Let’s face it, bad calls happen. It is simply a part of the game. More often than not, when a bad call is made, arguing does not help the cause. Even with the implementation of instant replay reviews, judgmental calls cannot be reviewed and overturned. However, there are different ways one can react to bad calls and recent examples help illustrate different approaches.
Consider the NBA game January 11th involving the Boston Celtics and the Atlanta Hawks. Midway through the 3rd quarter, the Boston Celtics led the Atlanta Hawks by 10 points when Celtics’ forward Glenn “Big Baby” Davis was given a flagrant foul for his hard takedown of Hawks player Marvin Williams. Celtics coach Doc Rivers immediately lost his cool and began arguing with the referees. He was given two technical fouls and an automatic ejection. Quite the reaction from the coach who has been preaching to his team, “He who angers you, owns you.” The Hawks hit four of the five free throws and cut the lead to six. The Celtics were left to finish the game without their head coach, and ended up losing 102-96. In hindsight, that was not exactly the best reaction. I’m sure Coach Rivers wishes he could take that one back and follow his own advice.
Another recent bad no-call illustrates a different response. At the end of the Seton Hall v. Louisville men’s basketball game, a Seton Hall player attempted to in-bound the ball after a made basket. However in doing so, he crossed the baseline. Typically, this would be called a violation and the ball would turn over to the other team. This would have been greatly beneficial to the Louisville team, as they were only down 2 points with 0.7 seconds left. However, the referee blew his whistle, asked for the ball, directed the player back behind the line, and allowed him to in-bound it again. As expected, Louisville coach Rick Pitino was furious. He argued his case, but with no avail. At that point he dropped the case, and ater the game, Coach Pitino shook hands with the Seton Hall coach and walked to the locker room. No major scene. Coach Pitino stuck up for his team, but was not irresponsible or act out of line.
As a coach, when dealing with a bad call, or even a bad referee, remember who is watching you and who needs you. As in the case with Doc Rivers, his ejection led to the collapse of his team and cost them the game. Although the ejection may not be the sole reason, it definitely does not help the team’s cause. Some may argue there are times when a coach needs to be ejected in order to spark his team – think Coach Dale in the classic movie “Hoosiers.” His ejection at a critical point in the game was done on purpose in order to display his trust in his assistant coach and to motivate his players. But more often than not, coaches should defend their players, without compromising their role in leading the team. A prime example is Coach Yoast in “Remember the Titans.” When referees are cheating the Titans, Yoast does not make a scene and overact. He simply speaks to the referee and informs him that he better call a fair game or he will report the referees’ intentions to the press. When dealing with bad calls, let’s hope coaches act like the role models they are, resembling Coach Pitino and Coach Yoast, or even Coach Dale – but only when necessary.
Ben Frost
Notre Dame ‘10
Social Foundations of Coaching Course
Monday, January 25, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
The Lost Value of Integrity
In one deft move, Lane Kiffin has reminded us all of a disturbing trend in college football coaches today. Thirteen months ago after a disastrous stint with the Oakland Raiders, Kiffin was given a great opportunity at SEC contender Tennessee. He convinced Tennessee officials to allow him to hire the highest paid staff in college football, including the $1 million-a-year Defensive Coordinator Monte Kiffin. He then proceeded to rack up six secondary NCAA violations, enough to warrant a NCAA investigation. There was plenty of talk of Kiffin removing Tennessee traditions in favor of creating the “USC of the East.” And yet, the school stuck with him and supported him. But just last week, Kiffin spent less than a day clearing out of Knoxville in pursuit of greener pastures at USC. He left so quickly that he didn’t even bother to tell some of his highly prized staff – his brother-in-law and QB coach David Reaves found out from ESPN. He told his players about his move in a five-minute meeting.
