Sportsmanship

"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.

Louisville's Kevin Ware: Thinking More About His Team Than His Injury Was A Great Lesson For Easter

Is it just me, or did we just see the Easter Story re-enacted during the Louisville/Duke game on Sunday?

Christian parents around the world lovingly take their children to church and celebrate the Lenten season in the hopes that their children will eventually understand the story of Jesus Christ and the gift of Salvation that he gave to humankind. The religious story is simple: he died so that "we" can live on with a rich spiritual life on earth and in Heaven.

That Louisville's Kevin Ware's first thought after suffering a gruesome injury on Sunday against Duke was for his team, not himself, gave Easter Sunday a whole new meaning for one Texas mom and her 12-year-old son.

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?

NFL Star's Return to Hometown Special for One Mom and Her Son

Dallas native and Detroit Lions quarterback Matt Stafford turns a win over the Cowboys into a special moment for a mom and her 11-year-old son from his old neighborhood.

My Polaroid Moment......Good things develop over time...

As an official, I have the benefit of seeing immediate behavior changes as a direct result of my calls. Blow the whistle and play stops. Warn the kids to ease up rough play, and they do. Such immediate gratification comes with the job.  As a parent, however, this is not always the case. Aside from adoption of safety rules such as "wear your seatbelt!", or "look both ways before crossing the street!",  we might witness the demonstration of values such as honesty, integrity, or good sportsmanship over time and only in certain circumstances.

Best and Worst of Youth Sports: January to June 2011

There were plenty of bad acts to choose from for the first half of 2011, but on the good side of the ledger was a lesson in sportsmanship from a 5th grader at Evansdale Elementary School in Atlanta, Georgia, which earned him first place in the National Sportsmanship Day Essay Contest, Elementary Division in March. 

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.

2010 Top Five Youth Sports Heroes Reflect Adults' Positive Impact

A 2010 Reuters News/Ipsos poll caused a stir by concluding that parents in the United States are the world's worst behaved parents at children's sports contests. Sixty percent of adults who attend kids' games have seen parents verbally or physically abuse coaches or officials, a higher percentage than in any of the 21 other nations polled.  Nationally-recognized youth sports expert and longtime coach, Douglas E. Abrams, believes the poll seriously distorts the state of youth sports in America.

Dirt, Drama and Distance

It is late on Wednesday night, well, actually it is very early Thursday morning and in light of recent actions, I just can't sleep.  My mind keeps ruminating over the past weekend and our recent trip to the San Diego area for Nicholas' final BMX National event until the Grands.  It was an emotional weekend, as it is his last race as a 7-year-old and also because it was a very difficult weekend for him emotionally and mentally.

New Rules for High School Basketball Promoting Good Sportsmanship Approved for 2010-2011

Among the high school basketball rule changes recently approved for the 2010-11 season by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS)  are those promoting good sportsmanship.
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