Where do our Priorities Lie?

Play Like a Champion Director Clark Power offers some insight on the current storm at Rutgers, and how it reflects the current state of college athletics.

Once again President Robert Barachi is on the hot seat. He chose Julie Hermann as Rutgers' new Athletic Director in a move designed to restore integrity to Rutgers' beleaguered athletic department. Hermann replaces Tim Pernetti, who resigned under pressure for not responding more decisively to a videotape showing basketball coach, Mike Rice shoving his players, throwing basketballs at their heads, and berating them with slurs. Maybe Barachi wishes he had Pernetti back. Hermann, it appears, may have been abusive herself, something that Rutgers' search committee was unaware of when they hired her. The search committee, in fact, viewed Hermann as the answer to an athletic department culture more protective of coaches than players. In a press release announcing the search committee's decision, Kate Sweeney, the co-chair, noted that the "committee was particularly impressed with Julie Hermann's student-centered approach to athletics."

Less than two weeks after Herrmann's selection, Hermann's "student-centered approach to athletics" was challenged in a New Jersey Star-Ledger story, which published a copy of 16-year-old letter written by former student athletes, who alleged that they suffered "unbearable mental cruelty" while Hermann was their volleyball coach. Players recalled reading that letter to Hermann and the women's athletic director, Joan Cronan, in an intense and uncomfortable meeting. Hermann denies knowing about that letter. She also denies the allegation in the letter that she called her players "whores, alcoholics and learning disabled." "For sure, I was an intense coach," she explained, "but there is a vast difference between high intensity and abusive behavior."

Cronan couldn't have been too bothered by the student athletes' discontent because Hermann went on to become an assistant coach for USA Volleyball before becoming an Assistant Athletic Director at the University of Louisville. Louisville Athletic Director, Tom Jurich, who hired Hermann admits knowing that "things didn't end well at Tennessee" but that "everything was clear sailing" after speaking with the AD at Tennessee and the coach of the Olympic Team under whom Hermann coached while still at Tennessee. He admitted, "She is intense" but added, "I don't know a coach who isn't."

Kim Tibbits, Hermann' assistant coach at Tennessee upholds Hermann's side of the story, "I was by Julie's side in every meeting and every practice, and she never did what they're saying. What they are saying is not true. She was the most supportive coach. She loved those kids. What I'm hearing and seeing now is just shocking." Cronan said that couldn't recall the letter itself or the high drama of the team meeting that precipitated Hermann's departure. She does remember, however, that the players were somewhat "disgruntled." But she attributed their displeasure as due to "frustration" at their team's lack of athletic success.

Those who defend Hermann, including Hermann herself, see her as the real victim in all of this. Without a videotape like the one that led to Rice's demise there is no way of verifying the players' story. All we have is the testimony of the student athletes themselves, all of whom received counseling following their unanimous expression of "irreconcilable differences with their coach." The only uncontroverted part of this unfolding story is that none of the administrators, who vetted Hermann as she rose up the administrative ladder, ever bothered to ask her players why "things didn't turn out well" at Tennessee.

If we can learn anything from this latest Rutgers controversy, it is that in a "student-centered" athletic environment, the student athletes ought to be consulted and taken seriously, particularly when allegations of abuse arise. Students may well be in the best position to help the athletic community to determine the difference between being intense and being abusive.

Learning as an Official

Today's blog comes to us from Social Foundations of Coaching student Liam Madden. Liam reflects on his experiences as a basketball official and how his decisions affect his coaching strategy. To learn about Play Like a Champion Today's Official's Workshop, check out our website.

I had the chance to officiate an extramural basketball tournament at Oakland University in Michigan and dealt with many hot-tempered coaches, whom we are trained as officials to communicate with.  However, in the men’s semifinal game of the tournament, in a close game that would crush the hopes of one college club team and advance the other to the highly-coveted championship game, I was in a bind that changed the way I view coaching from the sidelines.    

After another official on my crew called an intentional foul on a player who clearly hacked an opponent on a fast break, the fouling player’s coach began a tirade on the sideline and contested that the play was not overly violent (the coach clearly misunderstood the difference between an intentional foul and a flagrant foul).  The third official on my crew gave the coach a much-deserved technical foul and told him that he had to sit down, or else he would be kicked out of the game.