Where is the integrity in sticking to a contract? Some might argue that if Kiffin paid his $800,000 buyout, he had fulfilled that contract. I would argue that he might have fulfilled the letter of the contract, but not his obligation or mission as a coach. As a coach, Kiffin is charged with developing 18-22 year olds into players and men. In a year, I doubt the players saw the development of their physical talents. But more importantly, they saw that a man’s word doesn’t matter when money is involved. When Kiffin recruits, he promises them he will mentor them throughout their college experience. I don’t think he can be that mentor thousands of miles away at USC. As a coach, he asks his players to go that extra mile, and yet he won’t do the same for them. Perhaps the most galling story was that of calling Tennessee’s early enrollees and telling them to not attend class the next day so they could join him at USC.
This trend of lack of integrity goes beyond Kiffin. We saw it with Pete Carroll and his staff not returning any calls/text messages from recruits as was flirting with the Seahawks. We saw it with Bobby Petrino skipping town on Louisville for the NFL and then bolting from the Falcons midseason for Arkansas. We saw it with Nick Saban leaving the Dolphins for Alabama. Urban Meyer resigns for 18 hours, only to change his mind without consulting even his family. We even saw it with Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly skipping Cincinnati’s bowl game. How can players trust a coach to be their mentor in today’s world? I can’t see it.
So why does this happen? I believe it boils down to recruiting and to m oney. Brian Kelly certainly fulfilled his obligation to Cincinnati, leading them to two BCS games and establishing the school on the college football map. The problem is that Brian Kelly left Cincinnati on the eve of the Sugar Bowl. He did this so he could begin recruiting for Notre Dame. Recruits are the life-blood of the program. It is common for coaches to leave before the bowl games in order to get a start on maintaining their classes. The NCAA can fix this problem by making the period between the end of the season and the bowl games a dead period, where recruits can’t be contacted. The money is a different issue. Mack Brown just received a contract for $5 million a year. And this is skyrocketing. Compared to the $150,000 that Lou Holtz made in the early 90s, the salaries coaches are paid today are unfathomable. Coaches leave for the sweetest deal they can find, consequences.
Perhaps Penn State QB coach Jay Paterno says it best.:
This profession has lost touch with the reality of the world around us, and some coaches have lost touch with what the mission of our profession should be. We are starting to look as arrogant as the Wall Street bankers raking in seven-figure bonuses. The astronomical explosion in coaching salaries continues at a time of 10 percent unemployment in America and exploding tuition costs burdening working class families ... Coaches walk into a recruit's home and talk about how they will look out for that young man's future. The expectation is that the coach will help to guide him through a very formative time. A year later the same coach is off to another job for more money and left behind are the young men he promised to nurture towards their future.
Hopefully, coaches can remember their mission in the future and show integrity.
Barrick Bollman ‘12
Social Foundations of Coaching
University of Notre Dame
Where is the integrity in sticking to a contract? Some might argue that if Kiffin paid his $800,000 buyout, he had fulfilled that contract. I would argue that he might have fulfilled the letter of the contract, but not his obligation or mission as a coach. As a coach, Kiffin is charged with developing 18-22 year olds into players and men. In a year, I doubt the players saw the development of their physical talents. But more importantly, they saw that a man’s word doesn’t matter when money is involved. When Kiffin recruits, he promises them he will mentor them throughout their college experience. I don’t think he can be that mentor thousands of miles away at USC. As a coach, he asks his players to go that extra mile, and yet he won’t do the same for them. Perhaps the most galling story was that of calling Tennessee’s early enrollees and telling them to not attend class the next day so they could join him at USC.
This trend of lack of integrity goes beyond Kiffin. We saw it with Pete Carroll and his staff not returning any calls/text messages from recruits as was flirting with the Seahawks. We saw it with Bobby Petrino skipping town on Louisville for the NFL and then bolting from the Falcons midseason for Arkansas. We saw it with Nick Saban leaving the Dolphins for Alabama. Urban Meyer resigns for 18 hours, only to change his mind without consulting even his family. We even saw it with Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly skipping Cincinnati’s bowl game. How can players trust a coach to be their mentor in today’s world? I can’t see it.
