IN THIS ISSUE:

FRONT ROW

Youth- and School-Based Sports: Mercy, Mercy Me
Collegiate Sports: Anatomy of a Media Smear
Professional Sports:
    • Take Me Out to…Eliot Spitzer Night?
    • Madison Avenue Shoots – It Scores!
Jocks Behaving Badly:
    • Good Thing the Winning Shot Wasn't a 9mm
    • Is It Time to Cancel the Daly Show?
    • What's Michael Vick Supposed to Do in His Cell Now?
Jocks Behaving Exceptionally:
    • Rhode Island Demonstrates the Power of Good
    • Both Teams Won This Game
    • Finally, a Sportsmanship Award for Fans

SIDELINES

Announcements
Trivia Test: Which Coach Gave Which Hall of Famer This Lesson in Maturity?
Sportsmanship User's Guide: Zen and Sports
You Make the Call: Should Clubs Put Ads on Athletes' Jerseys?
Principle of the Month: Don't Dally From Your Playbook
Say What?
Trivia Test Answer
Michael Josephson Commentary: The Most Important Member of the Team

FRONT ROW

YOUTH- AND SCHOOL-BASED SPORTS

Wil Fry/Flicker

Mercy, Mercy Me

Some soccer leagues freeze the scoreboard. Some basketball leagues prohibit full-court pressing. Some lacrosse leagues let the losing team start with the ball. No matter what the sport, chances are a mercy rule exists to prevent dominant teams from blowing out inferior squads.

And lots of people don't like it. The war of words between the "Have mercy" and "No mercy" camps shows no signs of letting up because both sides have equally convincing arguments.

Those who favor mercy rules say:

   • The benefits far outweigh the negatives.
   • They rarely, if ever, change the outcome of a game.
   • They rarely, if ever, affect teams or players negatively.
   • They provide guidance for coaches who can get lost in the heat of competition.
   • They're particularly appropriate for youth sports.
   • Blowing out someone rarely improves the winning team's skills.
   • Getting blown out can destroy the joy of the game and discourage both teams from trying.

Those who oppose mercy rules say:

   • They punish children who just want to play.
   • Coaches, not league mandates, should determine what players do on the field.
   • A good team shouldn't be punished because of its success.
   • Teams that lose often or badly continue to attract players, and kids keep playing hard despite lopsided scores.
   • Starters still need playing time, even against lesser opponents.
   • Coaches need to encourage aggressive play. Being forced to change their style to adapt to a blowout can lead to bad habits.
   • Coaches face pressures from parents, alumni, and athletic directors to show their school's dominance.
   • Certain players may need better stats for college recruiting, so coaches who leave some starters in during blowouts may not be doing so because they're unsportsmanlike.

Two viewpoints
Flowing Wells, 28-1, is the number one high school girl's basketball team in the Arizona Interscholastic Association. But last month it didn't generate a lot of good will after destroying an opponent 101-13.

The action sparked national condemnation, but one blogger to the Tucson Citizen defended the school. "On my American Legion baseball team (back in 1998), we were up 16-1 in the 5th inning. Only seven innings were played. In the last two innings, we blew the game somehow and lost 22-21. It made me realize you have to keep playing. I don't believe there's such a thing as running up the score. I do believe there are teams that are bad enough to get blown out. And that's the risk you take in high school when it starts becoming more serious."

Some leagues offer coaches tips to keep the score down: "Move attacking players to the back" or "Nobody crosses midfield." But such prohibitions go against the ideals of youth development, can trigger even more humiliation, and cause both teams to lose interest.

A better solution, say others, is to use a creative approach by working on players' skills. As reported in AYSO's In Play magazine, the coaching staff of a soccer team called Green Machine told their players after jumping to a 5-0 halftime lead over the Pink Ladies: "‘Go out and play just as hard in the second half as you did in the first. But when you get near the goal, put the ball in the air. We're going to work on heading the ball. You may only score directly off your head.'

"[The Pink Ladies] turned back two, three, then four attacks. The team took heart and began to play with vigor. Parents began cheering madly. The final score didn't begin to tell the story of the match. The Green Machine played furiously, trying to get that elusive header goal. And the Pink Ladies, heartened by their seeming newfound prowess, played just as hard."

[In Play, Fall 1998; www.examiner.com, 3/12/08]

COLLEGIATE SPORTS

Anatomy of a Media Smear

"We're pretty good at running back right now."

That was how it started. An innocent quote by Clemson football coach Tommy Bowden took on national proportions after the media used it to paint him as Scrooge of the Year for not renewing the scholarship of a player whose touching story won America's heart.

