Pay Attention

Scott Johnson is going to prison and deservedly so. He betrayed the trust of the children he coached, his employer, and his sport. Johnson was a weightlifting coach in Springfield, Mo. until late last year. Another staff member at the training facility noticed a video camera on his desk. The camera contained videos of two young female athletes. Springfield police later discovered more videotapes at Johnson's home. Jurors took less than an hour to convict him in a trial that concluded this week. Prosecutors argued that Johnson videotaped the girls as they disrobed and weighed themselves.

I am disgusted by this behavior. It takes a lot for many parents to entrust their daughters to a male coach anyway - for fear of something like this happening. Johnson's actions make it more difficult for the next coach who is truly out to help a young person succeed. I applaud the staff member who came forward in this case. The safety and security of our children is far more important than any misplaced sense of loyalty.

Parents, this is another in a long line of loud and clear wake-up calls. PAY ATTENTION to who is coaching, teaching, and mentoring your children. Stay at practice with your children. Don't just drop them off and pick them up like some taxi service. Know what is and is not acceptable in their chosen sport. Please protect the most precious gift we have. Until next time...

Be a Good Sport!

-Sol

Demolition Man

The St. Louis Rams lost to the Tennessee Titans yesterday 47-7. If you follow the NFL with any regularity you probably know that already. Big deal, right? With a 1-11 record going in, what did you expect? Well, what the Rams lost yesterday may have been greater than the game. Tennessee was already up 33-7 late in the second half when Rams defensive lineman Clifton Ryan seemed to hit Titans running back Chris Johnson after he was already out of bounds. A referee threw a penalty flag for unnecessary roughness but rescinded the penalty after conferring with other officials.

Titans coach Jeff Fisher was noticeably upset and was seen pointing and shouting towards the Rams sideline. Tennessee then completed a scoring drive which featured tight end Alge Crumpler catching a touchdown pass on fourth down - snatching the ball away from two Rams defenders. Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo could be seen mouthing the words "You've gotta be kidding me" from the sideline.

I fully understand why mercy rules exist in youth sports. The human psyche can be fragile and there is no need to damage someone irreparably by running up the score. I know that pro sports cannot have mercy rules because of sponsor and television contract requirements. But there is no reason to not have this safety valve in place for kids. Booker T. Washington once said "You can't hold a man down without staying down with him." Granted, Washington's context was in the backdrop of slavery and racism. However, the words apply to sports as well.

Jeff Fisher had to lower himself to keep the Rams down. The Tennessee coach embarrassed himself so he could further embarrass his opponent. Have more respect for your sport, your opponent, and yourself. Until next time...

Be a Good Sport!

-Sol

First Down

Brian Kelly (pictured above) has signed a five-year contract to become the new head football coach at the University of Notre Dame. Congratulations are not in order. Kelly left his 12-0 University of Cincinnati team to take the Notre Dame job. Cincinnati had a stellar regular season which earned the school its first invitation to the prestigious Sugar Bowl. Players will try to complete a 13-0 season without the coach who led them most of the way.

Players received the news after the annual football banquet Thursday evening. Wide receiver and team MVP Mardy Gilyard reportedly stormed out of the meeting. Gilyard suggested that his former coach made his new career move for the money. I can't say that I disagree. What other reason would cause a coach to leave a 12-0 team for a 6-6 team? It seems Kelly's integrity has an inverse relationship to his bank account. Several young men and their parents trusted him. I'm not saying Kelly should have stayed at Cincinnati forever. Everyone is free to pursue opportunities for advancement. Nonetheless, he owed his players one more month...one more game.

Don't do this to kids. Do what you say you will do where young people are concerned. Money does not matter to them. Your word matters. It is worth more than fame or money. Let the promises you make to kids be worth more than any check anyone could ever write. Until next time...

Be a Good Sport!

-Sol

Reversal of (Mis)Fortune

Tiger Woods was in a car accident last Friday morning. According to reports, he suffered minor injuries when he crashed his vehicle into a fire hydrant and a tree. No one else was in the vehicle with him. Florida Highway Patrol officials announced plans yesterday to cite him for careless driving. The citation carries a $164 fine and four points against his driver's license. No other charges are expected as officials further declared the case closed.

Several outlets have also reported that Woods' injuries may not have been the result of the accident. Some suggest Woods' injuries may have actually been inflicted by his wife, Elin Nordegren. Whether or not this is true will be debated for some time to come, but not here. The issue of possible domestic violence against a man has been fodder for much talk-show humor in recent days. Unfortunately, women know all too well the damage domestic violence can do - both physically and emotionally.

The good news is that there are many agencies filled with dedicated people who look to help women dealing with domestic violence. Many of you reading this post also know that a lot more should be done to protect women. This situation also provokes a rather interesting dilemma. What happens when a man is physically abused by a woman? Who does he call? Who will come to his aid? People tend to avoid questions like these because they challenge the status quo. Questions like these challenge what it means to be a man or what it means to be a woman.

Children deal with similar issues. Boys are told they are stronger, faster, and more physically capable than girls. I'm going to let you all in on a little secret. Girls and boys are physical equals until puberty. Even post-puberty, boys and girls are capable of hurting each other. Men are not invincible and women are not fragile. We are all somewhere in the middle. Our responsibility as parents and coaches is to teach our children the value of one another. Your strength lies not in how many people you can knock down, but by how many you can help up. Until next time...

