Championship Sportsmanship

Today's blog post was written by Louis Nix for the Social Foundations of Coaching class taught by Play Like a Champion co-directors Professor Clark Power and Kristin Sheehan. Louis is a senior majoring in Film, Television, and Theater and a nose guard on the Notre Dame Football team.

When my professor suggested I do a blog about the recent men's soccer National Championship game, I had some initial reservations about the matter. First of all, I admittedly did not watch the game. Secondly, I am not a soccer junkie, so my knowledge of all the technicalities of the game is hazy at best.

Photo Credit: Zach Llorens, The Observer

 

Before I looked into what actually happened, I had heard that a Maryland player admitted to a hand ball after the game. My initial thought: "Oh, how noble of you, admitting to the penalty after the fact." I then began debating (in my head) about if it we can really consider it good sportsmanship to admit to a mistake after the game has ended, when the mistake can no longer be corrected or made right.

 

However, I didn’t want to get too far ahead of myself, so I read the write-up about the game that appeared in the Notre Dame Observer. When I read the Maryland player’s admission to his mistake, I immediately revoked my initial opinion about him not being a good sportsman. He committed a hand ball that ended up in a goal for his team, but after the game he said he is so embarrassed about what he did and he will regret it for the rest of his life. One of the reasons I changed my initial judgment about his “confession” is that he was so genuine. No one forced him to admit to the hand ball—he did it purely because he loves the sport so much that committing such a penalty clearly affects him very deeply. It also got me to thinking that human judgment (and by extension, human error) is a part of the game—he committed a penalty, but the refs did not see it so no penalty was called. It seems that even if he had admitted to his mistake during the game, it is unlikely that anything would have been overturned or changed.

Photo Credit: Zach Llorens, the Observer

 

At the end of the day, I was impressed with the conduct of this young man from Maryland, as well as his coach. I think they conducted themselves as class acts, and it is good to hear about coaches and players being gracious and respectable human beings, even when they lose. I admire this player from Maryland and respect his love for the game he plays. If I could reach out to him, I would want him to know that he should not be too hard on himself—the penalty he committed was not the only uncalled penalty in the game, but beyond that he will not be defined by a mistake he made in the heat of the moment. Everyone who has ever played a sport has done things in the heat of the moment that don’t necessarily reflect who they are as a person or as a player. It is the nature of sports that mistakes will be made (both by players and referees), but I think a true sportsman is defined by what he does when a mistake happens. This young man from Maryland readily admitted to and apologized for his mistake—that alone, in my opinion, shows what kind of person and player he is. I think he deserves the utmost respect for his actions after the game, and I hope he is not too hard on himself in the future for something he did in the heat of the moment of a game that he clearly loves.

JEREMY LIN – A Lesson in Hard Work, Humility, and Persistence

Today's blog post was written by Kyle Smith, a Master of Science in Business candidate and an intern with Play Like a Champion Today.

The more I read about Jeremy Lin, the more I am impressed. Lin has one of the more remarkable success stories in recent memory. It is truly Hollywood-caliber stuff; rags to riches at its finest. Within a few weeks in early 2012, Lin’s whole life was turned upside down as ‘Linsanity’ swept the globe.

But it’s not Lin’s success on the court that is so impressive; it’s his character off of it. Lin embodies many of the virtues that Play Like A Champion Today challenges its coaches and athletes to work toward. Lin is extremely hard working, humble, and has a genuine passion for the game. He also is an intensely religious individual who isn’t shy about sharing his faith.

Lin’s success story highlights the importance of striving for your personal best and developing a strong work ethic. Athletes can learn a valuable lesson from Lin who has described his commitment to always giving his best: “There’s a certain feeling of accomplishment that you get when you’re just completely out of energy, bent over gasping for air, knowing that you gave your best effort.” In a YouTube video on his channel, Lin tells a young, aspiring basketball player, “Just remember to keep getting better every day.” 

Lin has made a point to do just that by putting in the necessary work off the court in order to improve his performances on it. 

The Spirit of Sportsmanship

Today's blog was written by Allison DeLuna, a manager on the Notre Dame Softball team and a student in the Social Foundations of Coaching class taught by Play Like a Champion Today co-founders Kristin Sheehan and Professor Clark Power. 

I can understand the emotions that come from getting a homerun for the first time, the excitement you feel for you and your team. This particular scenario was a little different than most homeruns and could have ended in a two run single.  Sara Tucholsky from Western Oregon had her first homerun ever and forgot to touch first base in the excitement.  She turned to touch first and in that instance, tore her ACL instead.  The rule is that her teammates and coaches are not allowed to touch her or else her homerun would not have counted.  As an alternative, two of her opponents willingly carried her around the bases because her teammates could not.

