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Eliminating Dangerous Hits Focus Of New High School Ice Hockey Rules

The National Federation of State High School Association has approved changes strengthening the language of rules on dangerous hits and to give game officials discretion to penalize a player who illegally hits another player from behind with a game misconduct if the hit is deemed flagrant.

"Winning Takes Care of Everything" and Other Sporting Myths

Nike's latest edgy ad in which Tiger Woods claims that, "Winning takes care of everything," has evoked a wide range of responses in the media, and, one might hope, around the family dinner table. After all, why miss a teachable moment when you're a parent of a young athlete? But what exactly is Nike's message, wonders one commentator on sports and society.

Youth Sports Heroes of the Month: Ben Baltz (Valparaiso, Fla.) and Pfc. Matthew Morgan (San Diego, Calif.)

Eleven-year-old Ben Baltz was halfway through the one-mile run, the final event in the Sea Turtle Kids Triathlon at Pensacola Beach, Florida on October 7, 2012. He had already completed the first two events, the 150-yard swim and the four-mile bicycle ride. Now he anticipated crossing the finish line without fanfare.

This was Ben’s third triathlon since early summer, but an unforeseen problem would make this one different.  A bone cancer survivor, the sixth grader had had his right tibia and fibula amputated for osteosarcoma when he was six.  Now, with about a half mile to go, he fell to the track because his prosthetic right leg wobbled and broke when its screws came undone.

When Ben Baltz' prosthetic right leg broke as he was competing in the Sea Turtle Kids Triathlon at Pensacola Beach, Florida, the eleven-year-old cancer survivor was down but not out: a new friend from the nearby Marine base was there to help him finish the race.

Sex, Drugs, and Cheating In Sports: Is Money At The Heart Of the Problem?

With much fanfare and publicity, a Minnesota high school hockey coach recently posted his 500th career win. What the articles about achieving the milestone failed to mention was that he is alleged to have racked up all those wins with the help of players he had recruited, a practice which is prohibited at the high school level in Minnesota.  It would seem, however, that only winning matters to most people.

Are an entertainment-driven, winning-at-all-costs society, along with the never-ending quest for money, the root cause of the cheating, lying, alcohol and sexual abuse by coaches and athletes which too often plague today's high school and college sports?

NHL Commissioner Pleased with Increased Hitting in the Playoffs

The Stanley Cup playoffs bring out the best and worst in professional hockey. The quest for the Cup and the bragging rights that go along with it intensify the game and bring it to a higher level each year after the regular season. There have been some really exciting games and, as a fan, former player and coach of the game, it is a thrill to watch, most of the time.

But I also wonder why we have to wait until the conclusion of an 80-game season before we get to see the good stuff? I think something is wrong here.

And then there is the bad stuff, and plenty of it. 

The Stanley Cup playoffs bring out the best and worst in professional hockey.

"Soft Red" Card in High School Soccer Eliminated for 2012-2013

In a continued emphasis on improving sportsmanship, the "soft red" card has been eliminated in high school soccer. Effective with the 2012-13 season, a second yellow card not only will disqualify a player, but the team will not be permitted to substitute for the disqualified player.

The Egyptian Soccer Riot: Could One Happen Here?

When fans misbehave at sports contests in the U.S. we tend to blame individuals. When things get out of hand at sports contests in foreign countries, large groups of fans start fighting and, as in Egypt last week, people end up dying. What makes bad sportsmanship in America different?

Title IX, Harassment and Sportsmanship

Title IX comes up in a sports context so often that we tend to forget that Title IX bars sex discrimination in any educational program that receives federal funds.  Sports is not a prerequisite for a Title IX claim; it just seems that way.

Getting Along with Baseball Umpires: Nine Tips For Parents and Coaches

How can coaches and parents best work with an umpire, given that they are likely at some point to blow a call? Coach Clemens offers nine tips for getting along with "Blue."

Pennsylvania Softball Team and Umpire Selected as National Recipients of NFHS National High School Spirit of Sport Award

The New Kensington (Pennsylvania) Valley High School softball team and umpire Bill Dithrich have been selected the 2011 national recipients of the "National High School Spirit of Sport Award" by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS): Dithrich for having the courage and intergrity to make a call that ended the softball team's undefeated season and the team for inviting him to be the keynote speaker at its post-season awards banquet to talk about a teachable moment about sports, ethics and life.
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