Building Responsible Athletic
Programs
written by Deborah
Cadorette, Eugene T. Moore School of Education, Clemson
University, SC
This
issue theme is sportsmanship and character, a topic
that requires consistent attention and reinforcement by coaches
and school districts. The following information came from
a resource I discovered online from the Alabama Cooperative
Extension System, Molly Gregg and Chuck Hill, 4-H Specialists
who developed the Alabama 4-H "Leading with Character"
guide entitled Sports
Ethics which is comprised of a coalition project
developed through the Josephson Institute of Ethics. Dusty
Oates discusses sportsmanship and character expectations,
and how we might benefit from ethical practices expected of
athletes in golf and tennis.
Two of the Six Pillars of Character
in the Alabama 4-H Sport Ethics document set the stage for
developing sportsmanship & character; Respect and Responsibility.
Interscholastic athletic program administrators and coaches
could make use of these topics by discussing them with coaches
and athletes in a leadership round-table held once a month.
If coaches and athletes would consider these suggestions in
developing expectations, it would present a clear model for
spectators. As with any expected behavior - it must become
routine through practice. Demonstrate and incorporate these
actions in practice on a regular basis.
RESPECT
- Be respectful by being civil, polite and gracious.
- Treat athletes, parents, officials, fans and others
with respect.
- Show respect for opponents.
- Win and Lose with class.
- Demonstrate appreciation of opponents.
- Help a fallen opponent.
- Shake hands with, and cheer opponents with sincere
respect.
- Refuse to fight with opponents.
- Refuse to taunt or trash talk.
- Refuse to use profanity.
- Assist opponents.
- Be a thoughtful and gracious host.
- Show respect for athletes (coaches).
- Follow the classroom standard.
- Respect beliefs.
- Refuse to harass.
- Show respect for teammates (athletes).
- Show respect for officials.
- Coaches and players should not be combative.
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RESPONSIBILITY
- Exercise self-control.
- Pursue excellence.
- Develop and maintain competence.
- Provide for the safety and welfare of athletes above
all else.
- Protect athletes from physical abuse, sexual harassment,
or exploitation.
- Address special sport related temptations and dangers
for student-athletes, both on and off the field.
- Maintain the integrity of the sport.
- Maintain a respectful atmosphere and environment.
- Regulate spirit groups.
- Regulate spectators.
- Uphold educational goals of athletic competition.
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Respect and responsibility are only two of the Six Pillars
of Character. A person of good character is deemed to
be trustworthy, respectful, responsible, fair, caring, and
a good citizen. These are principles established at the Arizona
Sports Summit Accord, and are based on the Olympic philosophy.
School districts have an opportunity to set the tone for
everyone in the community who is involved with the school
in any way. Building sportsmanship and character through interscholastic
athletics requires a dedicated Principal and AD who demonstrate
appropriate behaviors and hold coaches accountable for teaching
appropriate behaviors to student-athletes, assistant coaches,
students, faculty, and community. The school athletic program
expected behaviors can be a model for positive behaviors that
can influence an entire community. Coaches should hold student-athletes
to carry their expected behaviors wherever they go.
Athletic programs and coaches can be powerful influences
for either the positive or negative, based on the philosophy
promoted by the school administration, faculty, coaches, and
media. Every athletic event and method of communication can
send a powerful message to the public about your philosophy
and expectations for behaviors of people while in the presence
of students or at school related functions.
Develop your mission along with a positive logo and slogan
that delivers what the school stands for. Put it on T-shirts,
or above doorways on banners. Have it on the walls as you
enter the school. Your message to every student in the school
should tell them they are important and unique in their contributions
to the school environment. Every student in the school would
benefit from volunteering to help in the community some way
each term. The leadership hours can also be a requirement
for graduation. Preparing our students and student-athletes
is part of our job in preparing them to be responsible in
the world and give - without expecting something in return.
Golf and Tennis Have Ethical Expectations:
All Sports Can Adopt This Practice
By Dusty Oates
Throughout an individual's learning years, parents attempt
to instill a sense of right and wrong in their child's development.
Children are taught acceptable behaviors at home and when
they are "out in public." Parents seek to nurture
a child's understanding of correct and incorrect responses
as part of the learning process. Character development many
times is the result of a child following and mimicking the
actions of their parents and extended family. How a child
progresses in his or her understanding depends on the consistent
messages and lessons the parent presents on a daily basis.
How can coaches and athletic administrators instill positive
character traits and appropriate behavior expectations in
their athletes? How can athletic leaders mold their athletes
to exhibit sportsmanship qualities in and around the playing
fields and athletic arenas? The NCAA, in conjunction with
many athletic conferences, routinely has sportsmanship initiatives
where competing teams shake hands prior to contests. Teams
from all sports and age groups routinely shake hands after
games. Is this enough, or are athletes and coaches just going
through the motions?
Character
An athletic administrator has a multi-functional job. The
administrator has to see to the day-to-day operations of his
or her department and educate the department's coaches in
regulations governing their sport. Whether the competition
is at the collegiate or high school level, colleges and school
athletics are governed by both national and state associations.
Upon alignment with governing organizations, members agree
to abide by and follow established rules and regulations for
competition and administration. Complete compliance is rarely
attainable. When compliance comes into question, the athletic
administrator must act. The administrator's character beliefs
and practices come to the forefront.