I believe that this situation was handled with amazing integrity by Mallory Holtman from Central Washington. She and a teammate picked an injured Tucholsky up and carried her around the bases even though they knew it would hurt their chances in the game. The reason they gave for doing so was simple: she deserved it. A selfless and simple act that ultimately cost Central Washington the game and the Conference Championship (4-2).

Mallory Holtman and Liz Wallace of Central Washington carry Sara Tucholsky "home."

I love everything about the game of softball and this supreme act of kindness made me love it even more.  As a softball player, I can relate to both teams, Central Washington and Western Oregon.   When I first read about this story and saw the clip from this inspiring softball game I was so completely moved. It has been a long time since a sportsmanship story like this has made this big an impact on me.  Character and selflessness is something that players can strive to do, and they could take a page out of these players handbooks.

The Idea of Sportsmanship: What Mandela Can Teach Us

Today's blog was written by Play Like a Champion Today founder Professor Clark Power and was originally published in the Huffington Post.

 

Nelson Mandela, who brought together a country torn by years of racial strife and resentment, believed that sports had the power to change the world. His lofty vision of sports as means of unity contrasts with the ugly brawl that erupted during the second quarter of this year's Ohio State versus Michigan football game. Three players were ejected for throwing punches. One of them, Ohio State guard Marcus Hall, threw a tantrum as he left the field--throwing his helmet, kicking the bench, and then gave the Michigan fans both middle fingers before leaving the field. There was some speculation following the incident that Hall might be suspended for the Michigan State game, Ohio State's final hurdle before playing for the BCS national championship. After an investigation, the Big Ten issued a public reprimand to Hall for his obscene gesture and to the Ohio State coaching staff for failing properly escort Hall off the field. No suspensions were leveled--assuring that Ohio State will be at full strength for its final match up.

 

ESPN's Adam Rittenberg complained that the Big Ten was more concerned about promoting its marquee programs then standing up for sportsmanship:

The league had an opportunity to do more and show that behavior like Saturday's ... is unacceptable and has long-term consequences. Monday's wimpy response will be seen as an effort to protect the league's title game and one of its biggest brands in Ohio State.

Detroit Free Press's Jeff Seidel went further criticizing the Big Ten for "flipping off the idea of sportsmanship" for not suspending Hall.

I agree with Rittenberg and Seidel; the Big Ten should have responded more forcefully to this flagrant breach of sportsmanship. On the other hand, what would further penalties accomplish? Would they have deepened respect for sportsmanship among the Michigan and Ohio State players and college football programs more generally? Would they have led to soul-searching about the educational value of collegiate athletics in the first place? Educational psychologists know that punishments are the least effective way of teaching anything. Punishments do not inspire or lead to reflection.

At the very least, we should expect collegiate athletic programs to commit themselves to teaching and exemplifying the best sports have to offer. Three days ago Notre Dame's Play Like a Champion Today sports education program hosted a webinar led P. R. Smith, the founder of the Great Sportsmanship Program. Smith collects stories of sportsmanship, which he shares through his website and then challenges us all to add to list. He reminded webinar participants that that the media pays too much attention to breaches of sportsmanship rather than to the everyday miracles of kindness and generosity that are part of the very fabric of sports.

Nelson Mandela believed that sports can promote peace and human harmony by appealing to the wellsprings of respect and love in the human soul:

Sport .... has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair.

 

College athletic programs would do well to engage their athletes in periodic reflection and discussion of the values of fairness, respect, and love itself that make sports so powerful and transformative.

When Things Don’t Go Your Way

Today's blog was written by Emma Dashut a student in the Social Foundations of Coaching course taught by Play Like a Champion Today co-directors Professor Clark Power and Kristin Sheehan.

 

 

Alabama suffered a tough loss this past week. Being the number one ranked team they did not expect to lose to the number 4 ranked team, especially on such a rare last minute field goal return.

 

 

Auburn gets all the glory going forward, but where does that leave the Crimson Tide? Dealing with a loss is one of the most important aspects of sports.  In order for Alabama to have future success they have to be able to put this loss behind them and move forward. This is the true test of good coaches and good leaders.

