This isn’t Little League and it’s not CYO ball. It’s professional basketball, and when you are the leader of a professional team, there are things you must do. One of them is to stand up after every game, win or lose, and either bask in the glory or take the heat.

…

[James:] “It’s hard for me to congratulate somebody after you just lose to them,” he said, the Associated Press reported. “I’m a winner. It’s not being a poor sport or anything like that. If somebody beats you up, you’re not going to congratulate them. That doesn’t make sense to me. I’m a competitor. That’s what I do. It doesn’t make sense for me to go over and shake somebody’s hand.”

So, the NBA is not little league…. Here’s what I don’t understand then: Why should James think that a professional should actually be held to a lower standard of behavior than a little-leaguer? It’s a shame our kids had to see this, but it’s pitiful and embarrassing to see James’ remarks the following day actually trying to justify it.

And the nation’s message in response should be: “It is being a poor sport.”

Fri, 15 May 2009 OTL examines the power struggle between club and high school basketball

via OTL: AAU Vs. High School Basketball.

Not much posting to this blog lately. Usually if it’s just an interesting article I post to Twitter these days….

But this one got me a little riled. Without telling too many tales (those of you who know me have heard them already), it hits too close to home. I’ve become a bit of a broken record on this issue, but I’ll try to hit the main point concisely here.

ESPN’s OTL should be commended for addressing the issue, but like many other outlets that have taken a look at this, I think they miss the point.

School-based sports aren’t supposed to be the same as non-school sports. The “student-athlete” is not just a kid who plays a sport. As an educator who coaches, I see my work in coaching as an integral component of my players’ academic growth experience as well as any advances we might make in sport. Too often, coaches – some at schools, and some in clubs – don’t see themselves as educators first.

I do.

Sadly, it’s often to my own detriment as a professional educational coach. Club and AAU coaches do have tons of influence in my area (Chicago), but they’re not the only ones. There is a powerful and growing contingent of school-based coaches who also see themselves as power brokers and collectors of athletic talent. These coaches increase their power base by becoming successful in assembling championship teams by collecting talent. They often do this with close relationships with club programs. Many directly or indirectly recruit student-athletes from other schools.

Interestingly, the ESPN piece exhibits this in its narrative, but doesn’t spend a lot of time assessing the role of some school-based coaches.

The result is that our talented youth athletes have become commodities – both to certain club coaches as well as certain school-based coaches. They are wooed and squabbled over and led to believe that their college opportunities are dependent on their affiliation with a particular coach or program. They are bought with lofty promises and expensive shoes.

I’ve seen kids really benefit – personally and academically – from sports. You may never hear about them or see them play in television-worthy college games, but my primary job is to teach skills they’ll take with them when they’re not playing sports.

Scituate “Green Death” soccer coach resigns – Quincy, MA – The Patriot Ledger.

Coach Learns That Youth Sports and Satire Don’t Mix

Poor Communication…

…Possibly Insane Email…

Scituate ‘Green Death’ coach’s satirical e-mail causes national furor

Maybe there’s something to be said for quickly becoming the most famous coach of 7 year-old girls soccer in the nation. As a couple of the above articles suggest, while I can’t tell whether he’s a good coach, I’m sure of a few things:

1. He’s not a very good writer
2. Electronic communication, particularly email and social networking, are poorly understood and often poorly used media
3. Bad writing can create problems

I’m not re-posting the original email (it’s linked above), but I can definitely see in it parts that are meant to be funny and parts that clearly are not. Smack in the middle, however, are comments whose intent are unclear. Many may have been clear if they’d been spoken (at a parents’ meeting, let’s say), but Coach Kinahan isn’t able to make his intent consistently clear in his writing.

I blogged earlier about social networking in youth athletics – my staff just lost a good young coach because he didn’t fully understand the implications of that communication.

A new proposal seeks to ban Chicago public school coaches from slapping, shaking, twisting, choking, hitting, pushing, pinching, head-banging or paddling athletes, as well as “avoid displays of temper.”

via Keeping coaches in check :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Education.

I know, I know – I haven’t blogged much of late. I have, however, been keeping an eye on the CPS coaches’ paddling scandal.

The above-described proposal begs the question: Why does this even need to be a proposal? Is there somebody who’s going to legitimately suggest that any of the described behavior would EVER be OK?

A bill pending in Rhode Island would create a seven-member council to settle disputes in youth recreational leagues, with the power to fine parents or others it thinks are in the wrong.

via The Associated Press: RI weighs resolving youth sports spats at council.

Here’s a related story that ties in nicely:

Facebook Off Limits in Wisconsin District

The Michigan High School Athletic Association says it plans to appeal U.S. District Judge Richard Enslen’s ruling which awarded a $7.4 million court judgment for the plantiff’s legal fees in the gender equity lawsuit.

Just keeping up with developments in the Michigan case. It’s an interesting question when you consider that the judgment against the state’s athletic association is more than the value of the organization. Stay tuned….

Opponents carry injured home run hitter around the bases – International Herald Tribune
PORTLAND, Ore.: With two runners on base and a strike against her, Sara Tucholsky of Western Oregon University uncorked her best swing and did something she had never done, in high school or college. Her first home run cleared the center-field fence.

But it appeared to be the shortest of dreams come true when she missed first base, started back to tag it and collapsed with a knee injury.

She crawled back to first but could do no more. The first-base coach said she would be called out if her teammates tried to help her. Or, the umpire said, a pinch runner could be called in, and the homer would count as a single.

Then, members of the Central Washington University softball team stunned spectators by carrying Tucholsky around the bases Saturday so the three-run homer would count — an act that contributed to their own elimination from the playoffs.

Gotta love the Pacific Northwest! Next time somebody asks me to define “sportsmanship,” I’m going to point them to this article.

The coach of Kawamoto technical high school threw in the towel to spare his pitchers arm with his team losing 66-0 with just one batter out in the bottom of the second.

The hapless hurler had already sent down over 250 pitches, allowing 26 runs in the first inning and 40 in the second before Kawamoto asked for mercy.

Ouch.