Rethinking Sports: What Bounties Tell Youth

The recent news of bounty programs (informal arrangements where players get paid cash for injuring opposing players) in the National Football League have certainly been unsettling for a host of moral, legal, and humane reasons, but it is certainly not a surprise to parties inside or outside the league. Our national underdog demeanor, combined with our entrepreneurial mindset have enabled bounty programs like this to exist without a check, aside from an occasional suspension or fine being levied.

As terrifying as the hits we see NFL players take on Sundays are, the broader impact that bounty programs have on our country’s youth is what frightens so many. When our children watch professional sports, and they see the hardest hitters be rewarded with Pro-Bowl Selections, and now learning of their monetary benefits, it is not hard to imagine the pressure they feel to perform with the same kind of intensity. Unfortunately, we don’t have to look very far to see young people’s lives being irreparably damaged by physical injuries, and by overly aggressive behavioral problems in their personal lives. We know there is an inherent danger in contact sports (and that it is a part of the appeal of the sport), but as parents, coaches, athletes, and fans, we must be thoughtful in drawing the line between healthy aggression and physical danger.

We are at a point in the history of our country where there is enough negative attention mounting against the physical detriments of contact sports to justify action against programs that would encourage more damage. We can choose to continue to allow these types of bounty programs to exist in the name of “manliness,” or we can do some pragmatic soul-searching within our culture to see what sort of values we want to bring out of sport. In the arena of sport, how can we bring out the American underdog spirit, but also bring out the ideals of justice, camaraderie, and health?

Play Like a Champion, as always, believes that people need to be educated on these issues. First and foremost, these bounty programs need to be stopped, and awareness of their existence needs to be heightened and exposed. More thoughtfully though, we need to explore the values that we are trying to promote in sports, both at the youth and professional level. Are we trying to promote personal growth, teamwork, fairness, and fun, or are we trying to merely put on a show, where the strongest, fastest, and toughest are rewarded for their barbaric acts in the name of high entertainment value?

Hustling to the Tournament

            When I was younger, I participated in gymnastics.   The beginning reason of my enrollment of the gymnastics was so that I learned a sense of self -discipline.  I was rather tall for my age, and very lanky for the sport.  I absolutely loved my first two years, but as I got taller, I began to get worse and worse at gymnastics.  I knew I wasn’t as good as the other girls, but my parents encouraged me to stick with it and said that I was pretty good at it.  I then decided when I reached the age of eight, I decided to try to pursue in a more team dependent sport.  When I moved to Mississippi, I joined my very first competitive basketball league.  It was my very first time playing a competitive sport, and I was playing against girls two years older than me.  Before every game my parents would tell me not to worry about the score, but to just go out there and work hard.  I was in second grade playing against third and fourth graders.  Although I was one of the tallest girls on the court, I was petrified the first couple of games.  These girls were so aggressive, and they knew what they were doing and how to shoot shots.  I knew basically nothing, where I came from we were definitely not as competitive as all these girls, and on top of that I knew almost nothing about basketball besides the fundamentals that I learned in pre-school.  After the first couple of games I wanted to quit, and I didn’t like it.  My parents told me that this was a good sport for me because I was very athletic and tall, and most basketball players were tall.  They started rewarding me for little hustle things that I would do on the court, like rebounding or diving for the ball, they would take me to waffle house after the games.  Eventually I became a really physical player and one of the players known for doing the dirty work.  At the end of the year banquet they have for all the teams, each coach announced awards given out for best offensive player, best defensive player, and most valuable player on the team.  I won the most valuable player award, and my parents had to explain to me what that meant, because on that particular day I was a little upset they did not give out a hustle award.  My parents told me that my award was basically like the hustle award, which made me feel better.  After that I had this strong desire to practice and get better at this sport.  I immediately fell in love with the sport of basketball and stuck with it all the way up to where I am now in college.  If the past has taught me anything it is definitely that once you find a certain sport that you love to play, you have to stick with it.  Now, even as a college athlete I know that my playing days are numbered, and when it comes to senior year and we are in the NCAA tournament, I will literally be playing as if each game could be my last.

