The Meaning of Sports in Birmingham

Today's blog post was written by Justin Cunningham.  Justin is a senior Finance major at the University of Notre Dame and is a student in the Social Foundations of Coaching, a course taught by Professor Clark Power and Kristin Sheehan of Play Like a Champion Today.  This spring, Justin will be assisting a local high school baseball team.

In the first week of December, football players at the University of Alabama-Birmingham received life altering news. Due to financial difficulty at the University, UAB President Ray Watts and officials in the athletic department decided to shut down the school’s football program. UAB became the first major college program to close its doors in nearly two decade.  (University of the Pacific closed in 1995.) The players did not receive much notice or explanation other than a suggestion that “the numbers didn't look right.” While the news of a Division I football program shutting down is both shocking and upsetting, it also makes me question if we have lost the real meaning of sports.

When I first read the story, I began to think of how unfortunate it was that the UAB football program was not making enough money to continue. I began to wonder how the players of the team felt that they would have to change schools to still play for NFL scouts with the hopes of getting drafted. I thought about how this would affect their chances of reaching the professional level. However, reading the players reactions made me realize that the issue was something completely different. 

Obviously, all of the players were saddened by the news. Junior offensive lineman Cameron Blankenship (#71 pictured below) recounted that “[he] has never seen so many grown men cry in [his] life.” From the freshman to the seniors, the news that they could no longer play for the university they chose to attend and play for did not go over well. Tristan Henderson (#88 pictured below), a senior tight end refused to hold his opinions to himself. Henderson was furious that the decision was made for financial reasons. As a former MP in the Army who did a tour in Iraq, Henderson is one of the older leaders on the team at age 26. He told a story of not knowing how to answer his 3-year-old sons question of what they were doing with the program. He continued by voicing his concerns for the younger players on the team. As a senior, he would not have a future playing at UAB either way. However, he felt for the young players that are only 17 or 18 years old and traveled thousands of miles from home to join the UAB program. Listening to the passion in his objection, you start to realize that is was not about the money for the players. They were still promised their scholarships, but football and UAB meant more to them than free schooling. Blankenship recalled that “the one thing that got to everybody was when he told [them] that he cared more about UAB than [they] did.” It was never about numbers for the players. It was about playing the game and being a part of the team they have come to love.

                                   

This story brings up an important problem in the world of athletics today. The presence of financial benefits and profit in sports has sullied its true meaning. Sports are not about making money. Of course, it is a career in the world today. However, the essence of sports is the joy that athletes take in playing. The essence of sports is about being a part of something bigger and greater than yourself. It’s about coming together as a team and competing, growing, and improving. That is all that these players wanted. As Henderson asserted, “some of these [players] came from 3,000 miles miles away and came right here to be a part of this. To be a part of all of this.” 

It was never about the money for these players. Obviously the scholarships mean a lot to the athletes, but they play football because it’s a game they love. By canceling the UAB football program, players were forced to change schools or surrender something they love. Blankenship explained that “football is [his] life, and it’s been [his] life for a very, very long time.” While he recognized that he owes a lot to UAB for helping him become the man he is, he “couldn’t live with [himself] if [he] didn't play [his] senior year somewhere.” Blankenship, like many of his teammates, must leave his school and home to continue playing the sport he loves. We may have lost what playing a sport truly means to these athletes. 

Parental Support Is Key

Today's blog post was written by Anthony Rabasa.  Anthony is a senior Film, Television, Theater major at the University of Notre Dame, and is a student in the Social Foundations of Coaching course taught by Play Like a Champion founder Professor Clark Power and Program Director Kristin Sheehan.  Anthony is also a defensive lineman on the University's football team. 

It is very easy in today’s sports world to get caught up with winning and reaching goals. I believe that it is important for parents and coaches to know that when a young athlete is competing, the most important thing to them is that they just have fun. Thinking back to my own experience, I remember when I first began playing football. I would look forward to Saturday mornings because I knew it was game day and at the time, playing football was--and continues to be--one of the more fun experiences I have ever had.

When parents get too involved in a young athlete's development on the playing field, I believe it takes a personal toll on the athlete. Parents must let the coaches and athletes work together to improve in certain areas where the athlete needs improvement. My parents never really got involved with my coaches when I was a growing youth athlete, but they were always there to support me in my role. Naturally you want your child to be a superstar and have them always excelling on the playing fields. However, this is not always the case.  Even if the young athlete is not the play-maker or the superstar, he or she is still a valuable contributor to the team simply because they’re on the team. Telling a young athlete that he or she is doing well on the playing field will encourage them to do better.  I have found that this is especially true if the parent continues to tell their children that they are getting better every single day.  Speaking from experience, this really does go a long way.

