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!
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
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.
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.
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