By the Numbers: Another NFL Tragedy

17. The number of estimated drinks Josh Brent consumed before getting in the driver’s seat and getting into an accident that killed his friend and Dallas Cowboys teammate Jerry Brown. 110. The speed at which Brent and Brown were travelling minutes before the accident.  180. The amount of days Brent was sentenced to for intoxication manslaughter  (cbssports.com).

 

"Manslaughter” is a judicial term, synonymous with murder and homicide. Despite the verbiage, Brown was killed in an automobile accident caused by the blood toxicity of Brent. As Gil LeBreton from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram discussed, the drunken driving offense was not Brent’s first. He was arrested four years ago for drunken driving in Illinois.

 

What can be done to make sure that accidents—and truly—violations like this are not happening among NFL athletes? The truth is, measures have been taken. The NFL Players Association has actively sought avenues to keep its members out of situations like the one that killed Brown and incarcerated Brent. Uber, a car service company, recently entered a partnership with the NFLPA (forbes.com). Accessible by phone and through a downloadable app, Uber picks up players from any location to deliver them to their destination safely. What’s the reasoning behind partnerships like the one with Uber? The New York Times approximated that since 2006 more than $5 million in salary money has been lost in fines and penalties from drunken driving. More than any dollar amount, the implications of these poor decisions become tangible at the gravesite in St. Louis where Brown was laid to rest (kmov.com).

 

Undoubtedly, the NFLPA is trying to facilitate better options for its members than to endanger themselves and others while under the influence. Uber may be the best bet. In the meantime, decisions like Brent’s cannot be unmade, and the maximum 180 days he’ll spend in jail are six months his teammate will never see.

Raising the Bar with Academics in Athletics

Raising the Bar with Academics in Athletics

In today’s society, many high school students have the perception that they are student-athletes, just as their college counterparts. This means academics come before sports. The “no pass, no play” rule helps reinforce that idea.  How much does the “no pass, no play” rule truly help when it comes to being successful in the collegiate academic world? 

During student-athletes’ high school careers, some have been passing at the bare minimum just to continue to play their chosen sport. Brad Wolverton in the Faculty Reps Botch Sports-Oversight Role discussed what happened at Binghamton University. Sandra D. Michael, a professor of biological sciences and the university's faculty athletics representative, lobbied admissions officials to reverse their decision to reject one prospective student who had a grade-point average below 2.0. You hear about who we call “academic leaders” breaking rules like this all the time. We are adding to the system of hand-outs. Collegiate level academics require more than minimal effort. This raises the question, should the bar for passing academically be raised in high school athletics? If student-athletes don’t make a 75 average or higher, should they be allowed to participate in the sport? It is 2014, and student-athletes should be held to a higher academic standard. Raising the bar will reduce the number of student-athletes looking for an academic handout. Everyone involved needs to stop giving in when athletes beg for a “C” just to play in the game, or ask to bend rules when it’s time to meet college admission standards.

 

WOLVERTON, B. (2010). Faculty Reps Botch Sports-Oversight Role. (cover story). Chronicle Of Higher Education, 57(11), A1

Snyder, E. E. (1985). A Theoretical Analysis of Academic and Athletic Roles. Sociology Of Sport Journal, 2(3), 210-217

The State of Softball- Early Commitments

The State of Softball- Early Commitments

NCAA Division I rules state that college coaches may not have face to face contact with high school players off campus until after completion of their junior year. Until those dates, college coaches cannot phone or text players, talk to players at tournaments, or have players come on an official visit until they start their senior year.  Players may email coaches to express their interest, but coaches may not send any correspondence back until their junior year. Rules do not prohibit players from visiting college campuses at their own expense or from meeting with coaches about their program. Athletes may also call the coach at any time no matter what grade they are in. When you see that a player has made an early commitment to a college before starting her senior year, before the time she could take an official visit, many questions rise. 

In most cases, a college coach has watched the player in action at tournaments, playing for a travel team or top gold team as an eighth grader, freshman, or sophomore. How is it that in today’s softball world that there are so many early verbal commitments from young athletes if coaches cannot contact them until their junior year? Many may say it is the parents, travel ball, and college coaches fault but who is really to blame? Over the next few weeks I will be discussing views from each group that plays a key role in the recruiting process.

 

 

 

 

 

NCAA Academic and Membership Affairs Staff. (2013). NCAA Division I Manual. (pp. 75-133). Indianapolis, Indiana

Hewitt, P. M. (2009). THE RECRUITING PROCESS. College Student-Athletes: Challenges, Opportunities, and Policy Implications, 37.

