The Sports Doc Chalk Talk

As the high school year comes to a close, there are a number of things for high school student athletes to think about – especially upper class students who wish to one day play college sports (AHPS).  Of course, the odds are long for most kids wishing to play college sports (only about 5-7% move on from high school to college sports), but there are still a number of tips sport psychologists suggest that can help increase the chances of playing at the next level (even if it’s DIII).

• Of course, the #1 (and most obvious) thing high school student athletes have to do is play their sport very well. While the rest of the tips below may help your son or daughter’s chances of playing college sports one day, none of them will be a substitute for the athletic talent needed to compete at the college level.
• Assuming your child has the athletic potential needed to play beyond high school, you will need to think early and often about “marketing” your child to colleges.  Keep in mind that while college coaches are limited to when and how often they can communicate (recruit) with potential student athletes about their athletic program, families can do a number of different things to help their chances.  Some of these ideas include developing a portfolio that highlights athletic, academic, and social activities; creating a sports video of his or her in action; and attending specific camps and clinics to raise visibility of your child’s athletic abilities.
• Speaking of camps and clinics, be sure to target the ones that make the most sense and commensurate with your child’s athletic abilities and potential.  For example, if your child is a borderline DIII student athlete, it might not make a lot of sense to sign up for elite-level DI camps where his or her talents may not be a fit. Similarly, if your child is a potential DI student athlete, your son or daughter might be “over-qualified” for a DIII college camp.
• Aside from athletic responsibilities, potential college student athletes need to also stay on top of academic grades, extra-curriculars, and other leadership-type experiences.  College coaches invest a lot of money in athletic recruiting and scholarships these days, making it even that much more important that they choose kids who are responsible with their decision-making and life choices.
• Think about having your child take the SAT or ACT early, if possible.  Some kids postpone taking these tests until their senior year, and by that time limit their opportunities to re-take these tests if their first scores were not quite as high as they would have liked.  Of course, make sure that your child has taken the right courses ahead of time in order to sit for these exams — if you are not sure of this, call your child’s school counselor for assistance.
• If your child is serious about playing college sports, he or she will also need to get registered with the NCAA clearinghouse – again, see your school counselor for assistance with this process.

While there may not be many things to “substitute” for a lack of athletic talent and potential when it comes to playing college sports, there are a number of things families can do to help improve the chances to play after high school (including the tips provided above).  Do your homework and leave no stone unturned — good luck!

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There is a delicate balancing act between integrity and success when it comes to sports fans and their desire to align themselves with a sports winner.  On the conservative side of the argument, it appears that some fans will tolerate very little from coaches/programs that lie, cheat, and break every rule of integrity in their quest to become a winner.  In these instances, the fan base believes that winning should come a distant second to “doing it the right way,” implying that playing by the rules is paramount to a credible sports program.  On the other side of this argument is the “win-at-all-costs” type of fan who could care less about playing by the rules as long as the team wins.  Rules, ethics, and sportsmanship are merely words to these fans, as the only thing that is really important is winning.

The reality is most people actually fall in between these two polar opposites – meaning most fans would like to win and play by the rules, but if the rules need to be tweaked a little (or conveniently overlooked) it’s still OK if the team is winning.  In some cases, sports fans feel the need to align themselves with a winner so much so that they will put on convenient blinders when their team/program gets in trouble.  The most recent example of this behavior is at Arkansas where Head Football Coach Bobby Petrino is catching fire for his less-than-professional behavior involving an extramarital affair with a 25 year old office staffer.  Conservative fans have already called for his resignation, while “win-at-all-cost” fans have minimized the incident as Petrino has proven to be a pretty good football coach on the field.  In fact, there have already been rally’s in Arkansas to save Petrino’s job!