Ariel Braker, ND Women's Basketball, Class of 2014

Social Foundations of Coaching Course

Our world: On loan from our Grandchildren

A Massachusetts hockey dad was ejected from a girls high school hockey game for shining a laser in the eyes of the opposing goalie (for details check out: http://abcnews.go.com/US/massachusetts-dad-accused-aimed-laser-pointer-high-school/story?id=15868651).

Our society has come very far. We have landed on the moon. Multiple times. We drove around on the moon. We even brought some of the moon back. And that was 30 years before anyone owned an iPod. Yet some elements of our society are still so primitive in nature, and last week's incident in the Bay State was just the latest in a stream of toxic youth sports news that illustrates how far we still have to go.

As a society, we pursue sports as a good. We marvel at athletes' ability to demonstrate physical prowess in a fun environment. A teacher of mine once said he always reads the front page of the sports page before the front page of the newspaper because the former is typically celebrating the achievements of humanity rather than the latter highlighting our shortcomings. We also appreciate the physical health benefits gained from increased activity on personal and societal levels. We also value how sports can be the vehicle for the values of inclusion, friendship, fun, and determination to enter into our lives.

Furthermore, as parents, we seek sports to be an avenue on which we can show our children virtues that we know are important for raising good people: honor, justice, fortitude, courage, prudence, and temperance. From experience, we know that sports can be an excellent "classroom" for the lessons that are vital to children's development as quality members of society.

And as administrators, we are stewards of the purity and goodness in the world of sports. Recently having returned from Uganda, I recall an African Proverb that is translated "We did not inherit this world from our ancestors. We are borrowing it from our grandchildren." It is our duty as stewards of this world, knowing how much good can be gained from youth sports, to create an environment that is above all safe for our children to pursue the values and virtues of sport. Not only should there be mechanisms in place to punish perpetrators of these pure arenas of sport, but there is a growing need in our country for a means of preventing them from perpetrating in the first place.

We must pursue fun, achievement, and safety with equal measure. And to achieve that we need to educate administrators, parents, coaches, athletes, and even officials of why it is we, as a society, choose that sport is something that is worthwhile in the holistic development of our youth. As sad, pathetic, and reprehensible as an event like this is, it is preventable. Play Like a Champion workshops seek to educate all parties in why youth and high school sports are so important to our future. Too often, incidents like this hockey game create an environment where our failures as a society are highlighted, but Play Like a Champion seeks to demonstrate that sports was and STILL IS a means of showcasing the flourishing of humanity!

A True Colt

Play Like a Champion has been proud to watch the evolution of an athlete over the last 14 years in Indianapolis: Peyton Manning. It is a sad day for the people of Indy, having to watch the painful end to what has been nearly a year speculation about the future of one of the National Football League's great quarterbacks and people. 

Peyton Manning has been released by the Indianapolis Colts, following a series of surgeries to fix an injury to his neck and back.

Manning was the type of champion that Play Like a Champion stands for. Manning is a hard worker, a good selfless teammate, and an active and charitable member of his community. Even though a large contributing factor of his release was the large bonus payment he was due to receive tomorrow, Manning's history showed that his focus was not becoming the highest player in football, but rather insisting that his team be able to afford other quality players. Manning's charitable efforts in the city of Indianapolis include the support of the Peyton Manning Children's Hosital as well as the Peyback Foundation, which supports disadvantaged children in urban areas.

A colt is an animal that is small in size, and ability. It walks humbly in the shadow of its elders, and works hard, eventually growing into a strong animal. Although he is a giant in stature, pedigree, and achievement, Indianapolis is going to miss this hardworking humble horse.

Bounty Program=Bad News

            Recent news of a bounty program in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints, Washington Redskins, and possibly other teams is simply bad news. First, it makes playing the sport of football dangerous—more dangerous than it already is. An emphasis on concussions has been a major focus of the NFL in both research and rule-making groups, as studies have shown the negative medical effects experienced by many retired NFL players. To put all of the time and money into researching head injuries, and trying to make the game safer, and then to see where players go around the rules to devise programs where big hits and intentionally injuring players is rewarded basically thwarts all of the NFL’s efforts.