 

 

Will the team be able to pull together and recover? This will depend on the actions of the coaches and captains. They can only focus on the past long enough to learn from their mistakes, but if they linger on it too long they may hurt team morale. No one played perfectly, and coaches need to refrain from placing blame on any one player or group of players. Football is a team sport; win as a team or lose as a team. The Bama coaches need to emphasize this as the team prepares for the future opponents. Pulling together in support of one another after the loss will get them much further than negativity will. Dealing with losing is an important lesson for coaches to teach young athletes. It is okay to be angry, but not to be a sore loser. No one wants a sore loser bringing the whole team down. Athletes need to learn to accept defeat when they are young so they are able to do it when they are older.  I hope the players of the Crimson Tide were taught how to handle a loss.

 

 

For Love of the Game

Today's blog post was written by David Thornton, a senior business major and a member of the Notre Dame Track and Field Team.  David is a student in Social Foundations of Coaching, a course taught by Play Like a Champion Today co-founders Clark Power and Kristin Sheehan.

Recently, professional athletes have filled the sports world with negative news stories dealing with bullying, unhappy free agents asking for more and more money, and criminal actions off the field. Being an athlete myself, I have to ask what the heck is going on? Have we all lost sight of why we play the games we do? Growing up, my father showed my brothers and I a great movie called For Love of the Game. It starred Kevin Costner and it followed him through the different stages of his professional baseball career. Ultimately, it’s a love story; a love story about him and the two loves of his life – Kelly Preston (the actress in the movie) and baseball. My father always taught us to never lose sight of the fact that the sports we play are just games, and that it’s crucial to never lose sight of that fact. You must love what you do. 

Now you may be wondering where in the world I’m going with this story, but I assure you that I do have a point. Kevin Costner deals with a lot of ups and downs throughout the movie and at times it seems as though he may never play the game that he loves again. However, he perseveres and in the end pitches the game of his life that proves that the game you love can love you back. In a similar way, current Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle has dealt with many challenges throughout his life and career and has found a way to recover and become the idealized version of what a coach should be. 

Clint Hurdle had a rough professional baseball career as a player, and through different life events became an alcoholic. He would end up having only a one season of note - batting .294 for the 1980 American League champion Royals, then going 5-for-12 in the World Series, but, other than that, he became known mostly for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He played for the Mets in 1985, one year before they won the World Series, and was then picked up by the Cardinals in 1986, one year after St. Louis reached the World Series. He was then traded back to the Mets in 1987, the same year the Cardinals returned to the World Series. 

He was always a year late or a dollar short, he even spent the 1981 players' strike bartending, and his career batting average through 10 seasons was a middling .259 to go with 32 home runs and two divorces. 

He turned his life around, bit by bit, but the first step was going to manage in the minor leagues. Hurdle was quoted in a recent conversation, "These are the questions a 17-year-old going to pro ball has about their manager," Hurdle says. "'Can I trust him? Does he trust me? Can he make me better? Does he care about me?' My goal was to get those questions answered under my watch. Because then their skill set will come out. They won't let you coach 'em up until they trust you." That is exactly what we have been learning in class and Hurdle has been putting this into practice. There must be a mutual trust and connection between players and coaches. Hurdle’s players ran through walls, not stop signs at third base for him. He would act macho with the snide players and thoughtful with the sensitive ones. He coached the mind as much as he coached baseball.

He went to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and did his best to get his life back together. He began sending daily emails to his players and staff with motivational quotes and sayings that acted as a daily reminder that he was there for them and that they were in this thing together – as a team. People begin to deeply appreciate these emails, and to-date over 1000 people see Hurdle’s emails daily due to the widespread sharing of them. An example of one of these emails: 

These were simple messages, but they had an overwhelming power and effect on Hurdle’s players and staff.

In an era of sports where the game is no longer loved for its true meaning and purpose, Clint Hurdle has attempted to find the happiness in the game of baseball and spread it to everyone around him. He believes in his players, and his players believe in him. There is a trust there that cannot be put into words, and that is the true purpose of being a coach. Clint Hurdle is molding his players into better people by taking the negative experiences from his life and learning from them. There is a reason that the Pittsburgh Pirates had there best season in my lifetime this past year, and that reason is Clint Hurdle. Don’t be surprised if you see a World Series title go to the city of Pittsburgh in the next few years. If you stick it out long enough, give 100% of your body and mind, and truly believe in the game you love, the game can love you back. 

Perseverance in Sport

Today's blog entry was written by TJ Jones.  TJ is a senior Film, Television, and Theater major and a student in the Social Foundations of Coaching Class. TJ is also the co-captain on the Notre Dame Football team.