The big question I have is why is there such an incredible desire by some sports fans to be a part of a winning program, so much so that many will completely overlook, disregard, challenge facts, or even fool themselves into thinking “nothing happened” when many of these stories break?  The urge is so strong to be aligned with a winner that these fans will not only tolerate, but even accept behaviors from their coach and athletic program that they would never tolerate or accept from a family member, friend, or employer.  But when it comes to sports, we commonly hear things like “It was no big deal,” or “Look at what other programs do.”  In some cases these fans even justify the crimes in their mind, pointing to the unjust system as the reason why it’s OK to break rules.

From a sport psychology vantage point, it makes perfect sense that we as people strive to be the best, and aligning ourselves with people and programs that exemplify excellence also makes sense.  The problem, however, is when this urge to be the best contaminates our objective, logical, and fair thinking — sometimes so much that we lose our own sense of what’s right and wrong in our efforts to defend “the winner.”  For example, take any one of the NCAA problems that have surfaced over just the past year alone.  If you were a fan of one of these schools, there is a good chance you minimized (or even outright dismissed) the “crimes” that were reported.  But how would you have reacted if the same thing happened at another school? Or how would you have reacted if the same crimes occurred at your rival school? Would you have reacted the same way?  Honestly?  Do you think the Arkansas fan base supporting Coach Petrino right now would think the same, no-problem-here way if these same circumstances happened at another rival SEC school?  I don’t think so, and neither do you.

My point here is to not to push a high and mighty position of moral authority, but to challenge sports fans to think about the relationship they have between winning and doing it the right way.  Where do you draw the line?  If you happen to be from the “who cares” so long as we win camp, is this the same set of values you would want your kids to espouse?  And if you are from the “win the right way” camp, have you set your standards so high that they are impossible to live by?

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In all my years of being around sports, I cannot ever recall witnessing what happened in Columbus (OH) over the weekend.  As a Columbus resident, it has been no secret that our local NHL team (Blue Jackets) have struggled terribly since entering the league over a decade ago.  Since the franchise first entered the league they have only made it to the playoffs once (losing the to Red Wings 4-0), and have been one of the worst teams in the league annually in the years before and after that sole playoff appearance.  Apparently, some fans have had enough, as evidenced by a recent protest designed to prompt ownership to oust the guys working in the front office argued to be responsible for the ongoing losing culture.  Talk about one hot mess.

The Columbus Blue Jackets (CBJ as they are known to local folk) have been one of the worst franchises in sports history when you compare their futility against other traditionally bad NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL teams.  The CBJ have made coaching and front office changes, as well as player personnel changes, yet still finish each regular season as one of the worst teams in the league. Some fans have clearly had enough.

The CBJ are certainly not the only losing franchise in pro sports, and there have been many other teams from the big four (MLB, NFL, NBA, and NHL) who have had longer losing stretches.  The Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, New York Rangers, Cleveland Browns, and LA Clippers are teams that immediately come to mind when thinking about long droughts of sport futility (although some of these teams have since won championships).  Still, I cannot ever remember fans assembling outside an arena to try and bring a front office down in this manner.  This move, of course, prompts many questions around professional sport franchises and their cultural and potential fiduciary responsibilities (if tax payers are involved in financing the team and/or venue).

In the case of the CBJ, do fans have the right to protest?  And is the current streak of futility entirely the responsibility of the current management team?  And perhaps most importantly – should ownership tune in and listen to what some of the fan base is up in arms about?

In defense of the fans who protested this weekend, it’s easy to see why they assembled – over a decade later and the CBJ have  consistently been one of the worst teams in professional sports.  On the other hand, sports owners know that making quick GM, coach, and player changes isn’t always the answer, either.  Of course, one thing cures all of this – winning.

In these tough financial times the CBJ have witnessed a declining fan base who attend games, and the “branding” of the team around town is almost invisible.  There certainly isn’t a “hockey feel” around central Ohio, which may be the cause of some of the team’s problems — or maybe it is a result of their losing ways.

