Sportsmanship,
Character Building, & PE
by Gerry
Cernicky
Sportsmanship
for me is when a guy walks off the court and you really can't
tell whether he won or lost, when he carries himself with
pride either way. - Jim Courier
When I first thought about the theme for this month's article,
it struck me how much sports have changed. I wondered, "Is
this change occurring in the right direction?" Simultaneously,
I thought about the hodge-podge of events and activities that
have transformed the direction PE has taken. I concluded that
both sports and PE are at a crossroads awaiting choices we
must make about our professional future.
Today, there is a host of negativity, especially in professional
and college sports, towards sportsmanship.
What character is really being addressed, taught,
and built in sports? All too common are taunts, verbal abuse
of officials, bending of the rules, individual showmanship
that goes far beyond the "look at me," pounding of chests,
throat slashes, and the abrasive interviews following big
games.
Recently, a pro basketball player was fined for verbal abuse
of officials and there was the Richard Sherman taunting debacle
after an NFL play-off game. Nearby, in suburban Pittsburgh,
a coach was seen bumping into an official resulting in a three-game
suspension and anger management classes. The list continues
on the court, ice, fields, and stadiums around the world.
As depressing as these scenarios might seem, fortunately around
the country schools, players, coaches, school boards, parents,
and communities persist in seeking solutions.
I believe that there needs to be a concerted effort to maintain
a sense of fair play and sportsmanship at all levels regardless
of age, gender, sport, or region. The bottom line is to abide
by the rules stipulated by each sport or activity. Part of
the solution is to have a quality control committee to make
final decisions, involving coaches, players, and parents,
and community seminars and clearly identified sportsmanship
codes.
For homework, we all need to watch youth, school, college,
or professional games, note any acts of poor sportsmanship,
and then reflect on the transgressions and how we would handle
the situation1. Here are some common situations to ponder
and to ask ourselves whether the acts are justified or "normal"
behavior we should accept in the heat of the competition:
- Students distracting a foul-shooter
- Signaling out a particular player
for how he or she looks or acts with constant taunting
- Making up chants about players
or a team
- A team winning a game, 56-0; it
happened here near Pittsburgh last month)
- A team running up the score and
not replacing players
- Coaches entering the court or
field to discuss an official’s call
- Coaches berating officials and
their questionable calls
- Trash talking
- Spectator taunts, attacking players
and officials
- Signs and placards towards a player,
coach, team, or school
Now, for physical educators, taking the correct fork at the
crossroads means seeking insight as to what is really happening
in physical education. We can't afford to bury our heads and
avoid thinking about the political decisions and stances taken
by national, state, and local governments. In my state, Pennsylvania,
funding for public education has been cut by billions of dollars.
What does this mean for PE? As we've seen it's led to larger
classes, program cuts, and most worringly teacher lay-offs.
Physical Education has to prove that it's a viable asset to
any school district.
I like to focus on how physical education contributes to
a lifetime of health and fitness for all students, teachers,
parents, and community. We need to do a better job of recognizing
exemplary teachers and their programs. To help physical educators
to excel we need to communicate more effectively and help
them keep abreast of technology, Common Core Standards, conferences,
conventions, in-services, and PE standards. We can succeed
through effective public relations and beating down the doors
of legislators, school boards, and all positions of school
administration and sharing examples of the difference we are
making.
One effective strategy is sharing personal experiences with
other teachers through social networking sites, such as Facebook
and Twitter accounts. Here are some examples from Facebook's
PE1 and PE Central accounts that illustrate the fantastic
expertise of just a few of our dedicated teachers and advocates:
Similar examples are reported daily to Facebook members to
learn, share, and pass along to colleagues who may be unaware
of these resources and need to defend the importance of physical
education. Not to be forgotten is to sign up for the LinkedIn
site for physical education. There you will find top-notch
teachers willing to share a wealth of pertinent information.
These include:
These and many other individuals have devoted their time
and expertise to sharing best practices for physical education.