As an athlete, I played multiple sports growing up, all the way up till I enrolled in the University of Notre Dame. Regardless of which sport I was participating in at the time, sportsmanship and perseverance were always emphasized and encouraged by my coaches.

There is a running back named Marcus Lattimore that played for the University of South Carolina for the past 3 years. He was the #2 running back in the country coming out of high school and a Top 20 player overall. The expectations for him were literally sky high, and he seemed ready to step up to the challenge.

For the majority of his collegiate career, however, Lattimore was plagued by serious injury. Marcus blew out both of his knees within a year of each other. After coming back from his first knee injury and being the leader on the Heisman list, he blew out his other knee. Only this time doctors told him that he’d never be able to play football again and would be lucky if he was able to walk. This was painful news seeing as he was expected to be a first round draft pick in last year’s draft after exceeding expectations as to how he’d recover from his first knee injury.

When Lattimore hurt his knee a second time, viewers could see that his leg appeared broken in half at the knee, which was turned the wrong way. The clip of the injury was replayed only a couple times because the seriousness of the injury was nauseating to many. Both teams surrounded Marcus on the field as he was lifted onto a cart and driven off the field. All players and fans cheered him on because everyone knew how he had struggled and persevered to overcome his previous injuries. 

Despite being told he may never walk again, Lattimore never let that deter him from achieving his dreams of playing in the NFL. Due to all his injuries he entered the 2013 NFL draft as a junior. His hard work and dedication to rehabbing his leg allowed him work out for teams before the draft, which involved some light running, ladder drills, and weight exercises. This showed scouts that he was determined to be able to play again and to not give up on him. Ultimately, Marcus ended up getting drafted by the San Francisco 49ers, and when asked why he kept persevering, he said it was because one day his children would see all he went through to be successful.

Marcus Lattimore wearing a San Francisco 49ers uniform.

Overall, I think Marcus Lattimore's story shows that athletes can exercise sportsmanship for one another-- even in the heat of battle. When serious injuries happen to nationally known players such as Marcus Lattimore, sportsmanship is not only vital but more common, because every player has a fear of never again being able to play the game they love due to injury. This story also shows how Marcus persevered through his entire ordeal and was still able to achieve his dream of playing in the NFL, which is an example of anything being possible if you just believe in yourself. 

The Ties that Bind

Today's blog was written by Meg Ryan, a senior accounting major in the Social Foundations of Coaching class taught by Play Like a Champion Today co-directors Clark Power and Kristin Sheehan.  Meg is also a member of the Notre Dame Track & Field and Cross Country teams. 

Imagine helping your opponent mid game. Should this be penalized? Or should the rules of the sport take precedence? After reading a recent article that has made national news this past week, this question came to mind.

Earlier this month in Saudi soccer, Al-Nahda and Al-Ittihad were playing a close match. Al-Nahda’s goalkeeper received a back pass from his teammate and realized his shoe was untied. He tried to get the referee’s attention because he would not be able to re-tie his shoes with his goalie gloves. Al-Ittihad’s striker noticed the issue and bent down to do it for him. What seemed like a great act of sportsmanship and great care for his opponent took a twist. The referee blew his whistle and ruled that the goalie had taken too much time holding the ball while his shoe was being tied. The crowded roared and both teams protested. The referee awarded Al-Ittihad with an indirect free kick on the edge of the box. Although the score was tied 2-2 and it would be a great opportunity to take the lead, the Al-Ittihad kicker intentionally missed the goal.



Two main acts of sportsmanship happened in this one short example. First, a player on the opposing team saved the goalie and tied his shoe instead of taking advantage of the goalie’s weakness. Second, the kicker chose decency over glory when awarded the free kick. He certainly could have taken the shot but he opted for sportsmanship instead.

The goalie reached out and shook the hand of the helpful striker.

This was a great example of sportsmanship and the real question deals with an idea that is not black and white. Should the Al-Nahda goalie have been penalized? Certainly the game was at a standstill with the Al-Ittihad striker deciding to help the opposing team. The crowd was roaring and applauding the action, and it was an act that would allow the game to continue in a fair way. However, the official strictly applied the rules of the game: in soccer a goal keeper cannot hold the ball for more than 6 seconds before clearing the ball out of the box. As a result, he rewarded the opposing team a free kick to penalize the goalie. Although, the rules of the game are of utmost important, I think there are certain situations, such as the one displayed above, where the rules can be bypassed. Both teams came together and neither was hurting the other team, making a penalty unnecessary. Sportsmanship is extremely important in sports and in this case since there was no true, unfair disruption the official should have let the goal keeper clear the ball from the box and let the game resume. Sportsmanship verses rules is not clear cut but I do believe that sports are a competition where athletes should respect and help their opponents, not get penalized for doing so.

