The Inspirational Lauren Hill

Today's blog was written by Kevin Byrne.  Kevin is a senior at the University of Notre Dame majoring in marketing in the Mendoza College of Business.  Kevin is a student in the Social Foundations of Coaching Course taught by Play Like a Champion founder Professor Clark Power and program director Kristin Sheehan.  Kevin is also a middle distance specialist on the Notre Dame Track and Field Team.

Lauren Hill never imagined her college basketball career would have this big of an impact.

On her 18th birthday, Lauren committed to Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati to continue her basketball career.  She received terrible news soon thereafter when she learned that she had a brain disease called Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Gliomas (DIPG) and was given less than two years to live.  Recently, an MRI showed that the tumor on her brain had progressed and that she most likely would not make it until the end of the year. 

Her love of the game and her desire and courage to play one last game has inspired countless people to send their support and praise for Hill’s cause.  On November 2nd, Hill and her Mount St. Joseph teammates opened up their season against Hiram College at Xavier’s Cintas Center.  The 10,250 tickets for the game sold out within 30 minutes.  The game received an NCAA exemption to be moved up to November 2nd from November 15th to accommodate Hill.  Hill’s positive outlook about her terminal diagnosis has already earned her the Pat Summitt Most Courageous Award, which is normally given out to a player or coach at the Final Four in April. 

Celebrities and athletes like Mia Hamm, Richard Sherman, Andy Dalton, and Randy Foye have all shown their support for Lauren Hill.  As an athlete that has lived her life as a champion, she has inspired many people.  Former WNBA player Sheryl Swoops said that Hill is “...the true definition of a fighter, warrior, and competitor.”  A foundation has been set up called Layup4Lauren  where people can accept the challenge by performing a layup with their non-dominant hand which is how Hill feels while playing basketball with DIPG and then donating to brain cancer research.

Lauren Hill is an inspiration to countless people and her determination to play the game she loves  is a reminder to all of us to never give up. 

Infamous Jameis: The Moral Problem of Valuing Winning over Everything

Today's blog was written by Joseph Fisher. Joe is a senior Chemistry and Business double major at Notre Dame and a student in the Social Foundations of Coaching course taught by Play Like a Champion Founder and Director Professor Clark Power and Program Director Kristin Sheehan.  In his spare time, Joe is doing a coaching practicum as a volunteer assistant boy's tennis coach at a local high school.  The opinions expressed in the blog are Mr. Fisher's, and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Play Like a Champion Today.

When do you draw the line between success in sports and doing the right thing?  It really depends on whom you ask the question to—if you were to ask that question to the football team at the University of Notre Dame, they would say that their line is drawn very early in the sand.  The Fighting Irish, just earlier this season, suspended 5 players from practice and games on the suspicion of academic dishonesty.  These five players represented several major contributors for the Irish from last season, but the decision still stood.  In this situation, it seems that Notre Dame is placing academics above football.

Jameis Winton
photo courtesy of ABC News

When you look at the Florida State University football team though, the difference could not be more apparent.  The way they have handled the current Jameis Winston situation has many people questioning FSU’s motives.   Winston is the Heisman-winning quarterback at the school, and this isn't his first "situation." Is FSU more focused on football than doing the right thing?  If not, why are they still allowing Winston to play amidst allegations of sexual assault and being paid for over 2000 items with his signature?  This is also after he was arrested for stealing crab legs from a Publix.  Where does it stop?  People look up to Winston (or at least did, before all of this happened).  As last year’s Heisman Memorial Trophy winner, he was supposed to exemplify the best of college football, both on and off the field.  Winston clearly has not matured enough to truly exemplify the best of what college football has to offer, and FSU is hurting from a publicity standpoint because of his recent antics.  The fact that FSU still has not suspended him shows that they are placing football over morality in this situation. 