So why does this happen? I believe it boils down to recruiting and to m oney. Brian Kelly certainly fulfilled his obligation to Cincinnati, leading them to two BCS games and establishing the school on the college football map. The problem is that Brian Kelly left Cincinnati on the eve of the Sugar Bowl. He did this so he could begin recruiting for Notre Dame. Recruits are the life-blood of the program. It is common for coaches to leave before the bowl games in order to get a start on maintaining their classes. The NCAA can fix this problem by making the period between the end of the season and the bowl games a dead period, where recruits can’t be contacted. The money is a different issue. Mack Brown just received a contract for $5 million a year. And this is skyrocketing. Compared to the $150,000 that Lou Holtz made in the early 90s, the salaries coaches are paid today are unfathomable. Coaches leave for the sweetest deal they can find, consequences.
Perhaps Penn State QB coach Jay Paterno says it best.:
This profession has lost touch with the reality of the world around us, and some coaches have lost touch with what the mission of our profession should be. We are starting to look as arrogant as the Wall Street bankers raking in seven-figure bonuses. The astronomical explosion in coaching salaries continues at a time of 10 percent unemployment in America and exploding tuition costs burdening working class families ... Coaches walk into a recruit's home and talk about how they will look out for that young man's future. The expectation is that the coach will help to guide him through a very formative time. A year later the same coach is off to another job for more money and left behind are the young men he promised to nurture towards their future.
Hopefully, coaches can remember their mission in the future and show integrity.
Barrick Bollman ‘12
Social Foundations of Coaching
University of Notre Dame
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Growing up with Mark McGwire
Somehow it doesn’t bother me that McGwire took steroids.
So what if he took performance enhancing drugs? I was in the stadium the night he hit his 61st. It was magical. At the height of McGwire’s homerun prowess, I was a naive elementary school student living in the suburbs of St. Louis. McGwire bobble heads, pencils, shirts, and PEZ dispensers - my friends and I had it all. Oh believe me, I didn’t like baseball. I still don’t. But for some reason, during the fall of 1998, I could imagine myself growing up to be a baseball player, just like McGwire.
Parents today often talk about how celebrities can no longer be good role models for their children. Drugs, alcohol, sexual affairs, and scandal after scandal appear in the news daily. Where are the great athletes that children everywhere can aspire to be? Nonexistent. Realistically? Every great athlete. Honestly, children only understand what happens on the field and who wins the game. Saying that he or she cheated by taking enhancers and drugs; none of that would have made sense in my 3rd grade head. Drugs..is that like the Tylenol I take when I’m sick? Enhancers.. my gummy bear vitamins? Especially in sports, none of this brouhaha matters to children. What they see at a game is life changing. Nothing will take away my feelings when I saw McGwire hit that homer, just like I will always remember watching in awe Marion Jones win 3 golds in Sydney. Those performances are inspiring. A child needs to see those kind of performances, drug enhanced or not.
I doubt anyone is surprised that McGwire actually took steroids. It’s like a fairy tale. It’s almost supposed to happen. Great athlete achieves despite the odds, and then spirals into oblivion. Come on, look at Tiger Woods. As long as the black hole opens after a child sees an amazing performance by the athlete, nothing else matters.
All in all, I’m glad McGwire took steroids. Otherwise, I probably would not have seen that homer, or felt the amazing power of 45,000 fans all cheering for the same person. Knowing he may have took steroids during that game does not in any way change my experience.
After all, in my mind, he’s still the Mark McGwire I grew up with.
Ching-Ting Hwang
ND '12
So what if he took performance enhancing drugs? I was in the stadium the night he hit his 61st. It was magical. At the height of McGwire’s homerun prowess, I was a naive elementary school student living in the suburbs of St. Louis. McGwire bobble heads, pencils, shirts, and PEZ dispensers - my friends and I had it all. Oh believe me, I didn’t like baseball. I still don’t. But for some reason, during the fall of 1998, I could imagine myself growing up to be a baseball player, just like McGwire.