 

http://www.studentsports.com/softball/2014/01/29/master-verbal-list-08-27-13/

http://www.ncaapublications.com/productdownloads/D114.pdf

New Coaches: Importance of Finding a Mentor

“What drills should be done to fix this? How are angry parents dealt with? What paperwork is needed?”

Feeling overwhelmed yet?

As a new coach many difficult decisions are faced every single day. The best way to combat these diverse situations is finding a mentor coach, who can be there to give advice and help when needed. As noted by Bloom, Durand, Schinke and Salmela, mentors also set an example for new coaches to follow, and new coaches are able to imitate the coaching qualities they admire in their mentor.

Since mentors have a lot of prior knowledge and experience, their advice is priceless. As Dru Marshall states, their advice can only help a mentee. Whether it is something that has been successful for the coach or something that did not work for the coach, both types of guidance are beneficial in helping a new coach expand their knowledge base.

It is important to be proactive in searching for, and finding, the right mentor. As a new coach, there will come a time when someone is needed to answer questions that you have, or just to be a friend to listen when things get overwhelming. Finding the right mentor will help prevent many headaches and make your first year run a little smoother.

Baseball Development: Intro to Analyze, Evaluate and Incorporate

Baseball Development:  Intro to Analyze, Evaluate and Incorporate

Baseball… America’s past time. A game played by many, but truly understood by few. A game filled with superstitions that demand intense psychological training. More so, baseball is a game requiring remarkable physical attributes that trump those needed for other sports. ­­­­­­­­­­­The demands of the throwing motion have been examined and explained by Glenn Fleisig¹: “From [the] cocked position, the athlete initiates arm acceleration. Elbow extension velocity reaches 2450±250°/s and shoulder internal rotation velocity reaches an incredible 7500±900°/s.” (p. 47). Fleisig discovered that throwing a baseball is, in fact, the fastest joint rotation motion in sport.  

 

The process of hitting a baseball exemplifies one of the most challenging reactive time tasks within sports. The meticulous ability that hitters possess allows them to recognize a pitch (fastball or off-speed), identify if that pitch is a ball or strike, then decide to initiate a swing in the correct path and at the correct time in order to make a successful connection of the bat and ball. All of this occurs in approximately 400 milliseconds² (depending on pitch velocity). Undoubtedly, baseball requires a unique development process in order to compete and be successful at a high level.

Throughout the next ten weeks, we will be discovering and discussing the anatomical limitation and asymmetries that the baseball population presents. Additionally, we will examine the dangers of specific postural imbalances and how proper corrections can substantially enhance a player’s performance. For those reading, please feel free to comment and share personal and professional knowledge and experiences throughout this series.  

 

 

¹Fleisig, G. (2010). Biomechanics of baseball pitching: Implications for injury and performance. International Symposium of Biomechanics in Sports 28, 47. Retrieved from: https://ojs.ub.uni-konstanz.de/cpa/article/viewFile/4377/4069

 

²Adair, R. K. (2002). The physics of baseball (3^rd ed.). New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers Inc.

 

R.I.P Physical Education?

Is PE in danger of becoming extinct? That is one question that every PE teacher in America is afraid to hear. It is disheartening to even think about the possibility of PE being eliminated from public schools.

Photo by Kim Newberg

Barney and Deutsch discussed why PE is endanger of becoming extinct. “Because of the lack of respect physical education has in the educational community, it is one of the first content areas to be eliminated” (p.115). Unfortunately, this is the sad truth. Physical Educators need to come together to prevent such an event from happening. Van, Kelder, Kohl, Ranjit, and Perry stated in their article, “The National Association for Sport and Physical Education found that the portion of students attending PE daily dropped from 42% to 28% between 1991 and 2003.” These statistics are mind boggling, and they are ten years old. If this trend continues, PE may very well end up in the obituaries of school curriculum. We need to put an end to this before it is too late.

What can we do to get PE off of the chopping block? Tune in next week for some strategies to help us bring the importance of PE back.


1Barney, D., & Deutsch, J. (2009). Elementary classroom teachers attitudes and perspectives of elementary physical education. Physical Educator, 66(3), 114-123. Retrieved from http://ehis.ebscohost.com

2Van, D., Kelder, S. H., Kohl III, H. W., Ranjit, N., & Perry, C. L. (2011). Associations of physical fitness and academic performance among schoolchildren. Journal of School Health, 81(12), 733-740. Retrieved from http://ehis.ebscohost.com

Is Competition in Dance Over Emphisized?

