Big Wins and the Bigger Picture

Today's blog post was written by Quentin Collie, a senior English major at the University of Notre Dame. Quentin is a student in the Social Foundations of Coaching course taught by Play Like a Champion Today founder and directors Prof. Clark Power and Kristin Sheehan.

The Seattle Seahawks just delivered a dominant performance in their 43-8 win over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII.  The Super Bowl is one of the great American sporting events.  Millions of people gather in living rooms and restaurants, food and drink abundant, to watch the game.  Friends, family, strangers.  People all connect and share in this experience, regardless of whose team is competing for the Lombardi Trophy.  When the lights are brightest, the commercials are loudest, and the smells of hot wings and pizza fill the air, it can be easy to get caught up in the commercialization and pure entertainment aspects of the sport.  We should not forget, however, the power of community and inspiration that these sports possess.

This inspirational and bonding power of sports is exemplified in the story of Kevin Lee and his experience with Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks on a segment of ESPN’s “My Wish” from August of this year.

Though Peyton Manning, because of his age-defying comeback from injury and record-breaking season, garnered much of the media attention during the two weeks leading up to the game, it was second-year Seahawk QB Russell Wilson who came out of the game victorious.  Though Wilson has made a big splash in the NFL in his first two seasons, he has faced great amounts of doubt throughout his career.  Much of this adversity and doubt stemmed from Wilson’s height.  Standing at 5’11”, Wilson’s frame is less than optimal for an NFL quarterback.  Despite this, Wilson has now achieved the greatest feat in his sport by leading his team to a victory in the Super Bowl.

Russell Wilson’s attitude and perseverance serve as examples and inspirations for not only athletes, but for all those who face challenges and have a passion for the game.  One person who Wilson has personally inspired is twelve-year-old Kevin Lee.  One of the main reasons that Kevin feels like he has been able to relate to Wilson is their height.  Just as Wilson has a short stature for his position, Kevin stands at 4’4”, a short height for his age.   Kevin’s challenges and struggles, however, extend beyond his height, as his short stature is a result of a rare heart condition that has caused much trouble throughout his life and prevented him from playing contact sports.  In addition, Kevin was born legally blind.  As a result, Kevin has been battling since he was born, displaying a positive attitude, resilience, and will that is not matched by many people.

Despite his limitations and challenges, Kevin has still developed a passion for a major contact sport: football.  This past summer, through ESPN’s “My Wish,” Kevin got the opportunity to meet and hangout with Russell Wilson and the rest of the Seattle Seahawks.  From viewing Kevin’s interactions with Wilson, head coach Pete Carroll, and other players, it is apparent how much joy Kevin received from the experience.  You can see how he looks up to these players as role models, friends, and inspiration and finds importance and joy through football. 

While the image of the Seahawks players celebrating their championship on a confetti-covered field is a meaningful moment, we should also remember moments such as Kevin’s practice with these same Seahawk players and think about the personal inspiration and bonding experience that these moments and sports can provide.

Photo courtesy of ESPN

And by the way, Kevin predicted a Seahawks’ Super Bowl victory before the season even started.

One Job. Two Teams.

Today's blog post was written by Matthew Cunningham.  Matthew is a senior Management major in the Mendoza College of Business and a volunteer assistant basketball coach for St. Joseph High School.  Matthew is a student in the Social Foundations of Coaching class taught by Play Like a Champion directors Prof. Clark Power and Kristin Sheehan in Education, Schooling and Society at the University of Notre Dame.

Working in sports is challenging. There are meetings to attend, film to watch, practices to run, players to mentor, and games to play. The typical 40 hours per week does not apply to the sports industry. Coaches have stories about sleeping in their offices, working around the clock in pursuit of winning. If you take time to sleep, your competitors are passing you by.

That being said, the passion, the energy and the enthusiasm that sport provides us makes the demands of coaching worthwhile. The ability to mentor players and to watch kids grow as players and as individuals is one of the most rewarding parts of coaching.