Coaches routinely undergo rules and regulations training
for their sport. Often what seems to be an innocent incident
can be in conflict with governing regulations. As an administrator,
you have to be knowledgeable on acceptable and unacceptable
actions.
A high school athletic administrator is made aware of the
coaches, of one of his or her teams, conducting an instructional
session the previous afternoon for the new middle school staff
and returning players. The instructional session took place
the week prior to allowable practice dates. Several of your
returning athletes were used as examples and instructors for
the middle school athletes.
This seems innocent, and an example of good relations between
high school and middle school staffs. It provides a community
service opportunity for high school athletes. It gives the
athletes a chance to give back what has been taught to them.
However, is this within your governing body's regulations
or a violation of policy? If it is a violation, what are the
consequences for your school, coaches, and athletes?
As an athletic administrator, you have a choice. Do you pass
this off as a good experience for all without investigating
the legality? Do you establish legality and if not, report
your school to your athletic association for violation of
policy? If no other school witnessed the event, would anyone
know? The administrator's character comes to the forefront.
After investigation, the instructional session results in
an illegal practice. It occurred prior to established practice
dates and involved current high school athletes and middle
school athletes deemed "feeder school" athletes
for your program.
As athletic administrator, do you self-report your school,
or tell your coaching staff to not conduct future instructional
clinics outside of established dates without reporting the
violation to your governing body? Do you let the clinic go
on for several more days and ignore? As administrator, you
know the possible sanctions the governing body can place on
your team and school. What is right and what is wrong?
The PGA Tour is a unique organization. It relies heavily
on its players to police play in tournaments, even though
there are 'rules' officials for each tournament. On many occasions
you will see a player call a penalty when an infraction of
the rules was seen only by the individual. When asked why
the penalty was brought to the attention of rules officials,
the answer often is because the player knew of the infraction
and the integrity of the Tour demanded they reveal it. Athletic
administrators and coaches should follow this example.
In the above example, possible sanctions could include declared
ineligibility of all participating players, sanctions to the
team involving potential loss of playoff participation, monetary
fines for the school, or a combination of all. As athletic
administrator, are you willing to accept the sanctions placed
on your team or school and attempt to correct the infractions?
Are you willing to endure the unhappiness of your coaches
due to their disbelief that they did anything wrong? Are you
going to ignore and forget? The choice is yours. Your character
and integrity comes into question.
Sportsmanship
How do coaches instill sportsmanship in their players? How
do coaches relate appropriate and inappropriate behavior in
their athletes? Players often follow their coach's lead. Emotions
run high. The desire to excel and win the contest is intoxicating.
Spectators voice their approval and disapproval to both play
and officiating. The heat of the moment can be confusing.
Your school is hosting a state semi-final contest. The game
frenzy within the school and community is magnified. The media
touts the game as an epic between the two schools. Your team
is undefeated on the season. There has been talk in the community
and the media all year of the expectation of state final participation.
You have multiple Division 1 collegiate athletes on your team.
Your opponent is also undefeated and equally talented. Game
day arrives with all the expected energy and hype. The stadium
is filled to capacity. The game goes back and forth and is
an epic struggle. Officials make unbelievable calls for and
against both teams. In the waning minutes, your team is stopped
short of scoring on a questionable call by the officials.
The game ends, your team suffers defeat by a slim margin,
your team and community's hopes of a state final dashed. Your
opponent's team and spectators are in a delirious frenzy.
How do you want your athletes to respond?
Many times, losing teams are witnessed in verbal confrontations
with opposing players. They throw equipment. They lay sobbing
on the courts and fields. They walk off in disbelief without
acknowledging the opposing team. The scene can get ugly and
escalate into physical confrontations. Winning team members
are often seen taunting players from the opposing team upon
completion of the game. Players have to be physically restrained
by coaches from both sides. Unsecured spectator sections enter
the fray, increasing the hostile environment. No reputable
coach wants their team to be involved in a situation of this
nature. How can it be prevented?
Coaches must practice and instill sportsmanship characteristics
and thoughts in their players on a daily basis. No coach in
America will take practice time to "walk through"
situations where sportsmanship should be exhibited prior to
a big game. Daily instruction on how to conduct themselves
in a sportsmanlike manner is a must for athletes, young and
old. Coaches need to reacquaint themselves and their players
with standards of conduct before, during, and after contests.
Coaches must model behavior for their athletes to emulate.
Behavioral expectations should be constantly stressed. Athletes
need to be reminded by their coach that the sport is larger
than the individual, and a respect for the game is a necessity.
A failure in respect diminishes the enjoyment value of both
participants and spectators. In sport, we are taught to overcome
adversity and work for the common good. Winning and losing
with dignity is a valuable component in lessons learned through
sport.
How do coaches and athletic administrators build and exhibit
character and sportsmanship in themselves and their players?
The foundation for both is character. Base your program on
honesty and integrity. In his book, Leading
with the Heart, Mike Krzyzewski describes integrity as
"nothing more than doing the right thing no matter who's
watching you."
Coaches and administrators should always do the right thing
and model sportsmanship to their players; not just when people
are watching. Learning is continual. Players are the canvas
upon which their actions paint a clear picture of what their
school, program, and coaches stand for.
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