What We Can Learn from the Miami Dolphins Scandal

Today's blog post is written by Clark Power, Professor of Psychology at the University of Notre Dame and co-founder of Play Like a Champion Today.  The blog first appeared on the Huffington Post.

For almost a week now, allegations of hazing and bullying have rocked the Miami Dolphins football team. In response, Dolphins players have defended Richie Incognito as a "team leader" and Jonathan Martin's mentor and friend. Martin, not Incognito, was the problem. Martin was "standoffish," lacking in mental toughness, and unwilling to pay his dues like other rookies. Martin's worst offense was walking out on his team and making his grievances public. He ratted out a teammate and revealed his lack of character by failing to work out his issues with his teammates in the locker room. Is Martin really the victim here or a crybaby, not fit for the rough and tumble world of the NFL?

The debate swirling around Martin has gone well beyond the sports pages and involves far more than the "code" of the NFL locker room. At issue is the responsibility of those who have power to look after those who are marginalized because they don't seem to "fit in." I am talking about the responsibility of not only NFL owners and coaches but also of athletic directors and coaches. I am talking about the responsibility of athletes who wield power in their peer groups and who can turn a whole group against an individual at the slightest provocation. We all know their "victims." They are the children, adolescents, and young adults, who have endured taunts, ridicule, and exclusion because they stuttered, dressed out of style, were socially awkward, or got "A"s in class. What price should they be asked to pay to be accepted into the group?

I have spent most of my career as an educational psychologist, working with teachers and more recently with coaches to address the cultures of the classrooms and teams. Left unattended, I find that classroom and team cultures can become uncaring and even cruel. Under the direction of morally aware teachers and coaches, however, they can become welcoming and engaging. In an ongoing study funded by the Templeton Foundation, we are finding that at in the early adolescent years sports teams are on the whole more successful at discouraging bullying and encouraging inclusiveness than classrooms and even religious groups. One reason for this appears to be that sports teams tend to engender a sense of family that extends to everyone regardless of athletic ability or friendship group. Of course, the cultures of sports teams vary widely according to the coach. Many coaches embrace the role of moral leadership and look after all of their players. Sadly, some coaches ignore the social dynamics of the locker room or are themselves bullies, who punish and demean their players under the guise of "motivating" them or toughening them up for the next level of competition.

I know of no research that shows that punishing or demeaning others is a successful strategy for goading them to higher levels of achievement. I am afraid that we all too often allow the end of winning to excuse the means of intimidation and abuse, and we too easily confuse incivility and conformity with toughness and loyalty. The discussion over the culture of the Dolphins' locker room will, I hope, lead us all to greater clarity about the moral principles that ought to inform the relationship between the group and individual and between those who have power and those who do not. How we evaluate the Dolphin's team culture will have consequences that reach well beyond the NFL locker room.

Sports and Religion

Today's blog entry was written by Andrea McHugh, a senior co-captain of the Notre Dame Women's Volleyball team.  Andrea is a Film, Television and Theater major and a student in the Social Foundations of Coaching Course.  She is the President of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Do sports and religion go together? Should they go together?

For the past couple of years, I have been trying to figure out what it would look like to combine sports and religion. As a volleyball player and a follower of Jesus, I strive to encourage and inspire the people around me through my faith. I interned with Fellowship of Christian Athletes two summers ago where we tried to figure out what it would look like if we played WITH God instead of for Him?  Any athlete would ask questions like, does this work? Is it possible? Would that make sports less competitive? How does that play into sportsmanship? I can tell anyone that it does not make sports less competitive because Jesus was the type of guy that strove for competitive greatness and wants us to do great things through our sport in addition to the talents He has given us!  Sports and religion can go together, and in my opinion, they should.

One of my best friends plays volleyball at Biola, which is in the NAIA and located in Southern California. I am not able to attend her games in California, but I am able to watch from my bedroom through a computer screen. Recently, the match that I had happened to be watching was the NAIA match of the week. Biola and Concordia were the number 3 and 2 teams in the division and were both undefeated. Both teams played hard every point and competed to the best of their ability. Sadly, Biola ended up losing after in four sets (in volleyball it is best 3 out of 5), which gave them their first loss of the season giving them a record of 15-1.