Be a Good Sport!

-Sol

This Little Light

The AT&T National Sportsmanship Awards will be held Saturday, November 21st at the Chase Park Plaza in St. Louis. In the days leading up to the event that "celebrates all that's right in sports," we will present the stories of several 2009 honorees. For tickets and more information, please call (314) 345-5122 or visit www.nationalsportsmanshipawards.com.

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Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works. This statement applies to the New York Yankees. The players who have worn the uniform are nothing short of legendary. Ruth, Gehrig, Dimaggio, Mantle, Berra, and Jackson only start the list. Players like Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, and Alex Rodriguez are trying even now to etch their names into Yankee lore. It was night in July, however, that made the current group of Yankees a team for the ages.

Caren and Dan Mahar founded Camp Sundown for kids with the rare disease known as XP --xeroderma pigmentosum. XP causes sunlight to be extremely harmful. Kids with XP have a 2,000-fold increased risk of skin cancer, precancerous tumors, eye and mouth tumors. Most won't live to be 20. Yankees media-relations director Jason Zillo invited the kids from Camp Sundown to watch New York take on the Oakland A's at Yankee Stadium. Fluorescent lighting is also dangerous for the kids, so even attending a night game was a little tricky. Zillo guided his young guests into their VIP suite to watch the game. After watching a Yankees 6-3 victory, it was on to the real fun.

The lights were dimmed to 30 percent and Yankee Stadium was then transformed into a carnival of wiffle ball games, frisbees, clowns, magicians; all for the kids from Camp Sundown. The kids took batting practice with A.J. Burnett, played games with Jeter, and were even serenaded by Yankees GM Brian Cashman. Yankees catcher Jorge Posada spoke about the importance of being involved with Camp Sundown. "We're baseball players; that's all we do for our lives. I couldn't imagine not being able to do that. What we're doing here, even at 2 o'clock in the morning, the kids are smiling and having fun at Yankee Stadium --it's great to see." The carnival went on until just before 4 a. m., when the kids had to reboard their buses to make it back to camp before daybreak. Dan Mahar wants this experience at Yankee Stadium to be one his kids can look back upon when they need it most. "What these children take with them will probably come out years from now, hopefully. They'll look back and remember what it felt like--at least for one night--to be loved and accepted by the whole world." Until next time...

Be a Good Sport!

-Sol

Bird Brain

It seems that Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams has lost his mind. His team was 13-3 last year and the toast of the AFC. The Titans were 0-6 to start the season which culminated in a 59-0 blowout loss to the New England Patriots. I'll get back to that later. Since then, Tennessee has won three straight games with the help of re-installed quarterback Vince Young.

Tennessee was tied 17-17 with the Buffalo Bills in the fourth quarter yesterday. The Titans then rattled off 24 unanswered points in the final period to win the game going away. With the victory secure, Adams began throwing a series of middle finger gestures at the Bills sideline. No, you did not misread that last line. Adams, the 86-year-old owner of the Tennessee Titans "flipped the bird" at the Buffalo Bills.

He must have truly forgotten the epic thrashing the Titans took at the hands of the New England Patriots. Many implied the Titans players had quit and coach Jeff Fisher may be coaching for his job. New England quarterback Tom Brady threw five touchdown passes in the second quarter alone. All of this must have slipped Adams' mind as he embarrassed himself, his organization and the league with his ode to immaturity. I mentioned the league because NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was in attendance as Adams' special guest.

Whatever disciplinary action or public scrutiny befalls the Titans owner is not up for discussion here. The real lesson for you and the kids you coach has to do with memory. Remember the victories and the work it took to achieve them. Remember the losses and what it felt like to be on the short end. And if you ever feel the need to totally humiliate yourself and those who support you, Remember the Titans. Until next time...

Be a Good Sport!

-Sol

Gifted

The AT&T National Sportsmanship Awards will be held next Saturday, November 21st at the Chase Park Plaza in St. Louis. In the days leading up to the event that "celebrates all that's right in sports," we will feature the story of one of the 2009 honorees. For tickets and more information, please call (314) 345-5122 or visit www.nationalsportsmanshipawards.com.

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Truly great people are not defined by what they take but what they give. American sprinter Shawn Crawford took a giant leap toward greatness at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. As a 2004 Olympic gold medalist, Crawford had taken the victory lap and heard the roar of the crowd before. He earned another opportunity in the finals of the 200-meters. Crawford finished fourth, but was awarded the silver medal. The second and third place finishers had committed lane violations and were disqualified.

Crawford felt he had not earned the silver medal and it rightfully belonged to Churandy Martina. Martina would have placed second had it not been for the disqualification. At a track meet in Zurich, the week after the Beijing games, Martina received a package at his hotel. It was from Crawford. Inside the package was the silver medal and a note that read, "Churandy, I know I can't replace the moment, but I wanted you to have this because I believe it's rightfully yours. - Shawn Crawford."

Humility occurs when a person's ego sits down and his character stands up. Shawn Crawford allowed his character to stand boldly. Until next time....

Be a Good Sport!

-Sol