One More Week Until the PLC Leadership Conference!

The Play Like A Champion Today™ Leadership Conference is just one week away! The PLC Team is working round the clock to prepare for this signature event. With nearly 100 participants attending this year, we are proud to have representatives from youth and high school sports programs from all over the United States and Canada.

This year 14 Catholic CYO/parochial leagues are represented including PLC Partners Kansas City Parochial League, Fort Worth Christian Football League, Seattle CYO, CYO of Nassau-Suffolk, the Northwest Indiana CYO, Dallas Parochial League, the Los Angeles CYO and the Niagara Catholic District School Board as well as new representatives from the Corpus Christi Parochial Sports League, Indianapolis CYO, Orange County Parochial Athletic League, Pensacola Catholic Youth Sports League, Valley Catholic Sports Program, and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. High School administrators, athletic directors and coaches will be travelling from Atlanta, Auburn (ME), Brownsville, Chicago, Denver, Erie (PA), Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Mishawaka (IN), Philadelphia, San Francisco, St. Louis, Tampa, and Zanesville (OH). In addition representatives from Catholic parochial schools will be attending the Youth Sports as Ministry program from 12 different cities.

Visit www.playlikeachampion.org/events/conference.html for more details about the conference and a full listing of seminars and speakers.

Fair Trade Sports

Scott, James, a Notre Dame alum, has developed an exciting new organization called Fair Trade Sports. Fair Trade Sports, Inc is the first sports equipment company in the US to launch a full line of eco-certified Fair Trade sports balls, ensuring fair wages and healthy working conditions for the adult workers who make the products. They offer an online retail store and wholesale store and sweatshop-free apparel. The company is committed to donate all profits after taxes to children’s charities, both domestic and international.

Check them out: http://fairtradesports.com/

Playing Sports to Pay for College

On Saturday, April 25, 2009 ESPN’s coverage of the NFL Draft reached a new record of 36.7 million viewers. The coverage showed a number of elite athletes, their families and friends receive phone calls from coaches and agents welcoming them to their new teams (and their multi-million dollar deals). It was a dream come true for these men.

Setting goals and having dreams are essential to building confidence in young athletes. Parents and coaches should certainly encourage young athletes to pursue their dreams no matter how difficult it may seem. The story of Rudy Ruettiger, featured in the motion picture “Rudy,” is an excellent example of a young athlete who never lost track of his dream no matter what other people said. However, in the film Rudy acknowledged the hard work it would take to achieve his dream and persevered through endless amounts of adversity.

Unfortunately, parents often may have their own unrealistic hopes and dreams for their young athletes. The thought of a college scholarship to pay for college is enticing and can cause parents to expect their children to be able to pay for college through their athletic abilities. So what are the odds? According to some research posted by the NCAA, playing sports after high school is not easy. The NFL Draft represented about 0.08% of the high school athletes that go on to play professional football. Only 5.7% of the high school football players will go on to play NCAA football, which is significantly higher than any other sport. Of the men’s high school basketball players, only 3.0% will play in the NCAA and only 0.03% will play in the NBA. Women’s basketball had the lowest percentage at 0.02% in the WNBA. Even those that do go on to play NCAA are not guaranteed a full-ride. The average NCAA athletic scholarship is $10,409 ($8,707 excluding football and basketball) according to a recent New York Times article. According to the article, in 2003-2004 NCAA institutions gave athletic scholarships to about 2% of the 6.4 million high school students playing sports. The reality is that the revenue-producing sports like football and basketball receive more scholarship than other NCAA sports (average of 85 football scholarships vs. 10 soccer scholarships for teams of 25-30 players). So even if an athlete is able to earn an athletic scholarship, it is not always likely to pay for their entire tuition.

The value of playing sports, particularly at a young age, extends well beyond any monetary reward. Children consistently say that they play sports to have fun not earn a reward. One of the most important impressions parents and coaches can make on young athletes, is to encourage intrinsic motivation. Rudy persevered because he was motivated “from within” rather than by external reward. In the same way, parents should help their children develop the confidence to reach personal goals rather than comparing themselves to others or providing some external reward (money, popularity, fame, etc.). Intrinsic motivation is what PLC calls “Champion-centered” motivation.

PLC Video on You Tube

We have posted the introduction chapter of our workshop video on YouTube. Check it out:

A Season to Celebrate! Holy Family Football Goes to Disney

The coaches at Holy Family have really taught these kids how to Play Like Champions!!