Parents today often talk about how celebrities can no longer be good role models for their children. Drugs, alcohol, sexual affairs, and scandal after scandal appear in the news daily. Where are the great athletes that children everywhere can aspire to be? Nonexistent. Realistically? Every great athlete. Honestly, children only understand what happens on the field and who wins the game. Saying that he or she cheated by taking enhancers and drugs; none of that would have made sense in my 3rd grade head. Drugs..is that like the Tylenol I take when I’m sick? Enhancers.. my gummy bear vitamins? Especially in sports, none of this brouhaha matters to children. What they see at a game is life changing. Nothing will take away my feelings when I saw McGwire hit that homer, just like I will always remember watching in awe Marion Jones win 3 golds in Sydney. Those performances are inspiring. A child needs to see those kind of performances, drug enhanced or not.
I doubt anyone is surprised that McGwire actually took steroids. It’s like a fairy tale. It’s almost supposed to happen. Great athlete achieves despite the odds, and then spirals into oblivion. Come on, look at Tiger Woods. As long as the black hole opens after a child sees an amazing performance by the athlete, nothing else matters.
All in all, I’m glad McGwire took steroids. Otherwise, I probably would not have seen that homer, or felt the amazing power of 45,000 fans all cheering for the same person. Knowing he may have took steroids during that game does not in any way change my experience.
After all, in my mind, he’s still the Mark McGwire I grew up with.
Ching-Ting Hwang
ND '12
Notre Dame Undergraduate Social Foundations of Coaching Course
Play Like A Champion Today(TM) Directors Clark Power and Kristin Sheehan have the distinct pleasure of teaching a course to Notre Dame Undergraduates entitled "Social Foundations of Coaching." The course educates Notre Dame students who aspire to become coaches to understand the nature of coaching as an educational ministry. The course's goal is to help these students develop an approach to coaching that is based on sound philosophical, psychological and sociological foundations. Students become conversant with theories about sports and coaching as well as learn how to apply these theories to the practice of coaching. Class members have been invited to share a blog post this semester. We are confident that PLC friends will glean knowledge and insight from the posts of our students. Watch for the student posts - coming each week!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Stocking Stuffer for your Youth Athlete
The best stocking stuffer your child will receive!
Play Like A Champion Today(TM) is offering a discount on its exclusive "Player Handbook." This is a tool for youth sport athletes, ages 8-14, designed to maximize the youth sport experience. The handbook guides athletes in setting goals and understanding the value of practice. It also highlights values such as teamwork, justice and sportsmanship. The handbook includes journal pages for your athlete to track his/her progress throughout a sport season. This handbook will facilitate your athlete's growth: physically, mentally, and spiritually through sport. Normally priced at $5, we are offering the Handbook through December 31, 2009 for $4, including shipping and handling.
Order your Player Handbook today by emailing plc@nd.edu with your address or through our office (574)631-9981.
Merry Christmas from PLC to you!
Connecting Spirituality within Sport: The PLC High School Athlete Retreat
Notre Dame High School in St. Louis, MO in partnership with Play Like A Champion Today(TM)is conducting retreats for their student athletes. Athletic Director, Ed Behr, and Campus Minister, Liz Miller, have united to conduct retreats at the beginning of each athletic season: fall, winter and spring. I had the pleasure to be a part of their winter retreat. Athletes took a break from studying for finals and came together to pray, to reflect upon who they are as people and as teammates and to set goals on who they want to become throughout the sport season. The athletes also heard testimony from a former collegiate soccer player on how he became more fully Christian through his sport experience, despite ever present pressures.
"Thus, I do not run aimlessly; I do not fight as if I were shadowboxing." 1 Cor. 9:26). The retreat served as a break from the business of a high school athlete's life filled with school work, exams, practice, games and other commitments. It offered a time and a space to reflect upon God's role in sport and how God is forming these young athletes to become disciples not only on their team, but in the world.