The fans have spoken, and now it’s time to see what, if anything, ownership will do to appease the growing number of people who are fed up with the CBJ and their losing ways.  Will the team stick with their current team and management, or blow everything up and start from scratch (again)?  Interestingly, there’s an even bigger concern to think about that may play into all of this — that is, does the team even need to win in order to be successful? As hard as it might be to believe, some professional sports franchises have done quite well over the years even though they rarely win (the Chicago Cubs are a perfect example).  Granted, losing teams who maintain a strong fan base are the exception and not the rule, but it will be interesting to watch the coming months to see if the CBJ are serious about winning, or instead content to remain a professional team with a “punchers chance” of making the playoffs every couple of years.

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Over the weekend an interesting article ran in the New York Times (How Big Time Sports Ate College Life), highlighting the growing concerns that college sports, especially football and to a lesser degree basketball, are quickly becoming the focal point of many of America’s finest institutions.  The article asserts that increasingly more students are choosing their college primarily based on the success of the football program, often overlooking the supposed real attraction of why people should go to college in the first place – for the the academics. The colleges, on the other hand, seem happy to acquiesce by spending millions of dollars on athletics, as well as building bigger and fancier sport venues.   The question, however, is the same one that seems to come up time and time again — that is, what are American colleges these days, institutions of higher learning or sports entertainment (with some academics on the side)?  Sport and society within the realm of college in America has never been so interesting to dissect.

Reasons to Continue Spending Big $$$ on College Sports

The biggest arguments for the rapid and continued growth of college sports include:

A) they generate excitement, and therefore attract more students, and

B) they generate revenue.

There is no disputing that college athletics can do both of these things, but these arguments become more interesting the deeper you delve into them…

With respect to generating excitement, it seems as though college sports have always done this, even before all the big money. In fact, at Duke, the Cameron Indoor Stadium holds less than 10,000 fans, yet is still one of the most exciting places in America to catch a game.  Interestingly, Duke has decided to not expand their venue over the years and instead keep it small by today’s standards, essentially losing millions of dollars each year as a result.  This is very different than most colleges today who routinely add as many seats as possible in order to generate every last potential dollar.

The truth is that even when college sports were not so glitzy and glamorous, students still went nuts and supported their respective teams fiercely — and students in the past still wanted to go to big-name universities even before they dumped tens of millions more dollars into their programs.

The Costs of “Selling Out”

When it comes to generating more revenue by bulking up an athletic department, it’s hard to argue that bigger college sport investments usually equal bigger college sport revenues.  The problem, however, are the costs associated with what some would call “selling out” in order to make every last buck.  What are the consequences with students, professors, and alumni who feel the academic pursuit and standards have been terribly compromised just in order to have a better football team?  And how must professors feel when college presidents justify huge coaching salaries by gushing over the money their football coaches bring in, when in fact professors (who make pennies on the dollar in salary compared to coaches) often bring in big bucks of their own to the university through research grants?

Why Not Gambling Casinos, too?

Continuing on with the argument about the good in endlessly dumping money into college athletics is the question of the ‘ole “slippery slope.”  As it becomes more and more clear that colleges seem to be willing to do almost anything to have a good football team, what’s next?  Would placing gambling casinos next to the football stadium be such a bad idea?  Wouldn’t they guarantee revenue if a college decided to put a few around campus?  Gambling is legal in most states today, it generates excitement, and offers odds that only the house can win!

Will We Ever Go Back?

It will be interesting to see if any college presidents in the future decide to put a halt on the growth of college athletics while re-emphasizing that colleges are about academics first and foremost.  Critics have argued that it will be impossible to “put the genie back in the bottle,” and they may be right.  Still, many people would like to see college priorities go back toward emphasizing and supporting academic pursuits before athletic endeavors, even if the odds of this happening appear bleak.

My guess is that the current model of prioritizing athletics before academics in terms of spending will not change until it absolutely has to, and it’s hard to say when that will happen.  In all likelihood, something will eventually happen — some watershed moment where reasonable minds will prevail and begin to discuss going back to a pecking order that more reflects what the word “university” was meant to be.  I say this as I suspect there will eventually be a backlash by university professors, administrators, and students at some point, perhaps through social media efforts to unite or some other concerted way to illustrate their unhappiness with their perceived devaluing of academics.  Will the money in athletics become the primary focus of universities in the future, or will see a shift back to prioritizing academics first?