Photo Credit: Columbus High School Football Team, Miami, FL

 If you were to take a close look into high school football playoffs, which are just wrapping up across the country, you can see a lot of examples of a parental relationships with athletes. My high school, which this year's state runner-up. Many things came to my mind when I began to think about my high school program. I happened to stumble upon an article on my high school home page, and it talked about how parents, and the crowd in general, at the semi-final game were outstanding. My alma mater was down 13 points at halftime, but the crowd remained calm and did not let a second go by without motivating my old team. I believe this is a great example of parents and a community coming together to motivate a team that has come so far and has made the community around them believe that they can win any game. That right there is a key component to winning, and that’s exactly what my team did. 

Florida State Academic Intgrity in Question

Today's blog was written by Jeni Houser.  Jeni is a senior American Studies major at the University of Notre Dame and a student in the Social Foundations of Coaching course taught by Play Like a Champion Today founder Professor Clark Power and Program Director Kristin Sheehan.  Jeni is also a middle blocker on the Notre Dame Volleyball Team. 

Academic dishonesty has been a common theme in sports for the past year now, and it continues to come up in relation to the current football season.  Florida State is not the only college facing accusations this season. My own university, Notre Dame, recently expelled five football players for the entire year because of academic dishonesty. For a few of them, this expulsion marks the end of their college career because they ran out of eligibility.   Now the University of North Carolina is under investigation for years of academic fraud on a massive scale. Florida State has also been in the news recently, and JameisWinston may or may not be the problem this time.

Notre Dame suffered a heartbreaking loss against the defending national champions this fall, but in my opinion, we handled the tough situation with class and dignity and that is why the University is so widely respected. In an article on the current situation at Florida State, however, a professor from Florida State (and an admitted fan) questioned the morals of his university’s academic code.

In his essay, the professor proceeded to tell readers that players and athletics staffers would threaten professors to pass the players so they would be eligible to play in the bowl game and upcoming season. These professors were occasionally scared for their lives when backed into a corner by players who supersede their strength and size. In the Play Like a Coaching manual it would seem that the Florida State Coaching staff is teaching players how to be bad role models, as opposed to teaching them the significance of getting an education and that everything on the field should come with time. Though winning may be the most important aspect to many of why we play and watch sports, nothing is more significant than the dignity that one will walk away with win or lose. I believe that Notre Dame is able to walk away from a win or loss with their heads held high because we are well respected for being the bigger team at the end of the day. 

A Note to Parents

Today's blog was written by Austin Wuthrich. Austin is a student in the Social Foundations of Coaching, a course taught by Play Like a Champion Today Director Professor Clark Power and Kristin Sheehan.  Austin is a senior double major in sociology and computer applications, and is a right-wing on the Notre Dame Hockey team.

Dear Parents,

We know that you love your young athletes. This is a note of advice based on my experience as an athlete.  

Please do not ruin your kid’s relationship with you and with their sport by having unrealistic expectations.  

All parents want the best for their kid.  Parents want their children to achieve their full potential in whatever they are doing in life.  This is natural, and great.  However, there are certain ways to handle these expectations, hopes, and dreams for your kids and one of them is by being supportive and understanding of your child.  

Many parents want their kids to be the super-star, and some make it very clear that their kid is more important than another athlete.  As an athlete, I've found that these parents are difficult because they are always nagging the coaches or other athletes, which can cause a lot of drama that the team does not need.  Another result of this constant nagging is that children can begin to resent their parents if they are always yelling or trying to control the coach behind the scenes.  I've seen it happen too many times--from my days on pee wee hockey teams to elite national teams.

Parents need to have realistic expectations of what their young athlete’s capabilities are.  This idea of a son/daughter becoming the next superstar in their sport is such an exhilarating thought but it can permanently damage the relationship with the child in question.  This is for many reasons, but in my opinion it is mostly because the parent will never be satisfied with their child's performance and forget that they are just kids having fun.  Parents should be having fun watching their kid having fun and should be supportive of what their children are doing.  

Parents, please remember that athletes are often most vulnerable right after a game.  Therefore, the things that parents say to their athlete on the car ride home from a game can be remembered for a long time.  This is why parents must always remember that they are their child's support system and what they say and do can affect a kid’s future (athletic or otherwise) more than anything else.  Please remember that great memories for both parents and their little athletes can be made through their athletics, so make sure all those memories are positive by being supportive and realistic.  Finally, parents, please know that even though your young athletes don't always express their gratitude for this support, we are all very grateful for everything you do to help us along the way.

Austin Wuthrich on the ice.
Photo Credit 247 Sports, CBS.