The problem is that they are forgetting what exactly the definition of Champion should be—it is not just about winning and being the best team, but more about playing with class and morality.  One cannot truly be a champion unless they are humble enough to acknowledge that they have something truly special, and should be honored to be a champion.  Jameis Winston has clearly not accepted or understood this fact yet, and he is acting out of selfishness.  He is placing himself above his university and his team, and he doesn’t seem to care.  Every time he gets in trouble and gives a press conference to apologize, it is the same line: I’ve let down this university and my teammates, coaches, and the fans of FSU football and I’m sorry.  Only he doesn’t mean it.  It is an empty sentence, read from a script that he did not write, and one that he has no feeling or conviction for.  This is the exact opposite type of person that kids should be looking up to, yet Winston doesn’t seem to care.  Jameis is all about Jameis.

When Playing Like Champions Means Losing with Class

Today's blog was written by J.C. Obringer, a former Play Like a Champion intern and a sophomore at Ball State University.

Everyone wants to win that championship, there are thousands and thousands of teams that compete for various championships across the world.  For the past several weeks, Little League teams from across the country and around the world have converged on Williamsport, Pennsylvania to compete in the Little League World Series for the World Championship.

There have been several stories that have come out of the Series this year.  One of the most moving was not about winners or a stellar play, but instead about what happens when the team loses.  What do you say to a hand full of 8-12 year boys that are starting to tear up right after losing the biggest game of their lives? David Belisle could not have said it any better.

One of the hardest things as a coach is teaching these young boys and girls that it is not all about winning. While winning is fun, you can't win every game. One of the toughest lessons to teach kids is that winning isn’t everything.  At a young age kids are very competitive and want that win. Belisle made it clear that pride is really what matters.  As a coach the best feeling in the world is watching your kids have fun. Seeing them lose isn’t fun. But, as Belisle said,  if you fight and never give up, at the end of the day you are all winners. When they walk away knowing they did the best they did and they are walking off the field with the best thing anyone can take away from the game is: Pride.

David Belisle made it clear that he was not mad that they lost and the only thing he would be sad about is not being able to coach this group of boys anymore. This is a great example of the impact a coach can have on their players.  These kids will remember this journey for life and who lead this on this journey. This speech is what you look for in a coach--developing kids and preparing them for the next level, in sport and in life.  

Captain Clutch

This past week, Derek Jeter participated in his 14^th and final all-star game. Jeter has become the poster child of the Yankees and, largely, has been the face of the MLB for the past decade. He also is the captain of the New York Yankees, which is a huge honor, since he is only the 11^th official captain of the team. Jeter is the longest tenured captain of the team as this is his 12^th season as captain.  His on and off field performance.

Derek Jeter is very well known all around the major league baseball. He is known as a leader and is well respected. Were ever he goes, he is treated well, even in towns that typically "hate" the frequently successful Yankees.  You would think that some teams fan base wouldn’t care for him, but wherever he goes he still is well-received because of the way he acts as a person. This was made blatantly clear in a viral ad done by Nike in his honor last week. He is one of the most poised athletes in the game. Younger players look up to him, and many want to be him. He is a role model on and off the field. One thing that sets him apart from most players is his off the field attitude. While he is often in the media, it was rarely negative issues that would damage his  or his team's reputation. By and large, he is the role model you would want kids looking up to.

Every team looks for one of these players that can lead their team through thick and thin. Jeter did so and this is the nickname "The Captain" came from. He will always be looked as a leader and as his last year come to an end, you can bet the Yankees will work to honor everything he has done for them as the model athlete, team member, and leader.

LeBron: Back for Good?

Today's post was written by Natalie Schmid, a Play Like a Champion Today intern.  Natalie is a rising high school junior and a member of her school's swimming and soccer teams. 

King James is back in Cleveland, and media attention is, once again, on him. This begs the question: Is LeBron just coming home and being loyal to his home in Ohio or is all this just to get more attention and more money? When LeBron left the Cavaliers to go to the Heat, the whole fan base was devastated—people even burned his jerseys.  However, now he is back, and the Cavs organization is welcoming him back with open arms.  Fans also seem to be welcoming him, luckily for LeBron, or he could have had a real tough time back in Cleveland if they had not.