The coach proceeded to continue standing and arguing, and I went over to him and warned him that he had to sit down or I’d eject him.  At this point, his team was down 12 points with under a minute left and was clearly going to lose, yet he refused to give in to our instructions.  His team wanted to get the game over with and his team captain yelled at him to sit down because he was embarrassing the team and they wanted to finish the game.  I did not eject the coach, which the NCAA official evaluating me told me was the biggest mistake I made all game because it compromised my authority as an official.

What I learned from the whole situation is that a coach’s conduct not only influences his reputation among officials and fans but also reflects the whole team, and in youth sports coaches must be role models for their players.  After the game, the team’s captain came up to our officiating crew and apologized on behalf of his coach and said the whole team was embarrassed by his behavior.  As a coach, especially at an amateur level, one must be respectful of officials and set a good example for his or her team.  In the future when I coach youth sports, I will always remember this lesson I learned from a coach’s extremely poor sportsmanship.

As a basketball official, I have dealt with many coaches who do not hesitate to spew criticisms, even at the youth level and have learned that coaches not only must be professional in conduct and demeanor but also must set a standard for communicating with officials that their players can follow.  In pre-game captains meetings, I always make it clear that as officials we are glad to answer any questions about specific calls but will not respond to obnoxious statements about our officiating.  Coaches, as role models for their players, must demonstrate the proper way to deal with officials so their players do not feel they have the option to act disrespectfully towards referees.

Youth Sports Tragedy

On May 5, Ricardo Portilla died in a coma ten days after being punched for giving a yellow card in a recreational league soccer game.  This was not the first time that he had been attacked, and his family had had begged him to give up officiating for fear that he would sustain a serious injury.  The incident occurred not in a tournament or state championship but in a recreational league game! The league’s “no tolerance policy” for player violence didn’t deter the angry outburst.

           

The abuse of referees is rampant throughout sports at all ages and competitive levels.   It starts with the coaches and fans.  Eventually the children follow.  Insults, intimidation, and occasional threats are the rule.  We generally look the other way until the abuse becomes physical.  Six weeks earlier, CNN broke a story about soccer referees in Europe being “under siege,” (http://edition.cnn.com/2013/03/14/sport/football/referee-violence-spain-football).   That story featured an incident in the Netherlands in which a group of adolescent players beat a volunteer linesman to death.  

           

Let’s hope that the youth sports community in the United States will respond to Ricardo Portilla’s death with the moral outrage expressed throughout Europe.  The problem of referee abuse lies with an adult-constructed youth sports environment in which respect for rules, referees, and fairness seems quaint.  Getting away with as much as possible and manipulating referees is the now the norm.  Ricardo Portilla refereed recreational soccer because he loved the game and those who played it.  We owe it to him and to our children to change the toxic culture that foments violence and disrespect.

98

Jason Collins admitted that he struggled for years for self acceptance.   When he joined the Celtics this year, he began wearing “98” as a “small gesture of solidarity” with the gay community.  Collins noted that the year 1998 has a double significance. It marks not only the year of Matthew Shepherd’s cruel death but also the founding of the Trevor Project, the leading national organization providing crisis intervention to LGBTQ youth, who account for 30% of adolescent suicides.  To understand the significance of Jason Collins’s revelation, we must walk in the shoes of those countless children who have experienced humiliation, ostracization, bullying, and torture for their perceived sexuality.  Sports have bred homophobia for generations. We all know the demeaning jeers and slurs that are embedded in the culture of youth as well as professional sports.   Defensive lineman, Esera Tusalo, explained after he came out, “It [sport] is a place for gladiators and gladiators aren’t supposed to be gay.” He lived in terror and nearly committed suicide for fear that his sexual identity would be revealed.   Jason Collins suffered in lonely silence long enough. 

By coming out he claimed his full personhood and as his aspirations to love faithfully and to start a family.  He also invited those of us who coach young people to embrace the full significance of “98” and to build a sports culture that goes beyond tolerance to acceptance and compassion.  

Tragedy in Boston, Triumph in Sport

6 down, 20 to go!