            Secondly, rewarding players for intentionally harming others goes against ethics, and comes close—at least in my mind—to breaking the law given charges for assault, etc. People can be arrested for fights in bars, but we applaud injury-causing hits and display them on Sunday Night Football on national television. Something is wrong with this picture.

            Third and finally, the NFL is viewed with honor, almost held to a sacred place in the minds of many families across the US. Young children cheer for their favorite players, and the Super Bowl might as well be a national holiday. What type of example does this give to youth when NFL players are being rewarded though financial payments for causing injuries?

Lindsey McAlarnen
Social Foundations of Coaching
Spring 2012

LEAD … for God’s Sake.

During the busyness of spring baseball last year at Notre Dame, I was encouraged to read a book by Todd Gongwer called Lead… for God’s Sake.  I met Todd at a Notre Dame Christian Athlete event and was even more inspire after to pick up his book and begin reading. Without giving too much away, the main character of the book is a young high school basketball coach Steve Rocker who despite all his successful coaching careers is now lost in finding the cure to his team’s failures on the court. Coach Rocker is also a husband and father struggling to balance his time and energy between his team and family.

As Coach Rocker continues to lose games and his players’ interest, he surprises himself as he finds help from the high school’s school janitor Joe Taylor. Joe helps Coach Rockers discover the fundamental answers to a meaningful life.  As Gongwer explains "if you’ve ever asked yourself WHY you do what you do, or what your PURPOSE is in leadership, or in life- this book is for you!”.  As lives intersect throughout the book, Gongwer brilliantly creates a parable that merges together inspiring lessons of leadership in the midst of a relatable and heartwarming story.  Coaches Lou Holtz and Urban Meyer are a few who have read the book and their commentaries can be found on the cover or in the book’s introduction. Lou Holtz writes “This is a book I could not put down until I finished it. Every parent, coach, manager, and leader should read it. I wish I had read it 30 years ago.” Trust me when I say this book has the power to transform you in every area of life. I am sure it will teach you like it taught me to LEAD… for God’s Sake.

-          Kaleen DeFilippis

Social Foundations of Coaching Spring 2012

The Mindset of a Champion

The Huffington Post recently published an article discussing the grueling nature of sports, specifically tennis. With the close of the Australian Open, being the longest Grand Slam Final of all time at a total of 5 hours and 53 minutes, journalist Karthika Muthukumaraswamy notes the grueling nature of the sport and the length of its season. More importantly, however, the writer raves about the talent and game style of several steadily top ranked players. Yet she fails to mention the hard work, determination, and perseverance on the lengthy road that got them there.

Muthukumaraswamy notes, “Nadal and Djokovic, while blessed with enviable endurance and amazing abilities to defend and prolong matches, have effectively threatened the brilliance of mental acuity and shot-making on the fly, exemplified by more cerebral players like Federer and Andy Murray.” I do not to believe that Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic were simply “blessed” with such talent. Their abilities were not merely born within; handed to them like some package of luck. Nadal states, “I always try to improve and play better and better…the only thing that is going through my mind now is having enough illusion to keep practicing hard, enough motivation to keep trying my best and to keep finding solutions to be a better player for next year.” Nadal credits his talent and leading success to hard work, resilience, and constant improvement.

Carol Dweck calls this mental state “the mindset of a champion.” She, too, believes that success does not stem solely from natural talent but rather from diligent work and fierce determination. She notes in her writing, “It’s more about the process than about the talent.” I believe Rafael Nadal would agree. Dweck argues that people, especially the media, are too often guilty of revering “the naturals.” It is too frequent that we act as though true champions are born, not made.

Dweck provides numerous examples of those who did not fit the criteria for natural ability, nevertheless rising to the top despite their grim forecast. Consider famous players Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, and most recently Jeremy Lin. Michael Jordan was cut from his varsity basketball team. Practicing his shots for hours, shocking everyone with his resilience and determination, we all know who Jordan turned out to be. It is no streak of luck that Jordan’s courage and dedication took him to the top. Yet the false notion remains, as Dweck notes: “Because now we know he was the greatest basketball player ever, and we think it should have been obvious from the start. When we look at him we see MICHAEL JORDAN. But at that point he was only Michael Jordan.”