LeBron is coming back to the Cavs like a hero saying that he will win championships with them. This could be true, but one thing that is certain is that LeBron coming back to the Cleveland is that he is getting a lot of publicity and the season has not even begun (and his last team just got definitively beaten in the NBA Finals.) Is publicity the real reason that LeBron switch back to the Cavs? One could argue that this is an entirely money and publicity-driven move, but then again, it LeBron could just want to go home to Ohio.

photo courtesy of sbnation.com

LeBron James grew up in Ohio and began his professional life there. LeBron has said that he always knew he wanted to go back to Cleveland eventually, I guess now is that time. But for whatever intention LeBron has now, there still is the fact that he left Cleveland for championships and money with Miami. There is a certain expectation in sports that you are loyal to your team. Even in professional sports where playing well is the athlete’s job, there is still team loyalty that happens (and fans often associate players with specific teams.) And King James did not exhibit that, so could this just be another stop for LeBron on his quest for many championships, or is it returning to his roots to stay?

As an athlete I believe LeBron won’t betray his Cavaliers again by leaving. As much as it is a job for him, the loyalty and community you feel with teams cannot be ignored. I believe he won’t ignore it, and that LeBron is in Cleveland to stay because it is where he started and where he will likely end his career when he is ready. While he certainly benefits from the publicity, I do not think that LeBron’s return to Ohio is not just for media attention, he is there because he grew up there and is ready to win championships there too. LeBron seems to have grown up a lot over the past several seasons, and despite winning championships in Miami, I hope he is now ready to actually PLAY Like a Champion in Cleveland.

Welcome? Home LeBron

Today's blog was written by J.C. Obringer.  J.C. is a rising sophomore at Ball State University majoring in Sports Administration and Digital Sports Production and is interning with Play Like a Champion Today this summer. 

 How do Cavs fans feel?

“LeBron is going home” has been headline news for the last few days. LeBron James, one of the biggest names in professional basketball right now, decided last week to sign a contract with his former team--the Cleveland Cavaliers, returning to his home in Ohio. LeBron was drafted by the Cavs and played seven seasons with them before "taking [his] talents to South Beach," to play for the Miami Heat, and famously boasting of countless championships with his new team.

Photo courtesy of  theheraldng.com

When LeBron left for  Miami, Cleveland fans were not happy.  Fans despised James for leaving. Despite seven years with the Cavs, the team (and the city) hadn't won a championship in more than four decades and it seemed that James only talked about how he wanted to bring a championship to Northeast Ohio. He left with a lot of unfulfilled promises. James wanted to win one for his hometown team he said, but then he left to win championships for South Florida. When he left fans were very salty, they burned his jersey on national tv, destroying anything and everything that had a link to him and his name. He was known from then on as a traitor, and was often reminded of his status when he returned to Cleveland with the Heat.

Photo courtesy of glogster.com

But now this “traitor” is coming back. How is he going to be received? Cleveland fans are now faced with the issue of what to do as a fan?  These fans who never wanted to see this man again, now have to welcome him back with open arm. Many fans spent the past four years actively cheering against him in every game.  He left with all these unfulfilled promises that he made. How should they treat him when he comes back?

Photo courtesy of realclearsports.com

I feel like they have to welcome James back with open arms. For one thing it’s the right thing and the only thing to do. Team owners don’t want any hostility between James and Cleveland. Fans want a championship team they can be proud of, but this won't happen if the environment is not good. The team is bringing LeBron back because they know with him on their team, they have a good chance to win a NBA title. Yes, all fans were very upset when he left, but now that he is coming back you have to get over what happen in the past. LeBron isn’t a bad guy, the world didn't end when he left, the Cavs just didn't win any championships. At the end of the day fans need to remember he’s just a basketball player and he’s human just like everyone else. Fans also need to remember that he's back on the team now, and he can help them win.

Post-Game Sportsmanship

Today's blog was written by Natalie Schmid, a Play Like a Champion summer intern.  Natalie is a rising high school junior and a swimmer and soccer player on her school's team.

One of the toughest times to be a good sport is after a big game, whether you win or lose. Most of the time we think about bad sportsmanship coming from the opponent who lost the game because they might be angry about losing, but what we don’t think as much about it the winner’s sportsmanship. After a big game the winners are entitled to be happy and celebrate, just as the losers are bound to be a little upset, but there is a fine line as to how much is too much.