The bombings at the Boston Marathon on Monday tragically killed 3 people and injured hundreds. Play Like a Champion Today Associate Director, Damian Kearney ran the race. He offers his insight on the day's events.

I ran the Boston Marathon on Monday. I ran through some of the most beautiful towns in America, I reunited with old friends I haven’t seen in years, and I got to participate in the premiere event for the sport that I love. It was one of the best experiences of my life. I emerged from the finishers areas half an hour later to meet my family, and went to the Prudential Center for some much deserved pizza.

After enjoying some slices, we heard a big boom. A few people went outside. Then another boom, this time about 200 yards from where I was eating. Then panic. People in the food court were turning over tables, screaming, running outside. It was the first “mob scene” I had ever witnessed first-hand.

Then confusion. A quarter million people having no idea what to do, where to go, or what to expect, wandering around in search of answers. What happened? Where do I go? Where’s my stuff? Are we safe?

Trained staff and onlookers chipped in to help victims injured in the now infamous explosions. Completed marathoners gave blood to assist the traumatized (because they’re the last people that need fresh oxygen flowing, right?!). People opened their doors to strangers in need of a warm building. Concerned citizens gave unfinished runners food, phones, and blankets as they tried to piece together the events that had just transpired (take it from me that the last quarter mile of a marathon is already pretty hazy).

Amidst an act of terror, thousands of acts of kindness emerged.

These acts of kindness will not bring back any of the lives that were taken, or replace any of the limbs that were lost, but they are an example of sport at its best. Sport at its best, is unitive, heroic, and uplifting. A team getting pulling together in a comeback; a bench-player defying the scouting report; “winning one for the Gipper.” On Monday, I saw best of sport. For 4 hours and 50 minutes, millions of people had fun, supported each other, and strode to fundraise for noble causes. For the rest of the day, the best of sport continued in the streets of Boston, Massachusetts.

People could have taken advantage of others’ weakness on Monday, but people chose to do good rather than ill. I do not believe that it was just sport that brought people together on Monday. I think we are all naturally empathetic and come together in times of trouble. But I do believe that sport is ultimately a reflection of the society we live in.

People, just like sports, have the potential to do great things, or do terrible things. We saw both on Monday. Thirteen seconds of violence were surrounded by minutes, hours, even months of passion and compassion. This is at the core of why sport is noble. In sport, just like life, we are provided with a forum to do good or evil. What I saw on Monday was that our natural inclination is to do good, despite one person’s choice to do the opposite.

As we coach, play, and watch sports, let’s remember what we saw on Monday. In the face of darkness, we chose light.

Integrity and Honesty In Sport

In most sports, athletes let the officials take responsibility for upholding the rules. In fact in most sports, athletes and coaches “play the refs” and try to get away with as much as they can. Not so in golf. Golf is one of the few sports to have developed a culture that demands that athletes take responsibility for upholding the rules and for reporting even their inadvertent violations of the letter of the law. Golf demonstrates that the honor code really works, even when the stakes are high and no one is looking. In the playoff for the Horizon Heritage Tournament title with over $400,000 on the line, Brian Davis of England called a two-stroke penalty on himself for accidentally nicking a reed on the backswing of his recovery shot from a hazard to the left of the 18th green. Only Davis was aware that he had barely touched the overhang, yet he did not hesitate to make his infraction known to an official. The reaction of the golf community was not surprise but affirmation. “What Davis did was what probably 90 percent of the players on the tour would have done” wrote Larry Dorman (2010). Dorman went on to recount golf’s proud history of self-reporting going back to the legendary Bobby Jones, who in 1925 after calling the same penalty on himself said, “You may as well praise a man for not robbing a bank.” Few would fault Tiger Woods for doing what athletes in all other sports do – let the rules committee take responsibility for deciding whether to give him a two stroke penalty or disqualify him. But this is not all other sports; this is golf. Tiger missed an opportunity to do something far more significant and memorable than winning another major.

Bye Bye Big East

The Notre Dame Basketball programs played their last games as members of the Big East conference last week. Social Foundations of Coaching student Tom VanSlochem comments.