"Thus, I do not run aimlessly; I do not fight as if I were shadowboxing." 1 Cor. 9:26). The retreat served as a break from the business of a high school athlete's life filled with school work, exams, practice, games and other commitments. It offered a time and a space to reflect upon God's role in sport and how God is forming these young athletes to become disciples not only on their team, but in the world.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Play Like A Champion Today Featured on the Notre Dame Homepage
Play Like A Champion Today™ is being featured on the University of Notre Dame homepage this week and into the rest of December. PLC will be one of the videos featured on the carousel at the top of the page. PLC coaches and trainers will recognize brief excerpts from the workshop video that we present to our youth coaches.
Check it out at www.nd.edu!
Check it out at www.nd.edu!
Monday, December 7, 2009
Tim Donaghy: Rogue NBA Referee? 60 Minutes Interview Tells the Tale
PLC is developing an Officials Workshop for our partners to use in the 2010-2011 school year that will be unveiled at the 2010 Sports Leadership Conference. This is why I found Tim Donaghy’s interview so interesting last night. If you missed the 60 Minutes interview with Tim Donaghy, then check it out at www.cbsnew.com or view below. Donaghy is the infamous NBA referee who bet on professional basketball games, many of which he was officiating. The story portrayed a remorseful man who suffered from a severe gambling addiction that eventually got him into trouble with the mob, put him in jail, and tore apart his family.
A central theme of the interview focused on the integrity of NBA referees and officials in general. Both the FBI and the NBA did not find that his bets influenced the way he called his games. On the other hand, Donaghy claimed that he was able to win 80% of his bets exactly because of the inside information he was given by his fellow officials. He claimed in the interview that he knew of personal likes and dislikes of each official that would ultimately influence the outcome of the game. In other words, he made fair calls while benefitting from the unfair calls of his fellow officials.
Are officials influenced by personal opinions of teams, players, and coaches?
Two primary goals of the official are to protect the integrity of the game and ensure the safety of the players. Favoring (or disfavoring) a team because of personal opinions insults the integrity of the game. Just as coaches and players complete for the love of the game, so should officials officiate for the love of the game. There is no place for officials to make calls based on their personal opinions of the players or team.
At the same time, officials are human. As a former official, I seldom had players or coaches that I disliked a lot. Sure there were many who disliked me and never showed any sense of courtesy, but all that comes with the job. I can, however, remember a number of times when I would officiate a game with friends or even fellow officials who were participants. Sometimes they became the biggest critics! Occasionally I would make a call (the right call), knowing well that people would be upset by it. I may have felt guilty afterwards, not because of the call but because of the repercussions. I cannot imagine making a call (or not making a call) to teach a player or a coach a lesson.
Is Donaghy a “rogue official” as the NBA claims?
I hope so. In the interview, Donaghy made a number of accusations against the NBA. I hope that money does not play into the NBA’s influence on officials. At the same time, there were a lot of game 7’s last year. I also hope that the games I watch on TV are fair. I have had my fair share of yelling at the refs through the television – I just hope that it is caused by human error or my own ignorance and not personal vendettas.
What are your thoughts? Do you think he was impartial when he officiated games on which he placed some money? Can any referee truly call a game without any influence by personal likes and dislikes of teams, players and coaches?
Watch CBS News Videos Online
Watch CBS News Videos Online
A central theme of the interview focused on the integrity of NBA referees and officials in general. Both the FBI and the NBA did not find that his bets influenced the way he called his games. On the other hand, Donaghy claimed that he was able to win 80% of his bets exactly because of the inside information he was given by his fellow officials. He claimed in the interview that he knew of personal likes and dislikes of each official that would ultimately influence the outcome of the game. In other words, he made fair calls while benefitting from the unfair calls of his fellow officials.
Are officials influenced by personal opinions of teams, players, and coaches?
Two primary goals of the official are to protect the integrity of the game and ensure the safety of the players. Favoring (or disfavoring) a team because of personal opinions insults the integrity of the game. Just as coaches and players complete for the love of the game, so should officials officiate for the love of the game. There is no place for officials to make calls based on their personal opinions of the players or team.