"The coaching philosophy behind "Play Like A Champion Today" has helped to define the purpose behind Holy Family's coaches' reason for coaching-it is about the kids. Because of this, each player on the team plays all positions and there are no individual stars. Each player is a star. Positive reinforcement and attention to Christian values were displayed at all games and practiced by players, coaches and parents alike."
- Joe Thompson, Coach of the Holy Family 4th Grade Flag Football Team


Joe, his fellow coaches, and his boys compete in the Orlando Catholic Youth League. The CYL of Orlando became partners with PLC in 2008. The CYL promotes the values of teamwork, sportsmanship, fair play, and equal playing time for the youth of Central Florida Catholic Schools. Find out more about their sports program at http://www.catholicyouthleague.org/.

What do kids say about winning?

Summary of article by Sherry Labyer, The Duncan Banner, Okla., February 22, 2009

According to a survey Baylor University’s Health, Human Performance and Recreation Department conducted among kids at the lowest levels of youth sports, “fun” is the primary reason most young athletes play sports. This survey, distributed to 6000 youth sports participants revealed that while 62% of respondents said that they mainly played sports “to have fun,” only 2% identified “to succeed or win” as the most important reason they play sports. Competition proved the least common motivator among this age group, ranking at the bottom of the seven responses given in the survey, behind “To be with their friends" (11 percent), "To make new friends" (10 percent), "To become physically fit" (7 percent), "To improve their skills" and "To learn new skills.”

The Baylor survey results may shed some light on other studies conducted by the Northeastern University Center for the Study of Sports in Society and the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports at Michigan State University. These studies show that among kids who began playing sports by age 8, 42% have stopped playing by age 16. Teenagers offer a variety of reasons for leaving athletics, but these studies indicate that 50% of respondents say they stopped playing sports because “It’s not fun anymore.”

Sherry Labyer’s article identifies the “fun” correlation between the two studies and exhorts parents and coaches to ensure that children gain positive attributes from youth sports. She reminds parents that emphasizing winning at a young age is counterproductive and can lead to feelings of failure an adequacy that can spill over into other areas of life. She encourages parents instead to focus on supporting young athletes, their teammates, and coaches, developing skills, and promoting sportsmanship. Similarly, Labyer argues that coaches should not focus on winning games, but rather on ensuring that kids gain positive attributes from sports, and that they have fun and want to continue playing. Kids can see the sports aren’t all about winning, Labyer claims, adults should too.

Seattle CYO Coach in the News

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer honored Coach Paul Seely of the Seattle CYO in a recent news article about his forty years of dedicated service as a coach. Like many CYO programs, the Archdiocese of Seattle offers high school students who don’t play on their high school’s basketball team the opportunity to participate in a competitive CYO league with other parish teams. “You just want the kids to have fun and continue to develop,” said Seely in the article. Seely’s commitment to developing young people through sports embodies the mission of Play Like A Champion Today™. Congratulations and job well done coach!

The Archdiocese of Seattle Catholic Youth Organization provides opportunities for youth to develop strong moral character, positive self-worth, interpersonal competence, and commitment to caring for others ad their community. In addition to the high school CYO program, the Seattle CYO primarily offers athletic programs for Catholic school teams within the archdiocese of Seattle. They have been a PLC partner since 2007. Visit them at: http://www.seattlearch.org/BuildingCommunity/CatholicYouthOrganization/

A-Rod

“When I arrived in Texas in 2001, I felt an enormous amount of pressure. I felt like I had all the weight in the world on top of me and I needed to perform and perform at a high level every day.” - Alex Rodriguez, Sports Illustrated, February 16, 2009

I wonder, at what point in his life did A-Rod stop playing baseball for the sake of the game and start playing to meet some external demands? Quite frankly, the culture of sport today demands that coaches and athletes perform at a high level and win no matter what the cost. The choice that coaches and athletes in youth and high school sports have to make is whether they will give in to this demand or stand up against it. Our studies show that performance at high levels is most likely to be fueled by an intrinsic motivation rather than external “pressure.” When coaches and athletes are motivated only by external pressure, they can take on a “win-at-all-costs” mentality and, like A-Rod, even turn to cheating. It is time to change the culture, not give into it. A-Rod gave into a culture in baseball that he called “very loose.” A true test of a champion today is whether or not they can stand up against what is wrong and do what is right.