Often times, professional athletes do not set the best examples of sportsmanship, especially with after game interviews while the emotions running still high from the game or match, but this was not the case after this weekend's men’s final at Wimbledon. The final match this year at Wimbledon was between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.  After a hard-fought match Djokovic came out on top and Federer saw his would be 18^th Grand Slam title slip away.  The match was a classic, with amazing serves and volleys throughout. Following the match, though was when the sportsmanship shined. Djokovic was quoted saying, “Thank you for letting me win today” to Federer just after saying that, “It is by far the best quality tennis…that I’ve ever been a part of.” Djokovic does such a nice job of acknowledging how good his opponent is and doesn’t just gloat about his victory.  These comments were especially touching as int he past, Djokovic has been criticized for excessive celebration, so it's good to see that he realizes he is a role-model.  Federer also showed good sportsmanship from the losing end saying, “Winning or losing it’s always something special and something you’ll remember” and then later saying, “The disappointment of the match itself went pretty quickly.” Two professional athletes on such a large stage, there is no doubt that their sportsmanship will be an example for many young athletes.

Photo courtesy of New York Times, credit: Sang Tan

Sportsmanship can be one of the hardest things to master as a young athlete because for most people, playing sports is a way to compete. Competitiveness is a fun thing, especially in youth and high school sports because it makes the games so much more intense, but after being so intense it can be hard to snap back out of that mindset and remember it is just a game.  For the winners, after a hard fought match they are so proud of the victory that all they want to do is celebrate.  I know this feeling, but I also know how it feels to lose a tight match.  All athletes need to remember to practice sportsmanship like Djokovic and Federer did. They should recognize the hard fought game and celebrate the quality play that happened while still being happy about the victory. Whereas the losers have a right be disappointed that they didn’t win, but should also celebrate the game and the effort given just as Federer did. Games are, after all, meant to be fun. 

Sports Parents

Today's blog was written by J.C. Obringer.  J.C. is a rising sophomore at Ball State University majoring in Sports Administration and Digital Sports Production and is interning with Play Like a Champion Today this summer. 

I have grown up around sports my whole life.  My parents were standout basketball and collegiate volleyball players. I always enjoyed playing sports with them. Over time, however, as I played more and more, I realized that while they loved sports, my parents never pushed me to play. In fact, it was quite the opposite. They always told me if I didn't want to play, I didn't have to.  But if I wanted to get better, I needed to practice, which they couldn't do for me. They never forced me to practice or anything. I did it on my own. There are always some parents that want their kids to be the greatest athlete ever. They push their kids so hard that they lose sight of what really is the point of playing sports: kids having fun.

You come across many types of parents, ones that don’t care about their kids sports, the ones that push to hard, the ones that want their kids to be the best out there, or want their kids to be just as good as they were when they played. The one type of parent that I find most upsetting to see is the parent that coaches their kids from the stands. I have seen kids that have been pushed by their parents so much that they hated going to a game or practice. They lost interest in the sport that they were playing.

Now you might say what does a 19-year-old college student know about parenting? I don’t have any parenting experience, but I have experience as an athlete and as a coach.  I have seen many of my friends' parents push too hard. I have also coached  7^th  and 8^th grade boys basketball, where I have witnessed parents "helping" from the stands first hand.  The over-involvement of parents was often most evident at practice when kids would show up and clearly not want to be there or when in games, my players would look to the stands for advice, not to the bench.  As a coach, this undermined everything we had been working on as a team.  On occasion, I would see parents that were the total opposite--they only showed up to drop off or pick up their son or daughter from practice and games.  I was very fortunate to have parents that were supportive, but not overly so.

I won't claim to be a parenting expert, but from what I've learned while working here at Play Like a Champion Today, I will advocate that all parents strive to Parent Like a Champion.  Parents should work to make sure their children are playing because the children want to be there, not because parents want them there. Parents, encourage your children to play. The love of the game is what keeps children playing. There are many lessons to be learned from playing sports, but only if the children (and the parents) are open to learning.