However, the most striking (and exciting) event of the match happened right after the last point was scored. After both teams shook hands with one another they joined each other in the middle of the court and said a prayer together thanking the Lord for the match, the talents He has blessed each individual with, and His outpouring of continual love and grace on them. I was completely blown away by this, yet I think it’s the perfect example of what it means to express sportsmanship along with what it looks like to combine sports and religion.

Sportsmanship is certainly overlooked a lot during sporting events these days. But, if someone is not a good sport it will be talked about for days and days. Coming together and acknowledging your opponent after a win or loss shows a lot about your character. Its important to display good sportsmanship. Coming together to pray after a game is something that is almost unheard of today in most divisions, but I think it would change the face of sports as we know it.

Bonding or Bullying: Does Hazing Build Character?

Play Like a Champion co-founder and director Clark Power is a professor of psychology at the University of Notre Dame and has a blog on the huffington Post.  Today's post can also be found on his blog.

Over the past few days, allegations of bullying and extreme hazing have rocked the Miami Dolphins football team and the NFL in general. Although few defend Richie Incognito's alleged treatment of offensive line teammate, Jonathan Martin, some NFL players have blamed Martin for deserting his team and publicly criticizing a teammate. FOX Sports NFL Insider Mike Garafolo reported that some Dolphin's coaches knew about the hazing and thought that it might help to toughen Martin up. Many NFL players and former players support that view. Football is violent game and requires extraordinary mental as well as physical toughness. Moreover, enduring hardships together builds lasting bonds of friendship. To some, Martin appears selfish, weak and whiny. They argue that others have put up with all kinds of harassment, and ask why he feels that he is special and how he can be so disloyal to his team. The complaints against Martin appeal to a commonsense view of character development and are deeply rooted in American culture.

I hear these arguments routinely in the clinics that I give to youth and high school coaches of all sports as well as in the class that I give to teachers and school administrators. They certainly ring true on one level. We live in a rough and tumble world. We can't count on others looking after us or caring about our feelings. We have to develop a thick skin, earn what respect we get, and wait our turn to boss others around. Above all, we have to learn to be loyal to those who hold power.

As an educational psychologist, I have been fascinated by how quickly children learn how to adapt to the cruelty and insensitivity of elders, as well as peers. We know a great deal about the resilience that children can develop in the most adverse of circumstances. However, the fact that those children can develop the inner resources to hold up under oppressive conditions should not be used to minimize the evil or the harm that they are forced to endure. We know that children and adults suffer when their basic sense of dignity is assaulted by repeated acts of degradation and humiliation. Persons, whether they are children or adults, have an inalienable human right to be respected. True bonding is built on mutual respect, not on fear and coercion.

Discussing concrete cases helps to expose distorted views of loyalty and toughness that protect those in power at the expense of their victims. There are many young athletes playing at the high school and college level who feel incapable of walking away from abusive peers and coaches (however benign their intentions may be) for fear of prematurely ending their sports careers. We should acknowledge abuse for what it is and take decisive action to root it out-- without having to wait for another Jonathan Martin.

 

Spirit of the Game

Kelsey Fink is a senior Chemistry and Mathematics major at the University of Notre Dame. She is a captain of the Women's Ultimate Frisbee Club, and a student in the Social Foundations of Coaching course.

"Spirit of the Game. Ultimate relies upon a spirit of sportsmanship that places the responsibility for fair play on the player. Highly competitive play is encouraged, but never at the expense of mutual respect among competitors, adherence to the agreed upon rules, or the basic joy of play. Protection of these vital elements serves to eliminate unsportsmanlike conduct from the Ultimate field. Such actions as taunting opposing players, dangerous aggression, belligerent intimidation, intentional infractions, or other 'win-at-all-costs' behavior are contrary to the Spirit of the Game and must be avoided by all players."

This is an excerpt from the Official Rules of Ultimate: 11^th Edition. Ultimate Frisbee, for those of you who don’t know, is played without referees. Although pick up basketball or backyard baseball may also be played without refs, Ultimate is different. It maintains a competitive level and organized rules as would any professional or collegiate sport. And it has been doing this for over 30 years.

Members of the Notre Dame Ultimate Team practice on campus.
Photo Credit: Maggie O'Brien, The Observer

Even in championship games, Ultimate Frisbee is still self-refereed. This unique aspect of the game instills special characteristics that all athletes should have: honesty, respect, control, and sportsmanship.

Honesty. If you are self-officiating an Ultimate game, everyone participating needs to be honest. If you won a game due to a bad call, the taste of victory would not be as sweet as to knowing you achieved it fairly. Without honesty, one cannot even hope to understand the concept of Spirit of the Game.