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Apparently the NCAA is going to finally come around to paying “amateur” athletes in the future, though the initial proposal of providing an additional $2000 a year was shot down by NCAA Board of Directors on Saturday.  There no longer appears to be much dispute about student athletes earning some extra money for their efforts, but it appears as though there are many details that still need to be worked out before gaining the needed consensus of the board to approve the change.

Amateur Athletes?

It’s 2012, and at this point it would be hard to find many fans out there today who would call today’s college football and basketball student athletes “amateur.”  While the debate about paying student athletes still exists, it’s not nearly what it once was as the tens of millions of dollars pours in to schools annually as a result of their revenue-generating sports.  I know in my travels I haven’t met too many people who don’t believe these student athletes deserve something beyond their education as a return for their efforts.

The money in college football, as an example, has skyrocketed in recent years as witnessed by recent unprecedented bowl payouts.  Accordingly, the model of amateur sports we once previously knew has long become antiquated, as evidenced by the huge money big colleges today commonly pour into their athletic facilities and coaching staffs. The student athletes are, ironically, the reason why colleges are making these big dollars (in other words they are the product), yet as of today are still left with the short end of the stick.  Their coaches are multi-millionaires based on student athlete efforts, yet in return the student athletes are awarded the ability to take classes toward a college degree (important, yes, but hardly anywhere close to a fair trade, or what business folks call “market value”).

The NCAA has watched all this unfold, and obviously feels somewhat uncomfortable about how disproportionate this model has become (heavily in favor of the colleges).  While the colleges continue to earn money at astronomical rates, the student athletes on the front line actually earning the money for the colleges continue to receive a reduced (or free) course load of classes as trade.  Evidently, even the NCAA can no longer hide behind this thin veil of what has become, well, almost comical when you think about it.

The New Proposal

In response to this glaring problem, the NCAA put forth its first proposal of paying student athletes an additional $2000 a year.  At first glance, some would say this is a responsible move by the NCAA (even though it was initially rejected), but in this crazy college sports world where head coaches routinely make many times the amount of salaries as their bosses (college presidents) this proposal seems to fall terribly short upon closer inspection.

A growing number of NCAA football and basketball coaches are now earning millions (plural) of dollars per season — and in some cases even assistant coaches are making hundreds of thousands of dollars per year.  Still, even if the $2000 stipend would have been approved, it would have resulted in the student athletes making a mere additional $5.47 a day. Apparently, the scholarship the student athlete receives is supposed to make up the difference.

I am a huge proponent of education and do acknowledge that receiving a full scholarship for playing sports certainly has great potential value.  Still, it just doesn’t feel right when I see what’s really going on — the reality is many student athletes either take the minimum classes to stay eligible, pursue easy majors that may not have much applicable future career worth, or leave school early for the draft and well before ever completing their free college education.  These young men are not “bad” or “irresponsible” for doing any of these things, but instead simply doing what they think is in their best interest to one day make a big payout by becoming a professional athlete.  Unfortunately, this only happens for a select few.

So while a head coach might earn $4 million dollars a year (roughly $11,000 a day!), the guys pulling the sled might make $5.47 a day?  Once you get past the “amateur athlete” argument (that even the strongest proponents of this view have a hard time holding a straight face saying), there is still an incredibly unequal divide, and a bizarre one at that.  Factoring in that roughly only 1.5% of these athletes will ever go on to play professional sports, it really makes you wonder even more about how unbalanced this model has become. The answer, according to the NCAA, is to give the student athletes a few extra dollars a day.