Image Courtesy of www.nba.si.com

As a volunteer assistant coach for the varsity boys basketball team at St. Joseph High School in South Bend, IN, I have had the chance to not only learn about the dedication needed to run a successful high school basketball program, but the joy that comes from players and coaches working together to achieve a common goal.

It is in this balance of hard work and reward that makes coaching such a worthwhile profession. There is, however, another balance that must be realized.

Image Courtesy of www.suitsbysuits.com

With so much focus on your sports team, what about your other team? Your team at home: your family.

Being a coach doesn’t stop once you leave the field or the arena, your role simply shifts to another team, a team that regardless of your job or your record will be there for you. This means you need to be there for them.

I have grown up in a family whose lifestyle has been formed by college athletics. Because my dad has worked for the University of Notre Dame, Ball State University, the University of Tulsa, and UNC-Chapel Hill, our family has had to pick up and move to wherever the next job was. Changing schools, making new friends, and acclimating to a new city is never easy, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. Athletics has allowed me to see some incredible places and meet even better people. In all of our moving, however, family has always been a constant. Players leave, coaches move on, new jobs are taken, but as I have said (sarcastically), “I can never seem to get rid of my family.”

Each time we have moved, it has truly been a family decision. There were times when a new job was available for my dad to take, but we (not my dad, but “we”, as a family) turned them down. If the situation didn’t feel right for the whole family, taking new job was out of the question.

But forget about moving to a new city, how about the job you are currently in? How much time are you committing to your team, your players? Is it enough to be successful? Now think about your other team: your family. How much time are you committing to them? Is it enough to be successful?

 

Image Courtesy of http://www.york.edu/news/2012/0403_madole.asp 

It is too common that coaches focus all of their attention on their job, and not enough on their families. I have been fortunate enough to have a family that understands this balance. Even on trips to bowl games, we carve out time away from team activities for family time. Every summer we take a trip – just the six of us in the family. It is times like these that help build the bonds within the team that matters most.

 Think about your career as a coach. You set aside practice time for your team so they can grow.  But, do you do the same for your family?

As a coach you may have one “job”, but never forget that you have two teams – both of which need your time and attention.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inspiration: On and Off the Field

Today's blog was written by Caitlin McCreary, a sophomore at the University of Notre Dame. Caitlin is a Program of Liberal Studies major and a member of the Notre Dame Ultimate Frisbee team.  Caitlin hails from Pasadena, California and is generally a San Diego Chargers fan, but thought this story was important to tell despite her feelings about the Seahawks.

In a recent Duracell commercial Derrick Coleman, fullback for the Seattle Seahawks, addressed the disability that has defined his entire life; he has been deaf since he was three years old.  He narrates this commercial with stories of how he was bullied, excluded, misjudged, and left behind because of his inability to hear.  Imagine being told from a young age that you are a “lost cause,” that because of a disability you cannot control, your dreams are impossible.  Imagine hearing that over and over again.  Then imagine ignoring every coach, every kid, and every word to pursue your dreams.  In Derrick Coleman’s words “I’ve been deaf since I was three, so I didn’t listen.”  In a commercial that was meant to remind us of the strength of a battery, we are left instead with an impression of the strength of one man.

Coleman’s perseverance is inspiring and it left me wondering how I would respond under the same circumstances and how other children facing similar prejudices deal with the constant degradation.  One aspect of his torment that Coleman mentioned that really stood out to me was how he was always picked last for teams as a kid.  Even for someone who loves football as much as he clearly does, it must have tainted his opinion of the sport.  Looking back on middle and high school, I remember the expressions of the kids who were constantly chosen last for everything.  They were heartbroken and yet they seemed to expect nothing else.  They hated anything that required teams because it was a chance for other kids to be cruel, intentionally or unintentionally, all because they were smaller, skinnier, dorkier or different in any way.  Unlike Derrick Coleman many of these kids abandoned sports and team activities because they associated them with this cruelty.  