Respect. Spirit of the Game results from mutual respect between two teams. As the Golden Rule states, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” If your team is making the most absurd foul calls on your opponents, you can guarantee that they will start to do the same to you. This negative attitude is not what Ultimate is about.

Control. People make bad calls in Ultimate. It happens. But you cannot be physically outraged if this occurs. Another unique aspect of Ultimate is that when a foul is called, the involved persons can talk it out, coming to an understanding. One team I constantly played against over the summer would start yelling at us whenever we called a foul. Not only did they lose control, but by doing so they lost our respect. They just had to learn to breathe, gain control of their emotions, and listen to our side of the story.

Sportsmanship. Whenever an Ultimate player thinks of “Spirit of the Game,” they immediately think of sportsmanship. In the end, that is what Spirit of the Game is all about. By learning honesty, respect, and control, athletes become more sportsmanlike. Athletes learn to balance their competitive nature with their inherent character values, making Ultimate one of the most honorable sports. Furthermore, teams notice when others have good spirit. You compliment those teams, and they might even win the “Spirit Award” that some tournaments offer. Those are the types of impressions that stay with you.... their spirit, not the outcome of the game.

By abiding by the Spirit of the Game, athletes learn core sportsmanship-like values that may not only be carried over to all other sports, but to other aspects of life as well. In the end, many people may still think of Ultimate Frisbee as a “hippie sport,” and maybe it is. After all, we are a bunch of young adults who just like to play hard, compete honestly, and just have fun.

Members of Notre Dame's Ultimate Frisbee Clubs

Sport as Play

Today's blog entry was written by Anna VanEgmond, a senior sociology major, member of the Notre Dame Rowing team, and a student in the Social Foundations of Coaching Class at the University of Notre Dame.

When sport acts as play, it has the ability to uplift the body, mind, and spirit.  Throughout the Social Foundations of Coaching course, we have discussed the coaches’ role in creating an environment that nurtures this sense of inner freedom and joy for kids.  This freedom and joy in sport in turn allows children to grow and develop as champions and athletes of character.

Many a times in this process, we easily recognize how a healthy body and sense of the spiritual are key elements to performance in and enjoyment of sports.  However, we often neglect the holistic picture, with the need for a healthy and clear mind as well.  As a youth minister, it is important to mentor children through sport, so that they can grow as a whole person, spirit, body and mind.  As a college athlete, I find it encouraging that the NCAA is finally realizing this as well.  Although many colleges might not address the spirit as it crosses the boundaries of religion, I think here at Notre Dame, where spirit is a factor, it will be interesting to see if there are changes in a student-athlete’s perception of what it means to “Play Like a Champion Today.”  I believe this new approach may have the ability to shift the focus of students and coaches to the development of the whole person through sport.  For more information on the NCAA's actions on mental health of student-athletes check out this link .

Is the Goal to Have Fun or Humiliate?

Today's blog entry was written by Andrew Brock, a senior Accounting major in the Social Foundations of Coaching course this semester.  Andrew is a member of the Notre Dame Track and Field team, competing in the shot put and weight throw.

This past weekend a news article came out about a Texas high school under scrutiny for “bullying” another high school after beating them 91-0 in a football contest. This seems ridiculous in a high school game, doesn’t it? However, in the realm of college football, it’s almost a weekly occurrence for some teams and there is never a word mentioned about it in the press. Alabama has won all of their games, with the exception of one, by more than 25 points this season - their biggest mark of victory resulting against Arkansas with a score of 52-0. Baylor won a game this year 71-7 against Iowa State. Oregon, another team that historically puts up a lot of points against its opponents, has won each of their games by an average of about 40 points this season. In fact, when it comes to college football, blowing one’s opponent out actually tends to receive positive press for the most part, while the Texas high school team was being scrutinized for it in the national media.

This story seemed to be featured on just about every network last week.

Has the goal of competition in college and now even high school football become to have fun or to humiliate? It appears that in a world of votes, media, millions of dollars, and rankings that the point is to humiliate.   At least the teams that are blowing their opponents out each week are having a lot of fun in the process. Now, let’s put ourselves in the shoes of the teams that our losing by 40, 50, 91 points… Do you think that they are having fun?

