On college campuses across the country there is a universal problem. Actually, it’s three problems that tend to be connected: 1. Under-age use and serious abuse of alcohol 2. Ditto for drug abuse 3. Unacceptable sexual behavior It is a situation that is present in all areas of college life, but always gets the most [...]
What’s the difference between playing on our home court/field or the opponent’s? Oh yes, there is the sound of the home crowd, but my experience of that as an athlete was it was noisy on the road and noisy at home. For the purpose of this conversation can we consider that we are naturally afraid [...]
Many times the five-, six- or seven-year-old wants to play a particular sport because of an adult's influence (Mom, Dad, Coach, etc.). Since it was really someone else’s choice in the beginning, it is important that they learn something and have fun in the process. Also, there will be varying levels of skill at the [...]
One of the errors I think we make in coaching kids is that we don’t give them enough credit for what they already know or sense or feel. Since they were born (and probably before), they have been little sponges just soaking up everything going on around them. The prime sounds, of course, come from [...]
Something that continues to bother me is the lack of respect shown to each other by people of all ages, but especially our young folks. Disrespect for their elders, teachers, coaches and peers and especially each other. You can say I am old school. I’m not hip. I’m not cool. Don’t waste your breath. I [...]
The latest statistics say that there are over 40 million kids participating in youth sports every year. And, that’s without mentioning the adults (i.e., parents friends and coaches). For the time being, let’s stick to the kids. The kids are what I would term “unknown athletes.” I propose that is how it should be. Athletics [...]
This past week, the basketballl world lost a great participant in the game he loved. His name is Bill Sharman and he was my idol and my friend. We both called Porteville, CA (I was born there) our home and we actually coached in the NBA (Los Angeles and Portland) at the same time. Not [...]
What do the events in the title have in common? They are all dangerous. The difference is, compared to football, there are only a few folks auto racing and motorcycle jumping. All the fans of these sports are in attendance to see the same thing … a wreck. Currently, brain concussions are a BIG conversation [...]
This week’s Sports Illustrated had a story on Kansas University men’s basketball and talked about three impact players from that university’s storied basketball program. Also mentioned was a fourth person, Phog Allen, whose influence allowed for that history. One thing that getting older provides is the experience of going through several decades of a school’s [...]
Given that it is “all-sports” season I have had the opportunity to watch practice for a variety of sports at various D-I schools. I have come away with the following question, “Is anyone listening?” These are teams coached by solid, respected coaching staffs. I would say that no more than 20% of the athletes at [...]