IN THIS ISSUE:
FRONT ROW
- Youth- and School-Based Sports:
• Parents Choose the Team -- Never Happen, Right?
• New Mexico's Newest Badge of Honor
- Collegiate Sports: NCAA Bans Indian Mascots
(Sort of)
- Professional Sports: 10 NBA Rule Changes We'd Like to See
- Sportsmanship User's Guide: How to Create an All-Character Team
- Michael Josephson Commentary: The Regional Finals
SIDELINES
- Trivia Test: What Do These People Have in Common?
- Sportsmanship Forum
- You Make the Call: Are Ethnic Team Mascots Okay If the Ethnic Groups Approve?
- Principle of the Month: Is Losing Face Worth the Money?
- Say What?
- Upcoming Seminars
- Jocks Behaving Badly:
• Brawl Boosts Thug U's Street Cred …
• Always Great to See Jim Crow on the Sidelines …
- Jocks Behaving Exceptionally:
• Give This Sonics Duo an Assist …
• High School Lauded for Sportsmanship …
What lies behind us
and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us.
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson, author, poet (1803-1882)
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FRONT ROW
YOUTH- AND SCHOOL-BASED SPORTS
Parents Choose the Team -- Never Happen, Right?
If a camel is a horse designed by a committee, then Castro Valley High School in northern California should change its mascot from the Trojans to the Dromedaries.
After a powerful bloc of parents, led by an attorney and a judge whose daughter plays on the team, raised a ruckus about Nancy Nibarger, the girl's basketball coach (who played basketball at Kansas State and coached at Cal and Kansas), the school board ruled that:
- Nibarger's two assistant coaches, one of whom is a member of the Cal basketball Hall of Fame, had to go, although no complaints had been filed against them.
- An ombudsman must attend every practice.
- A six-person panel of parent representatives and community members would help Nibarger choose her team from now on.
What was the parents' beef? They say she missed picture day (but all Castro Valley coaches skip it), threw the team out of the gym after a poor practice (she said it was 15 minutes early), cut playing time of anyone grousing about her coaching decisions (she regularly plays 9-10 players a game) and once left a restaurant when her players were present (she says they appeared to be in a players-only meeting and she wanted to respect their privacy).
Principle 7.4 of the Gold Medal Standards for Youth Sports urges school athletic programs to help parents develop healthy and constructive attitudes about their child's sports experience by cautioning them not to make "unreasonable demands on the program or coaches or develop unrealistic and unfounded expectations concerning their child's athletic future."
Shari Rodriguez, the girl's volleyball coach, told the San Francisco Chronicle: "What are these kids going to do when they leave home and have a boss or a professor they don't like? They can't destroy everyone."
Marie Gray, the school's athletic director, added, "If we don't stomp this out, whosever mommy or daddy has the most power is going to be the starter. If you look around the country, you see we are losing that battle."
The issue has caused quite a buzz on the Internet. Our favorite comments:
If these girls had started out in child beauty pageants like normal kids, none of this would have happened.
Say I'm Pat Summitt. Am I going to come within 50 miles of recruiting any of these girls, given what their parents are likely to do?
This is further proof that California is too small to be a country and too big to be a mental hospital.
They should show this article to orphans. "It could be worse. You could have these parents instead of none."
Where do I apply for the ombudsman position?
The Gold Medal Standards for Youth Sports are a common framework of requirements that all youth programs should meet. Read about them here.
[www.sfgate.com]
Competitive sports are played
mainly on a five-and-a-half-inch court --
the space between your ears.
-- Bobby Jones, golfer (1902-1971)
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YOUTH- AND SCHOOL-BASED SPORTS
New Mexico's Newest Badge of Honor
When New Mexico high school athletes in towns along the New Mexico-Arizona border noticed Arizona officials sporting cool-looking patches emblazoned on their shirts last year, their reactions prompted a New Mexico official to inquire about the emblems. He learned that the symbols denoted Arizona's state-wide Pursuing Victory With Honor sportsmanship campaign (PVWH), an initiative of CHARACTER COUNTS!.
It wasn't long before the New Mexico Activities Association and the New Mexico Officials Association wanted to get involved, too. As a result, this season all 2,000 high school officials will boast the "power of the patch" -- the first one the organization has allowed its officials to wear. In addition, PVWH training seminars are now available to any NMAA member school, and next year only officials who have attended such a session will be eligible to call postseason games.