Love of the Game

Today's blog was written by Natalie Schmid, a Play Like a Champion summer intern.  Natalie is a rising high school junior and a soccer player on her local team.

Every team that enters the World Cup Tournament wants to win, but at what cost? Is it in the spirit of the game to come to an agreement with an opponent, so that you both get to the next round? That is exactly the question that faces both Germany and the United States right now. Tied in Group G right now with 4 points each, they both just need one more point from a draw to advance to the next round. So this brings up the question, will both teams just play for the tie and save their legs for later in the tournament? No evidence of any sort of deal between the Germans and Americans has been found, and they both deny that they will play for a draw in this next game.  Based on news coverage, both countries' fans are rooting for a win.  This being said, I believe that both teams will play “smart” in order to save their legs a little bit for later in the tournament. One way of doing this is to play a little bit of a slower game and just to play smart about the runs they makes and situations in the game they get themselves into. The situations that they are going to want to avoid will be getting any sort of cards, as well as plays that have high risk of injury. As much as players will attempt to avoid these situations, all involved in the game know that injuries and fouls are inevitable in any game. So is it worth it to agree on a draw to try and avoid these situations and advance to the next round?

Maybe it is, maybe it is not. Either way the competition aspect of the World Cup and love of the game will most likely bring fans a good hard fought game, with the two teams playing to win, instead of just agreeing to tie. The World Cup seems to do many things, but one of them is to bring to life the spirit of soccer in players', coaches' and fans' hearts alike. At the end of the day world cup games are ultimately unpredictable, and we can only watch as the Germans and Americans fight on the field for 90 minutes for the win, because agreeing to draw just wouldn’t be in the World Cup spirit.

As a High School varsity soccer player I know that the idea of an easy game sounds really good, so that you don’t have to play very hard. If faced with this decision in a High School Match it would be tempting to just play for a draw, but at the end of the day, I've noticed that everyone who plays past grade school has some competitiveness inside of them. With this competitiveness comes the will and want to win, and if given the option my team as well as most others I know, would play for a win not a tie. No one just plays soccer, or any sport for that matter, without some love of the game. That love of the game is what would fuel my team to play for the win, just as I believe Germany and America will play for the win. And I believe that we will win!

World Cup 2014

Today's blog was written by Tony Kim.  Tony is an intern with Play Like a Champion Today, a recent psychology graduate of Purdue University North Central, and an avid socccer fan. 

Eleven and a half billion dollars; let that sink in for just a moment.

Eleven and a half billion dollars is the reported amount spent on this Summer’s World Cup tournament in Brazil. And as the South American nation prepares to host those from nearly every corner of the footballing world, it faces its toughest task in handling the protesting citizens in outrage over the government spending for the tournament, rises in fares for public transportation, political corruption, and police brutality against the protesting citizens.  Though, the most visible issue today is perhaps the lack of consideration to use that money or an equivalent amount to improve the nations infrastructure.

The Brazilian protests are far from new occurrences. They truly began in 2013 with many of the issues previously discussed at the forefront while Brazil hosted the Confederations Cup—the prelude for the World Cup.  But with an event as extravagant and as famed as the World Cup, one would think that it would bring in an enormous amount of revenue for the host country which could hardly be protested. That notion, while sensible, is not always the case. Take, for instance, the data given by the study, “Tourism and the 2010 World Cup:Lessons for Developing Countries.” Although the money spent on the World Cup in 2010 attracted a number of tourists, the cost for each tourist amounted to a whopping $13,000. Not only that, but the economic impact that events such as the World Cup have on host nations are impermanent and rarely ever consistently positive.

So, with eleven and a half billion dollars being spent on the World Cup, the question of what it will yield still remains.  This enormous amount of money may also be part of restructuring for the 2016 Summer OlympicGames to be held in Rio, but in the end after all is said and done—will Brazil truly benefit? Will the citizens in protest today find any kind of resolution to the issues they stand and voice against? As seen by previous events as large as the World Cup or Olympic Games, the economic yield will most likely not be what is expected for the host country—thereby tagging the money spent on events such as these as borderline frivolous.

 

Eleven and a half billion dollars; hopefully not money down the drain.