On Friday night, the Fighting Irish fell to the Louisville Cardinals in the Big East Championship Semifinals. After the loss Mike Brey told the media, “I’m thrilled that we played in the semis in such a magical night here. It’s a little bit of unfinished business, but we’ll get over it quickly and get ready for next week.” Notre Dame started off the tournament with a great win over Rutgers and an upset of No. 12 Marquette in the quarterfinals. However, the Irish couldn’t get into a rhythm against Louisville – committing 16 turnovers and shooting 36.5 percent overall. While this was the third straight year Notre Dame has lost to Louisville in the Big East semifinals, it was their fourth straight semifinal appearance. The loss was also Notre Dame’s final game as a member of the Big East, with the team moving to the Atlantic Coast Conference next season.

"I can't say enough about the Big East. I don't think it's really hit me yet," Mike Brey said, following the game. "The Big East has kind of made me. I've always said I've been as proud of being a Big East guy as I am a Notre Dame guy. We'll miss that." Brey was not the only head coach who said a few words about the demise of the Big East. Jim Boeheim (Syracuse), Rick Pitino (Louisville), and John Thompson III (Georgetown) also shared the sentiment that the end of the Big East was bittersweet. “It’s sad for me because I was there at the start [1979] when they put the league together,” said Boeheim. Thompson, longtime friend and rival of Boeheim, said, “Change is here. But the Big East is something that I know, that we know, and it’s going to be missed.”

The 2013 Big East Championship Tournament marks the end of the Big East as we know it. Next season, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, and Syracuse will join the ACC and the Catholic Seven – Georgetown, DePaul, Marquette, Villanova, Seton Hall, Providence, and St. John’s – will form a new conference under the Big East name. The remaining members of the current Big East are still trying to work out the details for the 2013-2014 season. Nevertheless, Irish fans should look forward to the upcoming season in the ACC with its high level of competition and exciting matchups.

Getting to Know Muffet

Social Foundations of Coaching student Jeremy Riche provides insight of one of college basketball's greatest motivators. 

Being a practice player for the women’s basketball team here at Notre Dame, I am able to see firsthand the effective coaching style of one of the best women’s college basketball coaches of all time. National Champions in 2001, National Runner-Ups in 2011 and 2012, 100% graduation rate since 2007, and induction into the Hall of Fame in 2011 are just some of the many achievements that Coach McGraw has been able to accomplish in her twenty-six years at this university. As seen by the 100% graduation rate, she holds her players to high standards off the court just as much as she does on the court. Effective coaching is more about the X’s and O’s, it is about developing your players into well-rounded individuals who, as it says on a statue fixed between the football stadium and the JACC, "leave the field a better player and leave Notre Dame a better person."

Basketball is always a team game and never has that fact been so clear than when during their practice. Leadership starts at the top with the head coach, then flows through the assistant coaches, then through the upperclassmen, and finally through the underclassmen—even the youngest or least experienced person has a leadership role in some form on the team. One of the interesting things that I have noticed during practice occasionally is the opportunity Coach McGraw gives the players to coach each other. For example, when a player is asking her what should the play look like or what type of movement should there be on the weak side of the defense, Coach McGraw will coach that player but allow her, in turn, to explain it to her teammates. She empowers her players with leadership and responsibility, which helps with the feeling of team ownership for each player.

A challenging, yet exciting aspect of college coaching as opposed to professional coaching is the fact that each year schools graduate to their veterans, their leaders. So, the process of developing relationships and maximizing each players talent is a continuing process that Coach McGraw has mastered, as evident by the continual success of her teams on and off the court. With each new basketball season comes a new team, but for the past twenty-six years here at Notre Dame, each of those new teams has had the privilege of being coached by one of the most effective and successful coaches in all of women’s college basketball—Coach McGraw.  

Should I put my kid in just one sport?

Today's Blog comes to us from Social Foundations of Coaching student, Kathryn Lux. Kathryn is senior Softball player for Notre Dame.