Competition in dance education, like any other sport, is important in the development of the athlete (or in this case dancer).   To compete in a dance competition at a high level, the team must have learned to dance as a team. Each dancer has to be committed to the girl next to them and must be willing to push themselves to be the best they can be, while trusting all other teammates are doing the same. Dance competition takes the team, and individual dancers, to places that simply performing will not. It encompasses an atmosphere to learn exactly what it takes to be a champion, promotes sportsmanship and respect between teams, and allows teams to learn from one another. Nothing compares to the feeling after finishing a competition routine and knowing that everything was left out on the floor. As a dance educator, it is my opinion that every dancer should experience that feeling. I believe every dancer should be allowed the opportunity to experience what competition has to offer during their journey of becoming the best dancer they can be.

The Virtue of Physical Education

Moral education for an adolescent is undoubtedly the most important education one can receive. More than any specific academic subject he will encounter, a student will be most affected throughout life by the moral compass that he has developed as a young person. The classic virtues of discipline, teamwork, and respect are not instinctual but are learned each day via practice. With that being said, every educator is responsible for implementing moral development and enrichment into their curriculum.  

 

The setting of physical education allows for a unique opportunity to develop moral character. Outside the confines of a normal classroom, students operate in a different laboratory for the application of skills learned. Physical education, whether centered around games and activities, the learning of new physical skills, or team sports, highlights some of the most important components of moral education—discipline, respect, fairness, cooperation, and more.

 

Physical education serves the increasingly important role of instilling the habits of physical activity in the routines of young people. Physical activity is directly connected to moral education through a variety of emotional and psychological benefits that promote healthy lifestyles. Not only does physical education have the inevitable role of creating healthier adults, but its duty also consists of facilitating a positive and continued avenue to teach morals to today’s youth.  

Physical Education role in Moral Development

Physical Education is an educational course related to the physique of the human body, and promotes psychomotor learning in a play or movement examination setting to encourage health. So why would the moral development of the students not be included in this aspect? When trying to advance a healthy lifestyle, one must look at all angles. Moral development focuses on the emergence, change, and understanding of morality from infancy through adulthood. When creating a healthy lifestyle, it starts young. You do not want to be rearranging bad habits in adulthood when you could have established good habits. Moral development should be included somewhat during Physical Education. It will help understand the essentials of having healthy life skills. 

Morale development in physical education

Physical education is ever increasingly becoming a thing of the past as schools around the country continue to cut P.E. to try to save money. I believe that P.E. should be kept in schools.

It is a huge part of helping kids mature, not only physically, but mentally as well.

Physical education teaches kids the basic skills for many team sports that later help them to learn concepts such as teamwork, responsibility, accountability and other things that can help that kid feel better about themselves.

Physical education should also be used in as many ways as possible to ensure that kids can develop a healthy morale.

Teaching kids to be confident in their self and they’re abilities, not only in sport related activities, but also in life as a person who can contribute to society is essential in setting that child up for success.

Developing a child’s morale at a young age will help them make smarter judgment in a situation that deals with ethics, learn to take orders from a superior or future boss and give them an intrinsic motivation to contribute in group settings.

Having a strong developed morale is key to success later on in life and I feel that PE is a great platform to develop this part of our psyche at a young age rather than trying to develop this later in life and relearn life long habits that have already been established.

Implementing Moral Lessons in Physical Education Curriculum

Physical education should focus on developing moral behavior, just as it focuses on developing health related components of fitness. A few of the many character traits learned through physical education include discipline, teamwork, dedication, and communication. All of these character traits are related to an individual’s morals and will affect them in different aspects throughout the lifespan. Individuals need to have strong morals in order to live healthy, happy lives and be functional in society.

Beginning in elementary school, children participate in P.E. games and sports in which they learn valuable skills that will help them transition into being proper citizens. If a physical educator fails to instill values of fairness, or does not enforce sportsmanship, the children are not getting the moral lessons they need. Due to the importance of physical activity for health, the physical educators do not need to set time to separately study moral related skills. However, these morals should be taught as part of the lessons of learning the rules of the games, or sport skills. It would be irresponsible of the physical educator if they left out this necessary component of physical education. 

High Minded Success Through Physical Education

High Minded Success Through Physical Education

As a coach I believe Physical Education plays a key role of influencing student’s moral development. From kindergarten through 12^th grade, students have the opportunity to train their mind through leadership, cooperating with others, and accepting responsibility for their own behavior.  Learning moral development through physical education can also help students in society develop proper attitudes and behaviors towards other people, which will help as students’ progress through their lives.  One thing that I have seen more and more as a coach today is that students seem to learn morality better when they are in groups, and what better way to teach it then by teaching them in physical education classes.  Some people may think that physical education only develops students’ skill levels, but when you look at the overall picture, it truly helps develop character. 