The Real Problem

No matter what the NCAA finally approves for student athletes (they have already conceded they will do something), it seems as though it will be impossible to remedy a problem that really doesn’t have an answer so long as we continue to call college sports “amateur.”  Amateur sports, in reality, are the games you watch at your local high school or youth league sandlot, not what you see being played in front of 100,000 fans each Saturday.  Calling college football “amateur” is about as watered down as saying Einstein was a descent math student, or Steve Jobs an OK businessman.

College sports, primarily football and basketball, are professional in every sense of the word. The unique wrinkle, however, is the idea that a college education is a great deal for the students whose efforts are directly tied to helping their coaches and administrators make substantially more money in salary each year.  Can you imagine what would happen if college football players ever went on strike??  The “amateur” model that is really pro sports would fall like a house of cards.

In theory, the college degree a student athlete can earn certainly would have value, but the question remains about how many of them — especially elite-level athletes — are truly concerned with selecting a good major, taking school seriously, and finishing the degree?  While we would like to think nearly all college football players do this, the reality is most are hoping for the big professional sport payday of one day making it, and as a result devalue their education-in-trade.  Sadly, most never get drafted, and only then come to realize how important their classes truly were.

The Only Answer

The only fair answer, albeit a controversial one, is to finally allow college sports to have free reign and pay student athletes as though they are employees of the university – exactly like how it’s done with professional sports.  Rather than dangle the college degree with varying levels of value (depending on the student athlete’s level of interest), offer them a financial contract, and even throw in some hefty college discounts as good measure.  This way, the student athletes can earn an equitable wage (more in line with how much money everyone else in the deal is getting) and can decide on whether they want to invest in their education or spend the money any other way they like.

I wonder how college coaches would respond if colleges offered them essentially what is being proposed for student athletes?  For example, rather than paying a head coach 3 or 4 million dollars a year, how about offer him a modest salary (say $75,000) and the ability to take college classes at a deep discount (or give them to a family member)?  How do you think that deal would be received?  You already know the answer to that.

Why is it Taking So Long?

We are looking at an inevitable colossal paradigm shift once college athletes finally get paid, which is what is holding up all this fair progress.  In other words, because its “always been done this way” the NCAA has been able to sit on the sidelines and watch everyone get rich — except, of course, the guys doing the work to earn everyone else the millions of dollars.  This will change, as the $2000 stipend has already been loosely accepted (only the small details remain).  But will this be enough?  At what point will student athletes unite and realize that without their services this entire cash cow collapses? Coaches and administrators are making massive salaries based entirely  on the quality of product on the field (the student athletes) — yet it’s this “product” that continues to earn the smallest piece of the pie.

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As a sports fan, there’s nothing worse than getting ready for another long season when you already know before the season starts that your team will be in the basement – again. Some professional teams are annual losers, including the LA Clippers (who still need to prove they will be a winner this year), the Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Columbus Blue Jackets to name a few (AHPS).  Of course, there are plenty more professional sport franchises that excel in futility, so today’s blog goes out to you, the die-hard true fan of an annually terrible sports team.

Unlike the front running fan, the die-hard usually starts each season with a glimmer of guarded hope, thinking this year might be different – that those years worth of high draft picks will finally pay off.  Unfortunately, be it due to economic hardships of the team, poor scouting & development, poor on-field management, or any other conceivable reason (injuries?), the team ends up out of the race within the first few weeks of the season.  It is at this point where the loyal fan must “suck it up,” deflect criticism from friends and co-workers, and somehow find a way to carry on through the rest of the season when about the only excitement he will have will be to think about what possible first round draft pick his team can get in the upcoming draft.

For you Celtic, Laker, Patriot, and Yankee fans, can you only imagine how horrific this sports experience is compared  to yours?!