As times are changing and sports are becoming more and more competitive, there has been a big push for children to start specializing in one sport. Many feel that this is a good idea because if a child spends all of their time focusing on one sport, then it would only make sense that they have a better chance at earning a college scholarship, right? Well not necessarily. Take myself for example, I received a scholarship to play softball at the University of Notre Dame, and I played three sports until I came to college. I found that because I was a multi-sport athlete, I got better grades and was one of the most active and productive athletes in school.  Also, I would argue that those who are active in more than one sport are better all-around athletes. By participating in multiple sports, athletes gain the opportunity to learn transferable athletic skills, such as the football player who learns balance and agility from wrestling. This is important because even though a child is not active in the same sport year round, they are still improving their game. Lastly, I would say that a child benefits from playing more than one sport because they are members of multiple teams that give them exposure to different coaches with different philosophies, different teammates and personalities, which can provide important benefits for the development of a well-rounded person.

Parents tend to like specialization because it can make life easier for them, and some can live vicariously through their child. The pressure that parents put on their children to specialize can cause the athlete to settle for a sport that might not be their favorite, or might not be where their natural talent lies. Thus, leading to kids becoming burned out because they play the same sport all year round, and ultimately wanting to quit. Sports are about fun, and I would strongly encourage people to allow their children to play multiple sports because it plays such an integral part in their development as human beings, as well as aiding in their chance to earn a college scholarship. 

The Importance of Intramurals

Today's Blog comes to us from Social Foundations of Coaching Student Alex Green.

Growing up, I played sports year-round.  Ever since 2^nd grade, it was one sports season after the other, most of the time with two overlapping each other.  Soccer, basketball, baseball, football, repeat, all through grade school and high school as well.  So when college comes around and those kids that have played sports their entire lives are no longer a part of an athletic team, they don’t know what to do.  Now I do realize that this isn’t the case for everyone, but I do know it is for a lot of students here at Notre Dame, myself included.  This is why I think Notre Dame’s intramural programs can be of the utmost importance for kids like myself and others, whether we realize it or not.

Speaking from personal experience, because I grew up playing sports nearly year round for so many years, I learned to manage my time in a very efficient manner, simply because I had to in order to get everything done in a given day.  My parents were the type that if my grades weren’t up to their standards, then I would have to put the sports I loved to play on hold until my grades improved (and trust me, those were some high standards, seeing as I was admitted to this great university).  Being a young kid loving every minute of whatever sport I was currently involved in, I never wanted to miss a practice, a game, or a weekend tournament out of town somewhere.  Because of this, I made sure I structured my day so that I would always have my work done and in manageable segments.  In grade school, this wasn’t much of a problem, but high school forced me to refine those time management skills even further due to the increased workload as well as time spent on athletic activities.  Throughout high school, my best semesters, academically, were those in which I was heavily involved in a sport, simply because I forced myself to be that much more focused and efficient in my coursework during that time. 

Going into college, all of that just kind of vanished.  I found myself with so much free time that I didn’t know what to do with it.  All of the sudden I didn’t have to be anywhere at a certain time every day for 3-4 hours, I had more time.  Consequently, I got lax in my studies; I became complacent with my academic performance, all because I had so much more time than I was used to so when I was presented with work, I would put it off and instead surf the internet, watch TV, or play video games with my friends.  By the time I eventually got around to do the work, I would have a ton of other work as well, as it just seemed to pile up on me.  Therefore, I would often scramble to get it all done as quickly as possible because I wanted to go to bed or watch more TV or something, and the quality of the work would suffer.  Once sophomore year rolled around, I was disappointed in my academic performance and thus turned to the only thing I knew to be of any help, sports.  I got involved in all the intramurals I could get my hands on, trying to emulate what I had grown accustomed to for so many years before: football, flag football, basketball, softball, even racquetball (which I’d never played before).  In this way, I added a sort of structure to my life, something that I knew I had to do every day/week that I had to plan around.  My grades improved, I got back in a little bit better shape, I made some new friends, but most of all, I was able to have fun playing the sports I love. 

Was it the same athletic level of intensity or commitment of high school?  Absolutely not.  But what it did function as was a friendly reminder of the way I used to do things, more efficiently and with greater success. I needed that.  I’ve come to terms with the fact that I won’t have sports to rely on my entire life, much less next year.  Because of that, I have learned to fill my days with other, meaningful activities, such as part time jobs, special projects and clubs.  Without that gentle reminder of my work ethic from the past that intramurals provided me, I’m not sure I would be as successful as I have been these past 4 years here.  And for that, I will be forever grateful.