It is interesting that A-Rod’s other excuse for using performance-enhancing drugs was that he was “young,” “stupid” and “naïve.” We often cite a study done by the Josephson Institute that found that only 27% of boys and 23% of girls would rather sit on the bench for a winning team than play on a team with a losing record. This is not to say that athletes want to lose, but winning simply isn’t the most important thing about sports to them. In the same study 70% of boys and 88% of girls agreed to the statement, “I want to win, but winning is not essential for me to enjoy my sports experience.” These young athletes are not stupid or naïve. They play for the sake of the game, not for money or to be remembered as one of the “greatest players of all time.” When sports become work, they cease to be play.

The Implications of Performance Enhancing Drug Use

A study conducted by the Department of Health and Exercise Science at the College of New Jersey led by Dr. Jay Hoffman in 2007, showed that 1.6% (2.4% males and 0.8% females) of the athletes they surveyed reported the use of anabolic steroids, while 72.1% admitted the use of at least one supplement (protein powder, multivitamins, and high-energy drinks). The most striking finding of this study may be that approximately 6% of male 12th graders reported anabolic steroid use while only 1% of the 9th graders reported such use. In other words, “reliance on nutritional supplements increases as adolescents mature.” This calls for the involvement of teachers, coaches, parents and physicians in the education of adolescent athletes about the implications of steroid use.

Studies have clearly shown the negative effects on a person’s physical and psychological health. Use of anabolic steroids by adolescents can cause premature puberty leading to short stature, acne, testicular atrophy, breast enlargement in males, excess facial hair and the increased risk of heart attack and liver damage. Also, the psychological effects include chronic aggression or depression and the increased risk of suicide.

However, arguments that emphasize the physical riskiness of the use of banned substances often fall on deaf ears because high performing athletes willingly take risks to excel at their sport. A far more compelling argument for refusing to take banned substances is a moral argument that taking such substances gives one an unfair advantage over others. In the Hoffman study, the majority of the steroid users (60%) felt that taking steroids was not cheating. If athletes do not see steroid use as cheating, then they will be more inclined to risk hurting themselves to win.

Coaches should address this issue in the context of a team meeting as well as in one-on-one conversations. When doing so, be sure to touch upon the moral implications as well as the personal health risks. If you address only the physical and psychological effects of steroid use, then athletes may only be motivated by fear of personal harm. Although this may be a good reason, true Champions are motivated to serve others rather than themselves. Remind the athletes of the values of fair play and competition (i.e. “competing with”). These are the fundamentals to becoming a true Champion.

Catholic Schools Week and Athletics

This week marked the 34th annual “Catholic Schools Week.” Catholic Schools celebrated “the important role that Catholic elementary and secondary schools play in providing values-added education for America’s young people.” (NCEA website) For most schools, the week consists of special prayer services, Masses, dress-down days, teacher-appreciation days, and community meals shared between students, parents and school faculty.

This week should also present a wonderful opportunity for Catholic schools to promote the Catholic identity not only of their academic programs, but also of their school athletic programs. Many of our nation’s Catholic Schools are known for their competitive sports programs. Nearly half of the high school athletic programs ranked in the Top 25 by Sports Illustrated in 2007-2008 are Catholic High schools.

But the pride in our nation’s Catholic school athletic programs should not be in the numbers of state titles or Division I athletes that they produce. These athletic programs and others like it all across the country have an amazing opportunity to develop young athletes to be leaders, men and women of virtue and character, and selfless servants for others. “The Catholic school is committed thus to the development of the whole man, since in Christ, the Perfect Man, all human values in find their fulfillment and unity,” wrote the Congregation for Catholic Education in its document “The Catholic School.” (no. 35) Such an education includes “physical education and sports,” wrote the Congregation in “The Religious Dimension of Education in a Catholic School.” (no. 84)

This is why the University of Notre Dame, with its strong reputation for academic and athletic excellence, has created a program to improve the Catholic identity of athletic programs in Catholic schools. This program presents a “Sports as Ministry” approach to coaching that is both athlete-centered and competitive. Based on the latest research in motivational psychology, theology, and sport physiology, the Play Like A Champion Today™ Sports as Ministry program is designed to help athletic programs renew their Catholic image and focus on the student-athletes. It is time to reclaim the culture of sports in Catholic schools and the Play Like A Champion Today™ program is the leading catalyst for change.