Have no worries fans of bad teams, the Sports Doc is here to help by providing some quick tips to help you get through the season(s):

• Make a joke out of it. It is widely accepted that humor is a great tool to help ward off stress, so make it a point to let your guard down and roll with the punches whenever possible.  Face it, your team is rotten, so you might as well have a good laugh, right?!
• Don’t take it to heart. Sports fans are famous for taking ownership of the teams they follow, often cultivating a personal identity tied to the team.  While this is interesting for sport scientists to study, it’s typically not good to put so much value into your team that your overall attitude and well-being are greatly mediated by your team’s success (or lack thereof).  Instead, roll with the punches and remember that it’s just a game.
• Don’t be a fair weather fan.  Yes, there is no doubt it’s tough to continue to follow a crummy team, but it’s also a very admirable and worthwhile pursuit.  Sure, it would be easy to be like LeBron James and just pick all the good sports teams to follow, but you don’t want to be like that do you?!
• Take even more pride in your team when they lose. If you really want to confuse the people in your life – and have some fun amidst a trying season – buy some new gear and wear it proudly.  Sure, it probably won’t help your team in the standings, but it’s a fun way to deal with losing.
• Balance your team’s success against other important things in your life. Remember, sports are entertainment, so no matter how long the season becomes with ongoing losing, try to keep it in perspective by balancing sports against your family, friends, and other important people and things that you like to do.

Whether you follow good teams or bad, be sure to check out our always-expanding product line of sport performance products only at www.drstankovich.com

As the end of 2011 nears we have witnessed some of the worst college sports stories heard in recent years – from the Penn State and Syracuse sex scandals to the less horrific, yet still terribly unfortunate, stories that unfolded at Miami, Ohio State, and other colleges.  In all of these examples, crimes to some degree were committed (from child molestation to breaking NCAA rules and/or laws), and in each case the universities responded in their own unique ways to the allegations.  Of course, looking back now is like playing “Monday morning quarterback,” but it’s still worthwhile to do so if we want to handle future troubling issues in better and more effective ways (AHPS).

It appears that in most cases the immediate response by these universities has been to either deny, spin, or deflect.  Of course, that’s understandable – especially when taking into consideration the tremendous value of some of these “brands.”  It goes without saying that negative public image can (and often does) correlate with many important factors, including alumni gifts, future student enrollment, and apparel sales (to name a few).  On the other hand, the denial response – while having great potential upside – also brings with it the increased risk for the drip-drip-drip negative and scandalous review by the NCAA, the media, and fans.  Of course, none of this is unique to athletics, as we have seen politicians and others take the same “nothing to look at here” approach to allegations that have later been proven true.

The short-term gain in deflecting stories and/or getting rid of a sacrificial lamb may appear to work, but in the end more often than not the foundational problems still remain (i.e. the casual athletic culture).  So while the “nothing to see here” response may seem attractive at first, it actually behooves college administrators to take a more in-depth and measured view of the totality of the problem and overall tone of the athletic department culture.  Yes, this is certainly a more riskier PR move than telling people everything is fine, but this approach is more responsible and far better in the long-term (especially in these days of data left behind in email and text messages, sure to be exposed by somebody eventually).

Human beings make mistakes regularly — we have all said or done things we wish we could take back or do differently if given another chance. My article here today is not about being perfect, nor is it designed to come off as some righteous way of living.  No, my goal is to simply remind people who run colleges about the importance of damage control – especially as it applies to handling tough situations respectfully, professionally, and thoroughly

If any college adminstrators are listening, here are a few tips to consider:

• When a negative story breaks, the first move should not be anything that sounds like “nothing to see here.”  Of course, this does not mean to immediately assume all guilt, either.  The best and most responsible answer is to simply state the issues are being taken very serious and that a university response will be forthcoming.
• Check out the allegations and see if they are true.  If you learn rules/laws have been broken, take some time to look through the eyes of the victim, or if it is an institutional charge that impacts competitive fairness, try to see how the problems at your school could impact the overall interest and success of the game.
• Admit when you are wrong.  Yes, this is very difficult for people to do, but when people take ownership of a problem and a sincere apology given, most people are very quick to forgive and forget.
• Take appropriate measures to correct/fix the problem – which may include removing people with big names and reputations.  Again, this may not be easy to do, but in some cases it is warranted in order to truly remedy a situation.
• Go above and beyond to help the victims, or to make right whatever systemic problems that may have negatively impacted others.  Show that you are serious, and not just sorry that you got caught.
• Think about the overall welfare of your institution, not just the athletic department.  While sports are certainly a big part of the overall college experience for most students, it will be the perceived value of their degrees that help them the most in the future — not the wins and losses of the football team.

