The Sports Doc Chalk Talk

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?

www.drstankovich.com

The following article is a piece I wrote for the National Federation of High Schools (NFHS) High School Today magazine in 2010:

When it comes to coaching kids, developing a delicate balance of being coach, teacher, and friend can be very challenging, to say the least.  In an ideal situation, successful coaches develop and maintain appropriate boundaries and guidelines within each role, leading to positive holistic development and growth for all student athletes on the team.  Successful coaches continuously develop a philosophy and personal style that enable them to do the following things: Instruct technical athletic skills, teach life skills from athletic experiences that can be applied to school and future careers, and occasionally even wear the hat of “friend” when student athletes need a place to turn in times of need.  Some coaches seem to naturally develop this healthy balance, while other coaches struggle wearing all three hats – and, in worst-case scenarios, step over the integrity line and abuse coach-student athlete boundaries.

Unfortunately, the issue of establishing and maintaining appropriate boundaries between coaches and student athletes is a growing concern in America today, as cases of inappropriate relationships involving alcohol, drugs, and sexual activity continue to increase annually.  The following are tips and insights that responsible coaches use to ensure their behaviors and relationships are appropriate.

• Responsible coaches always keep in mind the tremendous amount of trust that has been put on them.  In many instances, the role a coach plays in a young person’s life is almost as important as a parent (and in some instances the coach may even become a “pseudo-parent”).  The trust kids have in a coach is a very special thing, and the relationship coaches develop with kids can lead to either a prosperous, healthy personal growth experience through sport participation or a lifetime of painful memories due to short-sighted thinking and inappropriate and potentially illegal behaviors.
• Since most coaches operate autonomously (meaning they act on their own and are guided by their own thinking and behaviors), responsible coaches know that it is vitally important to police their own behaviors.  If something doesn’t feel right (i.e. going to a student athlete’s party, or exchanging messages discretely via email or text messaging), they stop the behavior and take time to think about the possible consequences of their actions.  Not only may the behavior be inappropriate, it may even be illegal; that’s why it is so important to think about their actions.
• The coach is always in an adversarial relationship with his or her student athletes, and also in a position of tremendous power.  Responsible coaches do not take this lightly.  Kids on the team will often do whatever the coach says they should do, even if they feel uncomfortable or know that what is being asked of them doesn’t feel right.  Sadly, some irresponsible coaches take advantage of this coercive dynamic and abuse the power of being a coach.  In these instances, many terrible things can occur, including the loss of employment as a coach, a child left with terrible emotional scarring, and possibly even incarceration if the activities are illegal.
• While the age of consent varies from state-to-state, responsible coaches know that one thing is certain: It is never appropriate to develop a sexual relationship with a student athlete (even if he/she is above the age of consent).  The reason for this is that the relationship coaches build with student athletes is predicated on trust, and the adult figure must always maintain that trust under all circumstances.  Good coaches realize that it is ultimately their responsibility, not the child’s, to ensure that an inappropriate relationship doesn’t develop.  Developing a dual-relationship (i.e. being the coach and also carrying on a sexual relationship with a student athlete) is never appropriate, and using the excuse that “the student athlete caused this to happen” is also unacceptable.
• A growing concern, and often an antecedent condition when it comes to inappropriate relationships between coaches and student athletes, is the use (and abuse) of internet social networking pages.  Responsible coaches know how to effectively create and monitor their social networking pages (i.e. MySpace, Facebook).  They only display appropriate pictures and content, and they exclude sexual innuendo, coarse language, and pictures that include sexual and/or drug and alcohol themes.  Good coaches regularly examine their pages to make sure the content is appropriate, and that it is suitable for student athletes who may visit their sites.
• Responsible coaches know that social networking pages often create depersonalized communication between people.  Emailing, instant messaging, and texting are examples of casual communication that can quickly become a “slippery slope” when it comes to inappropriate relationships developing.  Good coaches steer clear of communication that can be misinterpreted as emotional or sexually-oriented.  Avoiding this type of communication is another way responsible coaches avoid any inappropriate behavior.
• Responsible coaches discuss their communication style early and often with both parents and student athletes, making sure to convey how they prefer to communicate (i.e. email, phone, or in-person), as well as when they available to communicate.  They know that it is important to establish these guidelines so that fewer impromptu meetings occur – making inappropriate relationships less likely to occur as well.
• Responsible coaches are sure to always use appropriate language when working with kids.  They minimize the use of coarse, vulgar, and profane language, and they do not make comments that could be viewed as racist, sexist, or unfairly biased.  These coaches realize that unprofessional language can lead to loose, casual relationships developing, which can later lead to a deterioration of the coach-student athlete dynamic, often contributing to inappropriate coach-student athlete relationships.
• Responsible coaches meet with kids at appropriate times and places, steering away from questionable places (i.e. casually outside of school) and instead use more appropriate locations (i.e. a school office).  Additionally, they typically meet with kids while having other adults around, and keep the door of the office open whenever possible.  Obviously, meeting with student athletes in private places, especially late after school, is never a wise decision and should be avoided whenever possible.

When good coaches find themselves in awkward positions with student athletes, they know how important it is to think and act responsibly.  Remember, it is always the coach’s responsibility to act like an adult at all times and prevent inappropriate relationships from occurring.  The way coaches conduct themselves, their level of professionalism, and the examples they set for kids is very important and cannot be overstated.