Dana Sanchez, assistant director and commissioner of officials for the NMAA, has seen a positive impact since implementing the PVWH sportsmanship campaign. Students of character are now recognized at school-wide assemblies and teams are honored for winning with dignity. Yellow cards, conduct reports and coach ejections have plummeted. An air of respect has replaced the tension that once existed between coaches and officials. Unlike before, Sanchez said, "I don't dread opening e-mail."
One school in particular was notorious for its disparaging fans, but after community members joined forces to keep each other in line, the atmosphere at sporting events has improved. "It's a difference of night and day," she said.
Although teens were the first ones to spot the new "official" look, New Mexico's sportsmanship efforts prove they're more than a passing fad.
Ability may get you to the top,
but it takes character to keep you there.
-- John Wooden, college basketball player and coach
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COLLEGIATE SPORTS
NCAA Bans Indian Mascots (Sort of)
"We're honoring Indians" has been the traditional justification for sports teams having Indian mascots, logos, and/or nicknames, despite the fact that Indians almost universally deny feeling honored and that at least 12 independent studies have found they have an adverse impact on Indian students. Last year the NCAA finally took the first step by banning the use of "hostile or abusive" symbols on team uniforms at all NCAA postseason tournaments.
More than 30 schools were cited for having offensive Indian imagery. One that appealed - and lost - was the College of William & Mary, whose feathered logo (right) was deemed too much, though it was allowed to keep its Tribe nickname. Athletic director Terry Driscoll told ESPN.com that "We're going to lose that brand, but we won't lose our identity."
Another school that appealed -- and won -- was Florida State, despite its more blatant logo (left), thanks to an endorsement by the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma and the Seminole tribe of Florida. They originally helped create Chief Osceola, who rides his Appaloosa onto the field before every home game and plants his flaming spear into the turf (none of which, according to The New York Times, relates to Seminole history).
Another NCAA target was the University of Utah Utes, which did not sit well with either the school or the tribe, for which the state is named. "A non-Indian organization should not be the one to make the decision," tribal leader Irene Cuch of the Unitah and Ouray Indian Reservation in Utah told the Salt Lake Tribune. "This should come from tribal leaders."
The threat of being banned from hosting NCAA postseason tournaments, however, may sway the school more than its relationship with the tribe. Hosting more than 80 NCAA basketball tournament games since 1969, the school ranks second all-time in the nation.
Fighting Words
Those in favor of ethnic mascots, logos, and nicknames say what's the harm? Nobody complains about the Fighting Irish, the Fighting Scots, or the Ragin' Cajuns. Then they cite the University of Northern Colorado's multi-ethnic intramural basketball team that changed its name in 2002 from Native Pride to The Fighting Whites, which caused a national brouhaha, not to mention selling $100,000 worth of merchandise sales that were donated to Indian students.
Radio commentator Rush Limbaugh jumped into the fray. "I love this! It just rolls off the tongue. There isn't a white person around that's going to be offended by this. I'd be proud to be on the team. In fact, let's rename the 101st Airborne Division the Fighting Whities. Can't you see that on some Air Force squadron, and paint the airplanes all white?" (Please don't tell him about the Mississippi Rebels.) The school superintendent of the district in which the Fighting Whites' rival, the Fighting Reds, play told the Associated Press that "there's no mockery of Native Americans" in the nickname, but the Fighting Whites "are an insult and blatantly inaccurate."
Opponents say caricaturizing Indians as warriors, even if well-intentioned, focuses on one part of their totality. "Many Indians were warriors only when forced to defend themselves -- and many were never warriors at all," said Bluecorncomics.com. "If there's a team named after the Hopi, Pomo, Tlingit, or Inuit people, I've missed it. If mainstream Americans were honoring Indians, they'd name teams after these people. A stereotype doesn't have to be insulting to be harmful."
Bigotry's Last Stand
And then there's the University of North Dakota. In 1930, it changed its name from Flickertails to the Fighting Sioux because, according to the Dakota Student newspaper, "the Sioux are a good exterminating agent for the Bison [referring to their rival, the North Dakota State Bison]; they are warlike, of fine physique and bearing; and the word Sioux is easily rhymed for yells and songs."
A firestorm ensued. Virtually every campus Indian organization opposed the nickname, and 21 Indian groups across the state signed a letter protesting it. Bluecorncomics.com drew this analogy: "It would be like a German soccer team honoring local survivors of the Holocaust and their ancestors by naming their team The Fighting Jews."
To counter the protestors, the late UND donor and casino owner Ralph Engelstad, who was once fined by the Nevada Gaming Commission for displaying Nazi memorabilia in his casino, threatened to pull his funding for a new $100 million hockey arena if the name was changed. Guess who won that battle? But UND may lose the war -- the NCAA put the school on its list.
