Where To Draw The Line

When does the influence of the media begin to be detrimental to the mindsets of our athletes? The incident which occurred with Mike Gundy, the coach of Oklahoma State football, brought to the forefront how sometimes a statement must be made (http://youtube.com/watch?v=5VytIZZzee0). I, personally, stand behind coach Gundy in his handling of the incident involving a writer’s criticism of one of his players on a personal level. After watching ESPN’s SportsCenter this week following the rant, one of the commentators said that an outburst like this seems to happen once or twice every season. That made me think to myself how maybe the media looks to cause these stirrups every once in a while in an attempt to create a news story when the times get slow. I think we as a society like to witness these types of rants, even if they are brought on by something we feel is wrong. There also has to be consideration given to how coach Gundy dealt with this situation. It may seem as though he did the right thing by calling this reporter out on a national stage. However, there are also arguments as to how he could have done it differently. One suggestion is that he could have met with the writer in private and discussed this matter in a more civilized way. Others say he could have responded to it with a ‘no comment’ or something of that nature. I personally feel what he did was the right thing, because it provided a shock value to be seen all across the country. I applaud Mike Gundy for what he did and stand behind his actions, if that means anything to him.

Coaches Gone Wild

Parental pressure in youth sports is always a prevalent issue which seems to come up every few years. Often a parent will get out of control and do something which seems unfathomable to most people. The attention, however, does not swing nearly as often to the coach. Most parents do not see their child practicing due to busy home lives and work schedules. Most entrust their son’s and/or daughter’s coach to be a responsible and trustworthy person. Yet every so often there is an out of control coach who most people fail to realize is negatively impacting these very impressionable youth athletes (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1895844/posts?page=151). The previous article not only shocked me, but flat out appalled me to think that someone, especially a grown adult, would treat an elementary school student in such a ridiculous way. I too had a coach who in my youth football days was seen as out-of-line and in need of a reality check. Often people would call for his resignation due to his aggressive and berating coaching style. I must say, the second of the two years I played for him was a much better experience than the first. It was almost a sort of initiation the first year to get on his good side. I regard him as one of my best coaches ever to this day. However, I have witnessed him get too worked up at times and let that affect his temper. Unfortunately, some of his assistants shared the same mentality, causing the whole atmosphere to be emotionally draining. As a youth, that should not be the situation. Youth sports should instead be a venue in which youngsters learn the sport and how it is to be played fundamentally. Obviously parents can get out of control. We all know and to some degree accept that. Yet every so often the parents should be checking in on how their child’s youth sports coaches are acting and treating their young, helpless athletes.

The Glamorous Recruiting Process

Being on a scholarship for athletics in college seems ideal, right? Who wouldn’t want to have the athleticism to be playing an NCAA sport and representing their school, all while having their education paid for. But not many people realize how excruciating the recruiting process is for players and their families. Sure, it may seem nice to be a Greg Oden or an Adrian Peterson coming out of high school, having all the national recognition and hype. But it is often forgotten that these kids are just that, kids. They want to live a lifestyle like their peers, which sometimes isn’t an availability. Two examples I have firsthand experience with would be two friends of mine. My best friend, who is now playing football at Virginia Military Institute, was being recruited by West Chester University of Pennsylvania. They offered him scholarship money and told him flat out that he was their top fullback prospect, but he had to commit to them within four days or they’d move on. And that they did, they moved on. For colleges to put that much pressure on an 18 year old to commit, it is unnecessary. Another example is my friend, Courtney, who has committed to Towson University for soccer going into her senior year of high school. She was being recruited by numerous top 25 schools, but she decided to go smaller. The recruiting process wore her out and she was lucky to find a coach who cared about her as a player and person, which led her to not care about the size school she was playing at. With the pressure of recruiting sites (http://www.rivals.com http://www.scout.com) tracking these athletes and their every move, the public seems to lose grasp on the fact that these are just young men and women. One last example is Elena Delle Donne. Elena is from Delaware and is widely recognized as the top female basketball player in the class of 2008. She made a statement this summer but stopping any form of basketball play because she was sick of the recruiting process (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/recruiting/news/story?id=2927470). She has since committed to the University of Connecticut, but by taking the time off, she proved that athletes can be worn thin, in some cases even cracked, by the recruiting process and the strain that comes with it. We must always consider how great it must be to be on scholarship for athletics and how hard it is for those athletes to go through what they do coming out of high school.

Who Is To Blame?

Well, it was a long time coming. I mean, everyone should have expected it. Pretty much every other sport is doing it. I just don't see why it took the PGA so long to begin random drug testing. They will finally be able to bring upon themselves all the negative media that the MLB, NFL, and other professional sports have attained. The issue of performance enhancing drugs has become as big of a deal as the actual competitions themselves. The fact that our society is so infatuated with these current scandals seems to indicate how we are losing focus on the games themselves and looking for a reason to point out flaws in our heroes. This may be because we want to be able to see that these athletes are in fact just like us, human. No one ever considers why these athletes take performance enhancing drugs. Something tells me they don’t do it for the thrill of risking getting caught. I mean heck, I don’t think half the guys who take it know they are doing something wrong. Of course that could be argued, but something tells me when the riders in the Tour de France are being kicked off the tour for reasons such as having to take antibiotics for an illness just so they will be able to compete, things need to be reevaluated. Society has begun to demand more and more from these icons, causing them to feel pressured to live up to the hype. But yet we still feel the need to find faults, thus creating a hypocritical circle. Many will play with severe injuries and health issues. To the public, it seems like a given. To the athletes, it’s just how they have to live, regardless if it hurts, or even kills them. In no way am I trying to say I agree with the use of steroids. Not in any way, shape, or form. All I am saying is that these people are just trying to be able to perform to the standard their critics have come to expect of them. When they feel it slipping away, most of the athletes have an innate fear failure and will do anything to continue to have that same feeling of importance and necessity to their sport. Some, unfortunately, are even willing to sacrifice their health and character to continue to be an idol. It’s a shame that they are willing to not only compromise themselves, but their sport’s integrity as well. Maybe we should step back though for a moment and consider “how much impact do we as a society have on these athletes and how important is it for us to see them succeed?”

My History in Writing

Writing is a easy and vibrant way to express the way you feel. So many of our great predecessors have used writing to teach us of our past, which we in turn use to guide us in the present. Another convenience is that you don't have to be as careful writing as when you speak, because you can always hit the backspace key or flip your pencil over and buff out what you didn't mean to say or may just want to phrase a little more carefully. You can always find something to write about, whether it be a hobby, an event, or just an alternative as to how you choose to express your emotions. Writing allows you to articulate your views or feelings on anything you find necessary and/or interesting.