Damage control is not the most favorite or easiest part of a college administrator’s job, but it is becoming an extremely important part of it.  In this day and age of electronic messages and pictures, empirical data seems to be around every corner when it comes to covering up or denying rule and law breaking.  It is for these reasons, along with it simply being the right thing to do, that college administrators work diligently to do a better job of responding to crises in the future than some have done in 2011.

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Last week Aaron Rogers, star quarterback of the Green Bay Packers, did something many sports fans would like to do.  More specifically, he called out the absurdity of sports “experts” who build their career doing nothing more than finding extreme and shocking ways to build their audience and increase their ratings.  Rogers specifically called out one of the more polarizing ESPN talking heads, Skip Bayless, claiming that his comments are purposely outlandish, specifically designed to get people to tune in to the program.

Today’s sports media landscape could easily consume several chapters in an introduction to sport psychology textbook, as there seemingly as many experts and television/radio shows as there are athletes and sports teams.  In addition to the growing number of sports programs for fans to check out, there’s also a behind-the-scenes battle amongst these experts to drive ratings.  It is at this sad juncture where Aaron Roger’s calling out of Skip Bayless makes perfect sense (and was long overdue).

Why all the negativity, anyway?

The media business is dependent on ratings in order to attract sponsorship for advertising.  So how do you increase ratings?  One way is to be as extreme, controversial, and argumentative as possible.  The more obnoxious the better it seems, as sports fans seem to pay more attention to sports entertainers like Bayless, Jim Rome, Stephen A. Smith, and the Sports Reporters crew than they do the propeller head analysts with far less flare (John Clayton anyone?).

Aaron Rogers said what a lot of people would like to say if they only had the voice, even if he made his comments in a rather subtle way.  Rather than come out and call Bayless a jerk (interestingly, he didn’t even name Bayless), Rogers merely pointed out the absurdity of how desperate Bayless (and ESPN as a network) is to drive ratings, so much so that it only pays today to find the silliest, strangest, or most controversial angle to every story.  One can presume from Rogers’ comments that he would prefer less flash and flare from guys like Bayless, and instead more substance focused on the stories.  Unfortunately, that approach doesn’t seem to attract as many viewers in the minds of the folks in the think tank at ESPN.

More problems – or just more people reporting the problems?

Rogers comments may also serendipitously shed light on an even bigger question in sports today: Are there really more bad stories in sports today than in the old days?  Prior to the ESPN generation of 24/7 sports, there were not media outlets to pounce on every transgression, ethical violation, and police arrest as there is today.  Is it me, or does it seem as though the folks at ESPN sit around the police scanner anxiously awaiting the next athlete to do something dumb, wrong, or illegal so that they can jump all over it from the early morning (Mike & Mike show) through mid-morning (First and Ten) to later in the afternoon when LeBatard hands off to Rome who hands off the Around the Horn, wrapping up with PTI which then segues into ESPN SportsCenter.

As ESPN continues to fan the fire with their strongly opinionated experts, many of the stories they report seem to grow legs of their own, and in some cases become even bigger stories simply because of the increased media attention and absurd histrionics played up by the reporters who talk (scream?) about the stories.

Good for you, Aaron Rogers, for calling out the silliness of what some ESPN experts will do in order to attract viewers and corporate sponsorships (and at the same time make themselves relevant enough to remain on TV).  Some fans have already grown tired of the played up theatrics from guys like Bayless, and it’s likely more fans will feel this way in the future as they try to keep up with sports stories while having to endure through the outlandish folks reporting the stories.