Getting picked last in itself is a form of bullying, but despite the fact that we recognize bullying as a major problem these days, I am not sure I have ever heard this mentioned as one of its many dangerous facets.  While not every child is meant to be a star athlete or go on to play in the NFL, no child should be deterred from playing before they can find out for themselves.  And even then no one should feel as if they cannot participate because they are different.  Sports are meant to be fun, especially when you are young.  One of the things that I like about working with Play Like a Champion Today is that they strive to put the "play" back in sports. Nothing should prevent a child from playing the sport that he or she loves.  Derrick Coleman didn't let the comments of his peers and coaches hold him back.  Instead he let them drive and strengthen him.  But not everyone can have his will and determination and at some point we need to start helping those who do not either by encouraging them to play or by stopping other kids from degrading them.

Athletics vs. Academics

Today's blog post is written by Play Like a Champion founder and co-director Professor Clark Power.  The article was originally featured in the Huffington Post.  

Mary Willingham's stunning charges that 60 percent of the University of North Carolina's (UNC) football and basketball players read below the 8th grade level, and eight percent to 10 percent read at or below a third grade level, have reignited questions and controversies, not only around North Carolina's beleaguered efforts to restore its academic reputation, but about college athletics more generally. Although some members of the UNC community have questioned Willingham's data, there is no denying the fraught relationship between big-time college athletics and colleges' academic mission.

From the very beginning of intercollegiate athletics, the pursuit of athletic success has forced compromises with academic integrity. In spite of the best of intentions, over a hundred years of attempts to check encroachments of intercollegiate athletic programs on colleges' academic standards have floundered. We are in the midst of the latest, and what many believe is the most promising, of these reforms, the NCAA's institution of the Academic Progress Rate (APR) legislation in 2004. The late Myles Brand, who introduced the APR in 2004 as President of the NCAA, called it "the most far-reaching effort of its kind." This legislation requires that institutions ensure that their athletes meet yearly benchmarks for progress toward graduation, or face team sanctions.

The evidence suggests that the APR legislation is achieving its intended goal of improving graduation rates, particularly among athletes playing the high revenue sports of basketball and football. On the other hand, research by the University of South Carolina's Collegiate Sports Research Institute (CSRI) indicates that the picture is not as rosy as it first may appear. The CSRI reports that Football Bowl Series (FBS) colleges graduate 18 percent fewer football players than non-athletes, and 24 percent fewer African American football players. The CSRI report also notes that conferences vary to the extent in which they graduate their football players, with the major conferences faring the worst.

Even if the APR legislation succeeds in eliminating the gap between the graduations rates of football and basketball players and those of the non-athlete population, concerns raised by Willingham about the quality of athletes' education linger. The documentary, Schooled: The Price of College Sports, raises disturbing questions about the tactics used to keep up APRs. In the documentary, Dominque Foxworth, a graduate of Maryland, and the President of the NFL Players' Association notes, "Your [college's] challenge is to get them eligible; it's not about educating them."

To be fair, thanks to the dedicated services of academic support personnel, many athletes do receive an education that was not available to them in high school or grade school. Yet, many athletes lack the background and motivation to be successful, even with extensive tutoring. While support staff and dedicated faculty can provide high quality remedial programs, they cannot do athletes classwork for them. Pressures to cheat and engage in academic fraud mount as unprepared student athletes are held to the same standards as other students.

We are not doing student athletes a favor by admitting them into academic programs that they are not qualified for. Many of those who struggle to maintain eligibility come from poor families. Growing inequality in the U.S. has led to a worsening achievement gap that makes it increasingly difficult for poor students to receive the education that they need to realize the American dream of working their way out of poverty.

If college administrators and boards of trustees insist upon admitting student-athletes who are not yet ready to do college work, then in all fairness, non-degree programs ought to be established for helping these student-athletes to get the education they missed. Furthermore, if college presidents are fully committed to upholding academic standards and providing their weakest students with real education, they need to involve their faculty and academic support specialists, like Willingham, to far a far greater extent than most do at present. The APR reform, which was undertaken without their input, is creating a whole new set of problems. Faculty ought to be given responsibility for setting and overseeing admissions criteria and maintaining quality remedial, as well as conventional educational programs.

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.