For more information about building healthy and successful relationships with young athletes, check out Sport Success 360.

www.drstankovich.com

As the end of summer youth sports nears, many families are nervously awaiting to learn whether their young athlete has been selected to be a member of his or her leagues all-star team.  At the same time, coaches across the country are faced with the dubious task of making critical, often subjective, appraisals about which kids should make the all-star team (AHPS). As with any selection process, errors, oversights, and omissions will occur – sometimes resulting in hard feelings between families and coaches.  The strife some families feel during the all-star selection process is often blamed on the “politics” of sports (Sport Success 360).

The “science” behind all-star selections

While the field of sport psychology has allowed us to learn many powerful skills to enhance athletic abilities, it has yet to yield a cook-book recipe for coaches when it comes to all-star decisions.  In other words, there is no science – only each coach’s own ability to evaluate talent while maintaining a level of integrity in the process.  What this means is that while there are always some statistics to examine, individual comparisons are never “apple-to-apple.”  The “X” factors that include mental toughness are rarely captured in a box score, yet coaches often use these factors when evaluating talent.

Many parents become upset and disenfranchised by the all-star selection process because they subjectively see their child as better than he or she really is — and/or they don’t see the talents of another athlete who was chosen over their son or daughter.  Additionally, while its not the norm for coaches to purposely pick only the kids they personally like (politics), this does occasionally occur (though not nearly to the level upset parents think).

The reality

Selecting all-stars can be a brutal task for coaches and league operators involved in youth sports, as it is inevitable that some deserving kids will be left off teams while other seemingly less talented kids will end up making all-star teams.  Similarly, many parents struggle accepting the news that their child has been left off a sports all-star team, and in some situations feel as though their child was “done wrong” in the process.  Since this disconnect happens so regularly, I have provided a few quick tips for both coaches and parents so that the all-star selection process goes smoothly and with fewer problems around how the kids were selected:

What coaches can do

• Try to use as much objective data as possible.  Statistics like goals scored, batting average, fielding percentage, and stolen bases are examples of data you can use to not only help in the selection process, but also to offer up when people question your decisions.
• Take time to critically evaluate the kids.  Of course, some all-star selections will be quite easy, but after the first couple of kids it usually gets a lot tougher to discern the small differences between kids.  When you consider the heartfelt responses that usually follow all-star team selections, it certainly warrants that you take the process serious and do your homework when making decisions.
• Vote on players.  Leaving the decisions up to just one coach is never a good thing, so be sure to have multiple sources available to offer opinions.
• Be respectful when announcing the team.  Keep in mind that as soon as the team is announced there will be some families who feel as though their child was treated unfairly, and may even let you know about it.  Be sure to prepare for this and try to be understanding if you get approached by a distraught parent, keeping in mind their level of hurt seeing their child left off the team.

What parents can do

• Understand just how difficult all-star selections are for coaches!  At every level of sport competition we see criticism around what players make the team and what players don’t.  Keep in mind all the unseen variables coaches often take into account (i.e. hustle, team needs, particular position needs, etc.), and try not to immediately use the excuse that “politics” were to blame.
• Talk to your child (if he or she didn’t make the team) about stress, failure, and adversity – and how they can be used for motivation and future success.  Many kids come back the following year and make the all-star team because of the motivation they developed after missing the team a year earlier.
• If you feel it’s important to learn more about why your child didn’t make the team, be sure to remain respectful and considerate toward the coach.  It’s always better to ask about what areas your child can improve in for the future rather than argue why your child should have made the team over another kid who was selected.

Help your child succeed on and off the field – check out our ever-expanding line of peak performance products for student athletes, coaches, and parents!

www.drstankovich.com

The Sport Success 360 online coach training course is now live, and is designed to conveniently help youth sports coaches learn and respond to a variety of on and off-field psychosocial issues and concerns.  The course was designed using the Sport Success 360 sports leadership curriculum, and will help coaches prepare for a variety of issues they are likely to face, including youth sport burnout, playing time, role modeling, performance supplements, hazing, playing time, controlling emotions, communicating with parents, travel leagues, plus much more!

Advantages of Sport Success 360 Coach Education Certification Course:

• A comprehensive training course that uses a unique psychosocial approach to help build positive interpersonal relationships with kids, parents, and coaches.
• Easy to understand tips, insights, warnings, and advice — practical training coaches can use every day for on and off-field success
• Unlike other training courses that are time-intensive and cost-prohibitive, Sport Success 360 can be completed in less time and at an affordable price.
• Leagues can have their entire coaching staff certified easily from the comfort of their homes.
• Can be used as a great compliment to league background checks on coaches.
• Sport Success 360 training course also includes a free download to Sport Success 360 (the book), as well as Sport Success 360 Plus (the advanced audio program).  This means that coaches will be able to reference the educational material not only at the beginning of the season, but throughout their entire coaching career.
• Reduces league exposure and may qualify for league insurance discounts

As youth sports leagues continue to face new and emerging trends, it is important to equip coaches with the skills and knowledge needed to appropriately handle negative and dangerous situations.  Sport Success 360 allows entire leagues to develop a healthy and positive sports culture — leading to healthy and positive experiences for kids.

www.drstankovich.com