It is undeniable that certain players possess different levels of talent. It is hard work and the mindset of a champion, however, that takes true talent to the top. People are not born stars, they become that way. Dweck does an excellent job of opening our eyes to see the real road that got them there. Nadal, Jordan, and many alike do not attribute their talents and success to any sort of physical gift or talent. Rather, they point to their laborious efforts and never fail attitude that continues to drive them along the road to success.  

"ATP - Nadal Talks to Media about Current Form." Tennis World. Web. 26 Feb. 2012. <http://www.tennisworldusa.org/ATP---Nadal-talks-to-media-about-current-form-articolo1777.html>.

Dweck, Carol S. "Chapter 4: Sports, the Mindset of a Champion." Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. New York: Random House, 2006. Print.

Muthukumaraswamy, Karthika. "Professional Tennis Today: A Grueling Season or a Grueling Style?" The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 02 July 2012. Web. 26 Feb. 2012. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/karthika-muthukumaraswamy/tennis-season_b_1259006.html>.

Jennifer Kellner

Notre Dame 2014

Social Foundations of Coaching

Lessons of Lent, Life, Sports

Today marks the start of the Lenten Season. In the Catholic faith, Lent is often referred to as a journey through towards the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Anyone who has played sports or been the parent or coach of an athlete knows that sports can also be a journey as well. Let us today reflect on some of the lessons learned on the journey of faith and of sport.

Good Faith and Good Sports require Good discipline. Championships are not won in the week leading up to a competition. Enlightenment does not come from nowhere. Jumping higher doesn’t come without practice. Loving relationships do not sustain without ongoing attention. A coach once put a spin on an Emerson quote when he told me “Nothing great was ever accomplished without hard work.” Sports take work. So does parenting. So does faith. Sometimes faith can present more challenges because the path to spiritual growth does not have the same kinds of drills that becoming a better defender does. We must try different approaches for spiritual growth depending on who we are, and what are experiences with faith have been. Just as athletes are asked to submit to a coach’s will without full understanding, sometimes people of faith are called to submit to the will of a higher being, or the advice of a spiritual guide.

Sports and Faith require multi-faceted nourishment. Does a football player spend every day in full pads doing tackling drills? Does a Christian spend her whole life in a meditative state? Does a shortstop only focus on his fielding skills? Is the only job of a parish priest to say mass? Does a distance runner only go for long, slow runs?  Of course not. Just as athletes vary there practice routines to hone their physical skills, we vary our spiritual exercises to nourish our souls. A swimmer must both spend time in the pool and in the weight room. As believers, we must pray and seek community, as they are both part of our spiritual growth. We are also called to be of service to others, and to show our love in the way we carry ourselves. There are no catch-all practices for athletes or for people of faith.

It’s not all go, go, go. No one attends mass all day long. Coaches usually require a day off in the midst of a week of practices, even at the elite level. Participating in service to the poor can often be very exhausting and draining. The human body and soul are not designed for 24/7 activity. For healthy physical and spiritual growth, we must spend time in quiet, restful reflection. This extends beyond merely the proper night’s sleep that we should all get every day. As athletes, we should consider our rest equally as important to our development as our intense workouts. As believers, we must peacefully reflect on the lives we are leading, and not get caught up in the quantity of our good works. In all areas of our life, we must respect a balance of activity and rest to ensure that our discipline is not wasted by exhaustion.

Faith and Athletic life are not always easy. It’s hard to get out of bed when lacrosse practices are going to be brutal before the season starts. Going to religious services can seem pointless at times in our lives. Sprinters can get burned out. God can seem very distant and disconnected from us. As any human will tell you, life is not always easy. Sometimes, we’re just going through the motions of our daily routines, and we’re lucky enough just to make it through. Even if we are enjoying a good life, there are stretches that might be painful, tiring, or seemingly pointless.  In this Lenten season, we are reminded of that painful side of life. Inevitably though, we come out of the mire, and triumph over adversity, and we are thankful that we stuck it out. Whether we are in a job that is unfulfilling, we don’t seem to be improving in our athletic endeavors, or we seem far from spiritual fulfillment, it is in mental, physical, and spiritual endurance that we are able to be renewed!