When one of his reserve tailbacks, Ray Ray McElrathbey, was awarded custody of his 11-year-old brother Fahmarr because his father is a gambling addict and his mother is immobilized by crack cocaine, the story swept the country. ESPN, Sports Illustrated, NPR, The New York Times, the Hallmark Channel, and Oprah Winfrey all profiled the young man.

He was named ABC World News Tonight's Person-of-the-Week, was a Sports Illustrated Man-of-the-Year nominee, and won the FedEx/FWAA Courage Award and Keith Jackson's Award of Excellence. Clemson helped McElrathbey obtain a rare waiver from the NCAA to get aid from the university and the public as well as home care from coaches' families.

Then, just like that, McElrathbey was shown the door. The headlines, fueled by the coach's quote above, screamed outrage: TOMMY BOWDEN WANTS YOUR PUBLICITY, AND THEN WANTS YOU GONE. The only problem was, the stories omitted a few items.

First, Clemson never pulled McElrathbey's scholarship. In fact, it offered to continue it if he remained at the institution. In addition, he was promised a graduate assistant position in the athletic department after graduation.

Second, McElrathbey was no longer competitive at Clemson. He was the team's fifth-string tailback behind two returnees (the top running backs in the program's history) and two new recruits (ranked among the top 10 tailbacks in the nation).

Third, he had just blown out his knee. The coaching staff told him if he wanted to play pro ball, he needed to get on the field, but that wasn't likely to happen anymore at Clemson. They advised him to transfer to another program if he wanted to continue playing football.

Granted, sacrificing one scholarship for the kid wouldn't have hurt Clemson's program much, would have skyrocketed the university's image even more, and would have honored a player whose character and maturity exceeds more than a few college players these days.

But college football is not a youth organization. It's a major business and entertainment enterprise whose goals are to win and make money. McElrathbey was treated more than fairly, and the media should have reported that through their tears.

[http://clemsontigers.cstv.com; http://abcnews.go.com, 9/15/06; http://sports.aol.com, 3/10/08; http://deadspin.com, 3/11/08; http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com, 3/12/08]

PROFESSIONAL SPORTS

adkterp1/flickr

Take Me Out to…Eliot Spitzer Night?

People love minor league baseball because it emphasizes entertainment and zany promotions that the big leagues could never get away with.

Take Macon Music of Georgia's South Coast League. On June 13 it will hold "Eliot Spitzer" night to honor the disgraced governor who resigned over allegations that he was involved in a prostitution ring. "This is the craziest idea to come out of the Music office yet," said the league's chief development officer J.D. Hardin. "Hopefully, people will take this with a light attitude."

That could be a stretch, even for the minor leagues. Here's what they're planning:

• One fan will win a trip to New York and a one-night stand stay at the Mayflower Hotel.
• The ninth fan into the ballpark (Spitzer was Client No. 9 at his call-girl service) will get a prize.
• Anyone who is from New York, has ever resigned, or is named Eliot, Spitzer, or Kristen (Spitzer's call girl) will get a dollar off admission.
• Wiretaps will be placed around the stadium.
• Ballpark ATMs will dispense cash withdrawals not to exceed $5,000 per hour.

Spitzer has been invited to throw out the first ball. As we went to press, he had not yet accepted the invitation.

[www.macon.com, 3/12/08; http://lioninoil.blogspot.com, 3/12/08]

PROFESSIONAL SPORTS

Spencer Wynn/Toronto Star

Madison Avenue Shoots – It Scores!

With hockey revenue diminishing, four NHL goalies have come up with an idea they say could generate $30 million a season: sell advertisements on team jerseys.

"This is the wave of the future," said Edmonton agent Ritch Winter, who is working with goalies Martin Brodeur, Dwayne Roloson, Domink Hasek, and Marty Turco. "We have very little choice but to pursue new ways to create revenue," he told the Winnipeg Sun.

Traditionalists are howling, but they may be on the losing end of this debate. After the crippling lockout that axed the 2005-05 season, plus paltry TV revenue, many teams are bleeding money. Proponents point to other sports that have blended ads with uniforms without problems.

Minor league American Hockey League teams and European squads sport advertising patches, not to mention rink boards and even the ice. Most sports stadiums and arenas are named after corporations. And advertisers have shown they can integrate logos subtly (Tiger Woods's Nike ensemble, European soccer clubs, and the CFL come to mind).