In the Chicago Sun-Times, Rita Pyrillis wrote, "While Little Black Sambo and the Frito Bandito have gone, Indians are still battling a red-faced, big-nosed Chief Wahoo and other stereotypes. One era's minstrel show is another's halftime entertainment."
One young Ute tribal member and University of Utah fan, however, may have summed up the issue best. "I think they should be able to use [the logo] -- as long as they keep winning."
[Salt Lake Tribune, 8/6/05, 8/7/05, 8/9/05; www.bluecorncomics.com; "Putting the Moccasin on the Other Foot," Journals Division of University of Toronto Press; http://sports.espn.go.com; International Herald Tribune, 8/25/05; http://indianz.com; www.stanfordreview.org]
If it's your limit, you can't exceed it.
If you exceed it, it's not your limit.
-- Andrew Poon
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PROFESSIONAL SPORTS
www.cepolina.com/freephoto |
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Six NBA Rule Changes We’d Like to See
Every year the NBA tweaks its rulebook to improve the game for players and fans. Here are some suggestions that the crazy folks at Littlefivers.com hope will be implemented some day (but probably won’t):
1. More than three seconds in the key is permissible, but only if the player does that head-spin, break-dancing thing.
2. Sink a three-pointer, submit a urine sample.
3. Upon a player's third felony conviction, the coach must issue a stern talking-to.
4. Fathering illegitimate children during timeouts is now permitted.
5. At half time and the end of the third quarter, one official is voted off the court.
6. The number of technical fouls allowed to Rasheed Wallace is raised to five "just 'cause it's so damn funny to watch him freak out."
[www.littlefivers.com/sports]
The strongest people aren't always the people who win, but the people who don't give up when they lose.
-- Ashley Hodgeson
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SPORTSMANSHIP USER'S GUIDE
The Good Ideas to Help Young People Develop Good Character book offers more than 250 lessons and activities for students in grades K-12 gleaned from teachers, coaches, and other sources. Featuring parenting tips, sample documents, public-service documents, and more, the manual uses a common, consistent, values-based language to heighten awareness of ethical duties and opportunities.
How to Create an All-Character Team
Athletes are often honored for their achievements by being named to "All" teams (All-American, All-Star, All-League, All-Pro, etc.). Why not spotlight your own players in a similar fashion? Instead of heralding their physical prowess, however, consider honoring their character by an All-Character team, which the students will choose themselves.
How to do it:
• Explain the criteria for selection: outstanding commitment to the community and/or stellar behavior toward teammates, opponents, coaches, officials, or fans.
• Have each student nominate someone by writing a one-page profile extolling his or her virtues.
• Distribute the profiles to all students.
• Have them vote by secret ballot.
• Announce the All-Character team and present each student with a certificate.
• Send a press release to local media about your All-Character team and describe their accomplishments.
For more information about Good Ideas to Help Young People Develop Good Character, click here.
When it's third and ten, you can take
the milk drinkers and I'll take the whiskey drinkers every time.
-- Max McGee, pro football player
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 COMMENTARY BY
MICHAEL JOSEPHSON
The following is adapted from Michael Josephson's Gabriel Award-winning radio commentaries airing daily on our flagship station, KNX-AM 1070 in Southern California, on American Forces Network worldwide, and on other stations throughout the U.S.
The Regional Finals
Suppose you're the coach of a team of youngsters about to play in the regional soccer finals. Two days before the game, your best player confesses that he's ineligible because of his age. What would you do? Report the violation and forfeit your spot in the playoffs or say nothing?
This is a no-brainer. Report the ineligibility and let the chips fall where they may. Yes, the kids will take it hard and many parents will be outright hostile, but anything less is cheating and would send a terrible message about the role of honor in competition.
My wife Anne struggled with this dilemma. She said she wouldn't want to disappoint the players. Her concern wasn't driven by the desire to win but rather by her "mother gene" that tends to place greater emphasis on caring and loyalty than on rules. Ultimately, she said she'd report the violation, though she would feel awful about it.
"I realize there's a difference between feeling bad and doing bad," she said. "We have to teach kids that doing the right thing sometimes hurts -- but it's still the right thing."
A coach is, first and foremost, a teacher with an obligation to help kids build character and play honorably by the rules. Failing to report the ineligibility would not only be wrong, it would be foolish. Think of the consequences on all the stakeholders if the failure to report eventually came to light. How would the kids feel then?
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.
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