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By now you have probably seen those little bottles at the cash register promoting quick, 5-hour energy boosts — and recently you may have noticed the newest addition to the quick-fix energy boost market: Energy Strips.

If you have followed my columns in the past, you already know that I am a big fan of the placebo effect, and regularly talk about how when human changes take place it is the belief about the expected change that serves as the catalyst for the change, and not the protocol, pill, or recommended procedure.  Placebo effects become very powerful when we believe something is going to happen, especially things we really hope to happen (like putting a film strip on your tongue and moments later being magically awakened!).

Similar to the bottled water boom of 10 years ago, where all of a sudden folks were duped into thinking that bottled water when compared to tap water A.) tasted better, and B.) was safer — many people are falling prey to the same paradigm today concerning quick energy (* for the record countless empirical studies have shown bottled water is no safer, nor does it have any better taste, than normal tap water).  Energy strips are convenient, cool, and to the untrained eye a very fast way to make up for the lack of sleep you had last night — but be careful, folks, as great marketing does not make a product (even if it’s LeBron James pitching it).

The reality is that there is no safe, effective solution for making up for the fact that you didn’t get enough rest/sleep.  Similar to how a cup of coffee might give you a quick (albeit limited) “jolt,” at best that’s what you will get from the little bottles and strips of energy sold at the gas station.  If you are vulnerable (typically don’t get enough sleep), and hopeful (would like a quick fix to your sleep problems), then you are a perfect target for these marketing campaigns (even though you are really buying more of a placebo than any legitimate energy booster).

Rather than getting jacked up on drinks and strips, you would be far better served to simply make it a point to get an adequate amount of down-time and sleep into your daily schedule.  And while your first reaction to that comment might be “I’m too busy for rest,” I would challenge you to reconsider that statement and instead look for ways to better manage your daily living.  I don’t doubt you are busy — we are all busy — but my question has to do with how you manage and prioritize your day, and how you do things like delegate, multi-task, and communicate?  In my experience we can all do a better job in those areas, thereby freeing up more time for rest, relaxation, and sleep.  The end result?  No need to spend $3-4 for little bottles of liquid lightning or film strips of energy!

www.drstankovich.com

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Now that school is underway and fall sports have begun, many families are once again invested in trying to help their son or daughter gain the attention of college coaches so that future athletic scholarship opportunities may come their way.  While only about 7% of all high school student athletes will ever play at the college level (this number includes walk-ons and partial scholarships), there are still a lucky few that will earn scholarship money through athletic accomplishments.  The following are a few quick tips to think about as your family looks into athletic scholarships:

• Play your best. Obviously the fastest way to earning a college athletic scholarship is to excel in your sport.  This is especially true for premier Division I college athletic programs, so if you aren’t exceptionally talented it may behoove you to look at DII, DIII, or NAIA options .
• Test early. For many kids these days it makes sense to take the ACT and/or SAT as early as the start of the JR. year of high school (especially if the child has taken a heavy college –prep course load to that point).  The advantage in taking these tests early (assuming the child is prepared) is that it will be one less thing hanging over his or her head, and if the score is a strong score he or she can include it in college applications and discussions with college coaches.
• Promote yourself! Most parents don’t realize that college coaches only have limited windows when they can speak directly to recruits – however, families can communicate and send information whenever they like.  Be sure to turn every stone and make it a point to promote all your athletic abilities in different ways, including traditional correspondence, Youtube video uploads, and any other social media that can help!
• Multitask and try new things.  While it may not be easy to do, it is important for kids to balance their lives as much as possible and sign up for clubs, activities, and volunteer efforts.  Student athletes who show responsibility, leadership, and discipline usually get extra-long looks when compared to their peers, so be sure to help your child round out his or her schedule.
• Keep options open. While it would be great to receive that full-ride DI scholarship, the reality is that very few student athletes are able to do this.  Therefore, it is important to keep all options open – which might include small DIII private schools who offer really great opportunities as well!

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www.drstankovich.com