What everyone fears is a NASCARization of sports jerseys (are you listening, John Daly?), inadvertent faux pas (Tom Brady brought to you by Viagra?), or tarnishing sacred uniforms such as baseball's (oh, like the EMC ads Boston Red Sox players wore on their sleeves on opening day in Japan?).

[www.redsoxnews.net, 1/23/08; www.thestar.com, 2/17/08; http://scarlettice.blogspot.com, 2/20/08]

JOCKS BEHAVING BADLY

Good Thing the Winning Shot Wasn't a 9mm

Your high school basketball team is headed for the state quarterfinals. A win will vault you into the Cajundome for your first Top 28 appearance since 1986.

But wait. Your starting senior guard has just been arrested for possession of an illegal use of weapons, illegal carrying of a weapon, possession of marijuana, and illegal use of a controlled drug.

Do you use the opportunity for a teachable moment by suspending the player and showing him, the team, and the community that character is more important than winning? Of course not. If you're Lafayette High School in Louisiana, you play him in the big game.

And good thing, too. Josh Wiltz, the player charged, made the winning shot in the final seconds.

In explaining the decision, Principal Patrick Leonard told Theadvertiser.com that discipline is not intended “to ruin lives but to instruct, teach, and make them a better person.”

Now we get it. Sitting someone down can be more harmful than possessing guns and drugs.

Update: When the community heard about the decision and raised a furor, the school did a 180 and kicked Wiltz off the team. He will not play in the Top 28. But at least they made it there. Go Lions!

[www.theadvertiser.com, 3/1/08, 3/4/08]

Is It Time to Cancel the Daly Show?

Quick quiz: In what sport is an admitted alcoholic allowed to compete despite routinely walking off the playing field, being grossly out of shape, smashing up hotel rooms, losing millions of dollars to gambling, failing two rehabs, racking up four divorces, and having numerous physical altercations with women?

If you said golf – the most squeaky clean gentlemanly sport of them all – you're right. The player in question is, of course, John Daly, the nearly 300-pound elephant in the PGA clubhouse.

fouadzabanah/flickr

Although he's probably the third-most popular personality in the sport behind Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, he's become an embarrassment as a player and a public-relations nightmare to the sport.

In a span of just one week last month, he mocked a serious tournament by using a football coach as a caddie, flipped off a photographer, watched a friend moon the press, drank heavily in a Hooters hospitality tent, was fired by his swing coach for drinking, and was disqualified (along with the two unfortunate golfers paired with him) for a hangover missing a tee time.

In any other sport, Daly would have been suspended long ago and ordered to seek help before he could return. So why is he still allowed to play? Ratings. The PGA and its corporate sponsors undoubtedly know that viewers still love Daly, but not because of his golf game. They just love a train wreck.

[http://msn.foxsports.com, 3/13/08]

What's Michael Vick Supposed to Do
in His Cell Now?

Another state may have finally swung over to the hunting-and-killing-animals-from-the-privacy-of-your-own-room-may-not-be-ethical side.

Connecticut may soon become the 35th state to prohibit Internet hunting, in which people shoot live animals with a click of their computer mouse. The state proposed a law banning the practice last year, but the measure failed. After even pro-hunting groups opposed the practice, however, the bill was reintroduced.

Martin Griffiths/Flickr

Texan John Lockwood started it all a few years ago when he set up Live-Shot.com, a website that allowed subscribers to shoot deer, antelope, and wild pigs on his property using a computer-controlled rifle with a webcam mounted on a mechanized tripod. Cost: $1,500, including trophy mounting and shipping.

In a statement issued by the Humane Society, executive vice president Michael Markarian said, "Responsible hunters know there's no sport in shooting an animal remotely while lying in bed wearing camouflage pajamas."

[www.hsus.org; www.livescience.com, 7/7/06; www.newsday.com, 3/3/08]

JOCKS BEHAVING EXCEPTIONALLY

Rhode Island Demonstrates the Power of Good

"With equal measures of creativity and execution, the Rhode Island Interscholastic League has crafted a sportsmanship initiative that is worthy of replication on a national scale," proclaimed the Institute for International Sport in announcing its annual Power of Good Award.

Fifty-four public, private, and parochial high schools and more than 20,000 student-athletes make up the RIIL. Its sportsmanship program includes a manual, fan guidelines, and a biannual sportsmanship and leadership conference. The league's governing values encompass:

• Equity, fairness, and justice
• Fair play and honorable competition
• Activities that support healthy lifestyles
• Treating people with dignity and respect
• Good sportsmanship and ethical conduct

[www.internationalsport.com]

Both Teams Won This Game

With a few minutes left in a Massachusetts high school boy's basketball game between Harwich and Norwell, the latter was winning big and its coach sent in the second unit.