At the same time, officials are human. As a former official, I seldom had players or coaches that I disliked a lot. Sure there were many who disliked me and never showed any sense of courtesy, but all that comes with the job. I can, however, remember a number of times when I would officiate a game with friends or even fellow officials who were participants. Sometimes they became the biggest critics! Occasionally I would make a call (the right call), knowing well that people would be upset by it. I may have felt guilty afterwards, not because of the call but because of the repercussions. I cannot imagine making a call (or not making a call) to teach a player or a coach a lesson.
Is Donaghy a “rogue official” as the NBA claims?
I hope so. In the interview, Donaghy made a number of accusations against the NBA. I hope that money does not play into the NBA’s influence on officials. At the same time, there were a lot of game 7’s last year. I also hope that the games I watch on TV are fair. I have had my fair share of yelling at the refs through the television – I just hope that it is caused by human error or my own ignorance and not personal vendettas.
What are your thoughts? Do you think he was impartial when he officiated games on which he placed some money? Can any referee truly call a game without any influence by personal likes and dislikes of teams, players and coaches?
Watch CBS News Videos Online
Watch CBS News Videos Online
Monday, November 23, 2009
PLC Welcomes New Partner, St. Hugo of the Hills
Play Like A Champion Today(TM) is proud to announce its newest partner, St. Hugo of the Hills in Bloomfield Hills in the Archdiocese of Detroit. Program Founder, Clark Power, traveled with Kristin Sheehan to Detroit on November 17, 2009 to conduct St. Hugo's first coach workship. Pictured are PLC friend and St. Hugo Parent, Connie Beckett, St. Hugo Principal, Sr. Margaret VanVelzen and Clark Power. St. Hugo's is our first Detroit area partner. We are looking forward to spreading the PLC message to St. Hugo coaches, parents and athletes. We believe the surrounding parishes in Detroit will feel the "PLC difference" when they witness the St. Hugo community in their sporting environment as the sport seasons go on for St. Hugo's. For additional pictures from the workshop, please check the PLC facebook St. Hugo photo album,
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Play-Like-a-Champion-TodayTM-Sport-Education-Program/79760084958
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Pope Benedict XVI Talks Sports!
Last weekend the Vatican held a two-day seminar titled, “Sports, Education and Faith: For a New Stage in the Catholic Sports Movement” in Rome. On the occasion of the event, hosted by the sport section of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, Pope Benedict XVI offered his thoughts on sports and young people today. Here are a few highlights:“In fact, when they are directed to the integral development of the person and are managed by qualified and competent personnel, sports initiatives reveal themselves as propitious occasions in which priests, religious and laity can become true and proper educators and teachers of life of young people.”
He briefly speaks out against the use of performance-enhancing
drugs. He challenges the Church to “continue to support sports for young people” for its positive aspects like stimulating “competitiveness, courage and tenacity;” pointing out, however, that the Church must educate young people through sports to avoid “all tendencies that…are dangerous to the organism, as is the case of doping.”
“In a coordinated formative action, Catholic leaders, technicians and operators must be considered experienced guides for adolescents, helping them to develop their own competitive potentialities without neglecting the human qualities and Christian virtues which make the person completely mature.”
“In this perspective, I find it very useful that this third Seminar of the "Church and sport" section of the Pontifical Council for the Laity focus its attention on the specific mission and the Catholic identity of sports associations, of schools and of oratories managed by the Church.”
Some reflection questions:
- How does your sports program contribute to the “integral development of the person?”
- Does your school or league have a plan to effectively discuss with athletes the physical and ethical implications of performance-enhancing drugs? How would you describe this plan?
- Are your coaches “experienced guides for adolescents?” Could they use some additional formation and professional development? If so, in what areas?
- Does your school’s athletic program have strong Catholic identity?
Dr. Clark Power, Play Like A Champion Today founder and director, presented at the inaugural meeting of this group within the Pontifical Council for the Laity in Rome in 2005. Since that time he created one of the only Catholic-focused, Sports as Ministry programs in the world. If you and your school are considering taking these words and putting them into action, please contact Play Like a Champion (plc@nd.edu) for more information about how we can help you develop a program that will contribute to your community’s “human and spiritual growth.”
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