Sports and Faith are causes for Joy! Scoring a goal is an awesome feeling. Sharing a meal with family and friends is a warm reminder of love and friendship. Winning a championship can be a lifelong memory. Realizing the beauty of creation all around us is a cause for elation. Registering a personal best performance is gratifying. Attending a wedding of friends is an occasion for laughter, fun, and celebration. Although Lent can often be seen as a hard season of what we don’t or can’t have, it can also be a joyful season of what we do have. We have hope for the future! We have the companionship of friends, family and teammates! We have our health! In the Christian tradition we are reminded that we must “Rejoice always!” (1 Thes 5:16) Faith and Sports are reasons for fun, for pleasure, for achievement, for community, and life; live them that way!

From the Notre Dame Alliance for Catholic Education website, Peter Piscitello, of Kansas City, KS talks about the potential for Youth Sport in the Catholic Church:

http://ace.nd.edu/news/in-the-spotlight

Coaching in Uganda

The Ugandan Media can be hard on a new coach

I recently returned from a 16 month stay in Uganda where I was volunteering as a teacher, and also part time as a coach in secondary school outside the city of Jinja. It was a tremendous experience, and was a great period of growth personally for me. Coaching was an interesting experience and very characteristic of my entire experience living in a very different culture than the American one in which I grew up.

My tenure as a coach at Lake View Secondary School began shortly after I arrived in Uganda when I mentioned to the headmaster that I was interested in sports, and that I would love to do some coaching. He said to me “can you be ready for playing soccer today?” I thought I might be given a day or two to prepare a workout plan, or craft some ideas for what practice might look like. I thought I could take a look at the field, maybe clean up some of the numerous “cow pies” that covered the field. The field was in rough shape. Sitting at a 10º incline from side to side, it was rocky, with mounds of soil throughout, and served as a grazing field for cattle. But I said I would love to coach, and I’d be back later that day for some practice.

I came back with a whistle, cleats, shin guards, and even some orange cones. I knew that, living in a foreign county, I should be ready for whatever comes, and I should be adaptable, but I figured I would try to run the sort of practice that I had been accustomed to in youth and high school levels. So I waited until the students came out of school. I had retrieved the school’s lone soccer ball and was waiting out on the field ready for the first day. I thought about what I would say; probably a cross between Edward James Olmos in Stand and Deliver and Denzel Washington in Remember the Titans, I presumed. Even though I wanted to enter humbly into this new chapter of my life, I secretly had images of developing an army of 16 year Ugandan old boys winning championships, raising money to fix the field becoming a legend at Lake View!

“Practice” started with a few barefoot boys coming out, seeing the ball, and playing around with it. They were in charge. Whistle in hand, I was the one trying to figure out what the afternoon looked like; I was merely along for the ride. No drills, no sprints, no cones. I spent that day, and many months after that, seeing how young people in a different culture experienced sport. It was beautiful. There was no care for the cow dung or the rocks, or the large, unpredictable divots. They were playing for fun, pure and simple. And it wasn’t because they were trying to get back to some bygone age, and relive their past in a nostalgic, pure way. All they have ever known is to play for fun.

So my goals shifted. I wasn’t going to try to build an unbeatable team. As the months passed, I realized areas where I could make an impact. Because sport is not as much of an institution, Ugandan youth don’t see the value in proper preparation for competition. So I made it my goal to instill some lessons of the value of showing up every day, or at least as often as possible (sometimes a 14 hour school day made showing up an impossibility). I wanted to build general fitness among my team, and show them that you can become a better player in other ways than just going out on the field. And to a certain extent, I succeeded. My athletes learned the value of proper preparation, the value of showing up, and the spirit built by a team doing this together. And I learned the value of realizing that no matter how much preparation you can do as a coach, you’ll get far more out than you could ever put in.