Physical Education should not be a crutch for moral development. Physical Education should be a driven factor in moral education. Through physical education, coaches are able to teach students the basic right from wrong, which has a huge impact on their lives. Students should develop good behavior, leadership, and character over time, which should lead to great communication skills and a life time of success.

Physical Education Gives Moral Support

Moral development is a very important aspect of public education. Teachers in public schools have the opportunity to teach good morals to their students each and every day. In fact, Physical Education in public schools provides the perfect opportunity for teaching kids good morals and developing good habits through games, sports, exercise, and various other activities. These all require interaction with other students through competition and play. Kids get to learn how to treat each other with respect, to work together as a team, and to display good sportsmanship. Games and activities that take place in a Physical Education setting seem to be more beneficial for developing good morals. While the classroom setting is a good place to teach respect and other good character traits, the gym can be even more beneficial in simulating everyday life due to its informal setting. Therefore if a child can learn how to properly treat others in an informal place, then will they not be more likely to treat others properly in a formal place, such as a classroom or doctor’s office?

Moral Development should be emphasized in Physical Education

In my opinion, physical education should be an outlet for moral development. During physical education, students learn team work, good sportsmanship, leadership skills, and respect at a young age. From the start, they are taught to treat others how they would like to be treated. The lessons taught are carried over into adulthood. In some cases, I feel that moral development is suppressed and not emphasized enough in physical education. The younger generations are becoming less aware of the benefits of being a leader, respecting one another, and showing good sportsmanship. With that being said, I believe that this is the time more than ever to push moral development in schools.

Moral development should be completed to the furthest extent. Whether it is in classrooms or during a game, teachers should make sure students say thank you, you're welcome, excuse me, sorry, and good game. Emphasize that being a leader is not just about being called team captain.  It is being able to lead your team and be a role model. Team captains should be the most morally sound and show the most respect and sportsmanship.

Moral Education Within Physical Education

Moral Education Within Physical Education

 

The primary purpose of physical education is and should always be moral education. As addressed by Clifford and Feezell¹,when the nature of sport is derived and one becomes a coach, they take on the role of a moral educator. Sport and physical education, while they differ in initial structure and setting, both promote physical activity that provides participants with an opportunity to practice and create good character. Physical education, just like sport, encompasses a variety of physically and mentally demanding activities and exercises that teach people, primarily the youth, to efficiently control their body and mind to accomplish and excel in the instructed activity.

Health benefits aside, P.E. is nothing more than a freely chosen, unnecessary and nonessential activity. It is INTRINSIC; unless physical education is more geared towards installing traits of respect, organization, discipline, cooperation and more. All of these values/virtues fall under the category of moral education, and if moral education continues to be viewed as a nonessential attribute of physical education, society will continue to view physical education as a discipline that the public school system can do without. The primary purpose of physical education is and should continue to be moral education.

 

¹Clifford, C., & Feezell, R. M. (2010). Sport and character: Reclaiming the principles of sportsmanship. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.  

Physical Education's Moral Benefits

Physical Education is a perfect way to lead students down the correct moral path. During Physical Education classes students learn how their individual decisions can contribute to their team, which is important for them to be successful in their future endeavors.

Throughout Physical Education classes, students are forced to work together in order to accomplish a goal. Whether it be winning a game or helping get each team member through an obstacle, students are faced with many difficult decisions. Here students must figure out the best way to get through the task, and they each have to ask themselves if they are going to work together in order to help the team or walk down their own path, which will only hurt the team. Students will begin to develop a sense of self awareness and think about how their actions and behaviors are going to affect the rest of their team. In order to be successful in life, students must learn to think less about themselves and more about the success of their team. Physical Education starts to lay this superior moral foundation in each student from a young age.

Physical Education IS the Core of Moral Development

The physical education platform should be used to not only develop an individual’s overall knowledge of living a healthy lifestyle but should also be used to develop moral skills – often overlooked in the overall education process. Ideally, a program such as Character Counts!, could serve as a curriculum within the physical education experience. Character Counts! teaches 6 pillars of character development by supplying educators with appropriate material.

 In my opinion, the ultimate way to develop moral values would be to have a ‘Theme of the Week’ in all levels of physical education classes. The weekly themes would focus on developing one moral aspect at a time. As a physical educator, I have been approached recently about an idea to implement character development video clips through the use of cell phone technology. These daily lessons would enable parents or teachers to elaborate on the development of moral values at home or school. Understanding the way kids relate and learn in today’s world, I perceive this idea to have tremendous potential in moral development during physical education.