball states that "the academic performance of student-athletes including grades, progress towards graduation and actual graduation should be a major factor in evaluating the performance of teacher-coaches."
Both Farmar and Afflalo declared for the NBA draft on April 20. Sometimes one's actions, even if done for moral reasons, can be misguided. If the university handed out grades to its coaches, Howland would get a D for ethics and an incomplete for brains.
Luck is what happens when
preparation meets opportunity.
-- Darrell Royal, college football coach
|
|
Professional Sports
Who's Responsible for Fan Behavior?
With Barry Bonds nearing the home-run record, fans who resent his alleged steroid use are turning out in great numbers to heap abuse, throw syringes and wave offensive signs. At a recent Dodgers-Giants series in Los Angeles, the left-field jeering section chanted "Barry (bleeps)! Barry (bleeps)!"
A fan might reply, "Hey, I bought my ticket. I can say anything I want." But where do we draw the line? Los Angeles Raiders home games were renowned for violence in the stands. At Dodger Stadium, one fan remarked, "This is the only place where I'm actually worried about getting out of here."
Fans will be fans, but owners of sports facilities can and should do more to quell offensive behavior. Section 3.3(a) of the Gold Medal Standards for Amateur Basketball holds that "athletic administrators should endeavor to provide a safe sports environment free of physical and verbal abuse."
Educational institutions must abide by conference rules, so it's easier for them to impose standards of conduct in stadiums and arenas. Pro team owners, however, have fewer limitations. Soccer's governing body, FIFA, recently ruled that any racist chanting from the stands, which has become prevalent in Europe, will cost a team points in the standings in the upcoming World Cup.
We all draw lines at different points, but we must not lose sight of the fact that we also have a responsibility to uphold the integrity of the games we play and watch.
Awards become corroded;
friends gather no dust.
-- Jesse Owens, Olympic athlete (1913-1980)
|
|
OFF THE BOOKSHELF
Win or Lose: A Guide to Sports Parenting
As many parents know, the most important scorecard in youth sports is never the one on the field; it's the one in your child's eyes as you're driving home after the game. That's how Ann Arbor-based sports psychologist Dan Saferstein, Ph.D., prefaces this booklet, which he wrote to help parents "stay out of your children's athletic way."
The book features 26 pithy reminders on how your behavior may affect your child’s athletic performance. Among them are:
Think Math. Most of us have an easier time being math parents than sports parents. Telling your child to move faster is like telling him to be taller. Some children will never be high-level athletes, no matter how hard they try. The world doesn't need more soccer stars. It needs more young people willing to try and make our world a better place.
Listen to Yourself in the Stands. You are at your children's sporting event to support them; they aren't there to perform for you. The last thing your kids need is to hear you advertising your frustrations.
Keep the Focus on Learning. Young athletes fall out of love with their sports when the learning process no longer is fun. As a sports parent, make sure you're not adding to their burden by putting pressure on them to succeed.
Try Playing Their Sport. Consider joining an adult soccer league to appreciate how difficult it is to trap and kick a soccer ball. It can be a humbling experience to realize sports that look easy from the sidelines are much more difficult on the field.
Think of Raising an Active Adult. Instead of daydreaming about your child being the next superstar, daydream about your child being an active and sports-loving 50-year-old. The best way to raise an active 50-year-old is to create good memories around sports and fitness. The athlete who loves sports the longest is the true winner.
To order a copy, go to www.dansaferstein.com or send $6.00 to Dan Saferstein, Ph.D., 122 South Main Street, Suite 300, Ann Arbor, MI 48104. Group discounts are available to schools, clubs, and youth sports organizations at dansaferstein@earthlink.net.
The speed of a runaway horse
counts for nothing.
-- Jean Cocteau, French filmmaker (1889-1963)
|
|
FROM THE ULTIMATE SPORTSMANSHIP TOOL KIT:
The Ultimate Sportsmanship Tool Kit is an all-in-one resource to help athletic programs achieve sportsmanship and character-building goals. It comes in two versions -- youth and high school -- and covers everything from mission statements and codes of conduct to evaluation tools and ideas for rewarding players and coaches.
How to Chart Your Team for Maximum Performance
All coaches keep a chart of their players. Positive Charting can increase the number of right things your players do and create a more receptive teaching atmosphere. Here’s how it works:
-- When you see a player do something positive, note it.
-- Aim for the same number of comments for each player (3-5). You may have to dig hard for poorer players and limit your notes for advanced athletes, but give each the same number.
-- Be honest. Don't make things up. It will be hard to find positive things about every player, but even small things can be valuable.
-- Share your chart with your team, describing each player's strong points.
-- Stand back and watch the positive energy flow during practice.
Read about and order the Ultimate Sportsmanship Tool Kit here.
Ya gotta be ready for the fastball.
— Ted Williams, baseball player (1918-2002)
|
|
 COMMENTARY BY
MICHAEL JOSEPHSON
The following is adapted from Michael Josephson's Gabriel Award-winning radio commentaries airing daily on our flagship station, KNX 1070 AM in Southern California, on American Forces Radio worldwide and on other stations throughout the U.S.
The Hijacking of High School Sports
As an athlete, I had to aspire to be mediocre. Still, I loved sports. When my baseball career ended after being cut from my Pony League team at age 13, it was a devastating blow. Fortunately, my high school had a different philosophy: Every kid who wanted to participate could have a sports experience, so they had four levels from varsity to C team. I switched to basketball and though I rode the bench my first year for all but two minutes, I had a great experience. I stayed on the C team as a senior and eventually became a starter.
I believe sports belong in schools as an important opportunity for physical and social growth. But high school sports are being hijacked. A minority of competitive coaches, and a growing contingent of sports parents consumed by their illusions of professional careers for their kids, have changed the face of interscholastic competition. As this pursuit of celebrity, glory and imagined financial rewards has pushed the educational values of competing far out of sight, schools across the country are violating the spirit of sportsmanship and abandoning the value of balanced competition by assembling all-star teams of elite athletes.
But it's not the athletes who are exploited. These kids and their parents are getting exactly what they want. The real victims are the teams they wallop because of the mismatch and the kids who want to play but are displaced by students who transfer from other schools, often other countries. Today, few highly successful programs are built on local kids.
It's a shame and a sham, and I don't understand why parents of kids denied their chance to play tolerate it.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
For an archive of Mr. Josephson's commentaries, with audio files, go to: www.charactercounts.org/knxtoc.htm
To receive free weekly e-mail including all five of Mr. Josephson's commentaries from that week, please sign up at: www.charactercounts.org/newsletters.htm
CHARACTER COUNTS! Sports, a project of the nonprofit Josephson Institute of Ethics, leads the Pursuing Victory With Honor sports campaign, which is endorsed by the country's leading amateur athletic organizations. The campaign's purpose is to help administrators, athletes, coaches, legislators, officials and parents change personal and organizational decision making and behavior in sports.
To view a text version of this newsletter, select "Plain Text" in your View preferences.
|