Among them was senior guard Andrew Lawson, who has Down syndrome.

The Norwell squad was used to this because the boy's parents and the school's administrators, teachers, and coaches promoted inclusion. Lawson never took separate classes. He was socially accepted. He went out for other sports.

But none of the Harwich players knew that. "That's the great thing about this story," Harwich principal Kevin Turner told the Harwich Oracle. "They accepted him for who he was, a basketball player. It's not easy to be losing a game and realize how important something like that is."

During the game, Lawson scored the first basket of his career. Afterward, Norwell's assistant principal called Turner telling him how big a deal it was to the boy and the Norwell community. Lawson's parents followed up with a letter praising Harwich.

In recognition of the gesture, the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association awarded Harwich's team the 2008 Division 4 Sportsmanship Award. "This school has won a number of big state titles," said Turner. "This is right up there with them."

[www.boston.com, 2/15/08; www.wickedlocal.com, 3/11/08; ]

Finally, a Sportsmanship Award for Fans

Spectators often get a bad rap when it comes to sportsmanship, so it's refreshing to hear positive examples. The following fans in the California Interscholastic Federation's Central Coast Section were presented with inaugural Elgie Bellizio Sportsmanship Coins named after the Tri-County Athletic League commissioner:

• Rene Kellog of San Lorenzo Valley High School. She's been a faithful team mother and supporter for the school's wrestlers for several years. She takes care of the kids in the stands and makes sure they have water, etc., so the coaches can concentrate on wrestling.

• Ron Perrigo of Scotts Valley High School. A longtime supporter of all wrestling teams in Santa Cruz, he's always at matches and follows them to the state meet. This year he was sick and couldn't attend, so the CIF wanted him to know he was missed.

• Unknown mother from Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep High School. She loudly and positively cheered the basketball team in an especially encouraging way.

• Unknown Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep fan in a big green leprechaun hat. He traded back-and-forth comments with rooters from opposing Riordan High School during a recent basketball game. The dialogue was all in good fun. Although his team lost, he went down afterward and shook hands with the Riordan fans, who were equally gracious. Everyone left smiling and laughing. Great example of how to conduct one's self at a sporting event.

[Thanks, Nancy, for the information!]

Want a Free Sportsmanship Patch?

We sent each of those who contributed an item a free Pursuing Victory With Honor patch for telling us about honorable deeds on and off the field of play.

We'll send you one, too, if you send us your stories at CharacterCountssports@jiethics.org. Put "Jocks Behaving Exceptionally" in the subject box.

You can also report acts of good sportsmanship to the NCAA's Committee on Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct by clicking here.

CHARACTER COUNTS! Sports, a project of the nonprofit Josephson Institute, 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 improve personal and organizational decision making and behavior in sports.

Archives of Past Issues

ANNOUNCEMENTS

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Stock up on all the character-education products you love the most. But hurry before next year's budget is locked.

To shop, click here.

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An ideal way to promote your sportsmanship program in your gymnasium or youth-center.

As a bonus, the banner can be personalized with the name of your school or organization at the top. Each vertical banner is $149.00.

For more information or to order, call 800-711-2670 or click here.

National Study Says Hazing
More Widespread Than Ever

In the most far-reaching study of its kind, an online survey of college students revealed that more than half of those belonging to college organizations say they've been hazed.

Previous hazing studies focused only on Greek organizations or athletic teams. This survey, the National Study of Student Hazing, conducted by the University of Maine's College of Education and Human Development polled 11,482 students at 53 institutions at random.

Among its findings:

• Half of those hazed said they were aware of anti-hazing policies, but nine out of ten didn't believe they'd been hazed.
• Academic clubs, social groups, and cultural organizations all haze new members.
• Varsity athletic teams and Greek societies haze the most (74% and 73%).
• Rates are also high for club sports (64%) and performing-arts organizations (56%).
• Academic clubs (28%) and honor societies (20%) also haze.
• Nearly half the respondents (47%) said they had been hazed at least once in high school.

Despite the fact that hazing is banned in 44 states and virtually all colleges and universities, people continually strive to get around the rules.

Activities are called "team-building" or participants are asked to sign waivers giving permission to be treated that way. Rather than alcohol, which campuses are cracking down on, new members are forced to imbibe large quantities of water or milk, sometimes with more harmful results.

To view the study, click here.