According to Play like a Champion's GROW model, sports are played for the purpose of having FUN! In fact, it is only at the end of the GROW model that we see the word "winning" and this is not a coincidence. Coaches who disrespect their opponents by blowing them out and humiliating them in front of all their fans are not abiding by the GROW model. Winning is an outcome of the game. There has to be one winner and one loser--that is the way the game works. With this in mind, we should remember that competition should and can be fun, win or lose. Success in competition is found in putting ones best effort on the field, court, track, diamond, etc.  When winning becomes more important than the outcome of the game, true competition is lost. Athletes compete and coaches coach for the love of the game. Why should we crush someone else’s love by humiliating them during competition?

Therefore, when our only goal of a competition is to win and destroy all who stand in the way of us winning, we have lost our love of the game. We have become too caught up in the outcomes and have lost sight of the intrinsic reasons of why we started playing the game in the first place. We all began playing for the love of the game. Consequently, out of our love for the game we should practice good sportsmanship and respect our opponents by not humiliating them. The real joy of sports comes from the competition itself, not from the outcome.

Team Spirit Team Service

The University of Notre Dame is on fall break this week.  Campus is quiet, and many students have gone home for the week, missing the first snow of the season.  Most student-athletes, however, have stayed on campus as practices and games continue.  As there are no classes this week, several teams have taken some time to serve the community.

On Monday, the Notre Dame Football team had spent the evening at South Bend's Center for the Homeless. In an event that was spearheaded by tight-end Troy Niklas, the players were able to spend a few hours with the guests, having dinner and getting to know the guests at the Center.  As Niklas said at the end of the event "“I hate to say it, but we’ve almost gotten more out of this than (the guests). Sometimes you don’t know how much you have until you see someone who doesn’t have anything. Being here at Notre Dame, we’re so blessed".  Over dinner, the football players and the guests exchanged stories--and inspiration.  As part of the team's preparation for the evening, the players committed to fundraising $2000 to give to the Center, a goal which they surpassed when Niklas presented Steve Camilleri with a gift of $4700.  

Troy Niklas talks to a young guest at the Center for the Homeless

The Notre Dame Women's Soccer Team plays its final home game of the season this evening, and will be auctioning off jerseys as a fundraiser for the SEGway Project, a non-profit founded by a former Notre Dame soccer player that uses soccer to empower girls worldwide.  Proceed's from Thursday's auction will be used by the Project at the Kibera Girls Soccer Academy in Kenya. The Men's Soccer Team also took some time this week to work with local children.  On Tuesday, members of the team spent a few hours with a local youth soccer club--with coaches and players leading drills, demonstrating skills, and mentoring the young athletes.  

Play Like a Champion Today teaches that a key to character development is the transformation of the team into a moral community whose members are committed to certain values e.g. caring, fairness, and trust.  By learning the virtues of community on a team, team members are then able to become leaders in larger communities later in life.  Community service done as a team is an excellent way to build a moral community and Play Like Champions.

When Is It Okay To Boo Your Own Player?

Today's blog entry was written by Amarpreet Rai, a junior science pre-professional student at the University of Notre Dame, and a member of the Social Foundations of Coaching Class.  Amarpreet is currently conducting research on the value of sport for urban youth.

Sometimes we take sports too far. As fans, we consider ourselves fully a part of a team. We think we know just as much as the players or even the coaches. And sometimes, we take this too far. We forget what our role is.

Let me explain. Sometimes fans think it’s acceptable to call for bodily harm or the benching of athletes, in college or professional sports. Two notable recent examples come to mind. The first is the hatred that Tommy Rees, the Notre Dame quarterback, has experienced both from the student section during games and through social media after. We forget that he’s a young adult on a public stage trying to do the best that he can. And as fans, instead of supporting him and making his job easier, we increase the pressure, making it harder for him (and for our team) to be successful. The second example is the booing of Matt Schaub, the HoustonTexans quarterback. Sure, he’s a little older and making money at what he’s doing. However, is it really acceptable to cheer when he suffers a game ending injury? For some reason, we do.

          An injured Matt Schaub on the sidelines                          Tommy Rees directs the Irish before his injury against USC

Play Like a Champion Today forces us to think about how we motivate athletes. It forces us to consider why athletes play the game. Negative motivation almost never seems to work. Constantly yelling at children neither inspires them to work harder nor does it help them learn faster. By booing Rees or Schaub, all we do is undermine their confidence in themselves. It does not matter if an individual is 8 or 28. Negative reinforcement from fans, coaches, or teammates does not work. What helps is a positive environment, fostering growth at all ages. 

As fans, we never like to see our team lose. Yet, when we boo, we make winning just a little harder for ourselves. So I ask again, when is it okay to boo your own player? The short answer: Never.