I believe that all of us should find ways to exchange ideas
and participate in discussions with other teachers. We must
find ways to engage in social networking and reach out to
help and support teaching colleagues in need.
Newer technology including Apple and Android devices are
everywhere and the available apps make it much easier to share
experience.Technology has opened doors for sharing emails,
photos, documents, site pages, Skyping, tweeting and using
other forms of media that get quick responses. This spider-like
network of communication will help us understand what is happening
around the country and connect us professionally. And the
strength of this web will be formed by the determination and
pride shared by those of us in the physical education community.
News and Views
Included below are a few selected links and information that
I believe can help to move physical education thinking forward:
-
National PE Institute, July 28-30, 2014 at UNC Asheville
-
The 14 day Twitter Challenge for PE teachers (Jarrod
Robinson, the PE Geek)
- Message update about the PEP grant:
Looks like the feds have decided to "fund down the
slate." Check to see if your school district received
an e-mail today that stated something like: "As you
may be aware, for FY2014, The Department has decided to
"fund down the slate" in lieu of having full and
open competition for this program. Essentially, this means
we will not request new applications but rather fund from
the slate of applications received (but not funded) in FY2013.
As we proceed in our decision making process, we are reaching
out to you to determine if in fact your organization would
still like to be considered for funding under this program."
If so, your district may be funded this year!
-
Physical Education Professionals from LinkedIn
- George
Velarde's PE Program
-
TPSR Alliance ( Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility
Through Physical Activity) June
26-28, 2014
- Using
technology in Physical Education, Bonnie Mohnsen
-
Inquiry and Techology in PhysEd, Andy Vassily shows
assessment tasks
-
Institute for International Sport
Final Thoughts on Sportsmanship and PE
I wanted to share a video that made me think about where PE
may be headed. In the video, change the "Radio Shack" word
for "PE" and ask yourself whether we have stayed in the '80's
or moved on to new horizons in the way the survival of our
profession demands. The second link is to an Artie Kamiya's
blog he titled, "Certainty of Death…Small Chance of Success."
Even though it's a few years old, the message persists: We
have to think about and come up with answers about the State
of Physical Education.
By now the 2014 Winter Olympics have come and gone, but you
may remember watching an incident that occurred during the
opening ceremony. A technology glitch resulted in only four
of the five Olympic rings showing. Immediately, a blog made
fun of the error and an ad agency saw a chance to make money.
For $22.95, you could purchase an Olympic
ring fail shirt. What a negative character
building message for our young, aspiring Olympic dreamers!
Some people just like to make fun of errors or celebrate poor
performances.
Finally, at this time of year, it is rug-cutting time for
high school and college athletes to make it to the Big Dance,
the Final Four, Frozen Four, and state and individual championships.
During the ensuing intense competition rivalries will be tested
to the limit. I wonder when the final bell has rung, how many
of the decisions made will end up with positive or negative
athletic behaviors?
1 Buzzer Beater: A few hours
after the last sentence in the article, there was a basketball
game between Oklahoma State and Texas Tech. It was a very
heated contest and what happened on February 9 illustrated
the concerns I've expressed. A player ended up in a pile of
fans then went into the stands and shoved an older man. The
action was called a technical but not a dismissal from the
game. The announcers denounced this as an incorrect call because
it permitted the player to remain on the bench.
Think about sportsmanship. That includes the role and responsibilities
of the players, coaches, cheerleaders, and spectators. What
should have been the consequence? Should the player have been
ejected? If you were the Commissioner what would your penalty
decision be? Was the technical enough? Should the player attend
anger management classes? Should the player have been suspended
for one, two, three, or more games? What would be the "right"
things to do?
Biography: Gerry Cernicky is a veteran health and
physical educator with 36 years of experience. The former
"Teacher of the Year" was a sports writer for the
Vandergrift News. He has been a consultant for the NASPE discussion
list for 15 years. He delivers pod casts on Talkshoe and has
presented at conventions and conferences in Florida, Kentucky,South
Carolina, Illinois and Pennsylvania. Gerry has helped thousands
of teachers around the world through digests, articles and
at his web site and blog.
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