SportsLetter

Profanity in the *&%#$! high schools

Swearing often can be heard on the sidelines of professional and college games and practices and there are some who believe that the habit is on the rise in the high schools, according to an article on IndyStar.com.

From the IndyStar:

Cursing is increasingly prevalent in society and has long been a part of college and professional sports, but some educators are concerned that foul language is being heard more often from coaches at the high school level, especially with boys.

"We here at Sport in Society find it interesting that somehow and for some reasons, when it comes to (high school) sports, it's become acceptable," said Jarrod Chin, director of training and curriculum for the Northeastern University-based organization. "We pose the question, if it's not acceptable in the classroom but everyone agrees high school and youth sports are about education, then why is it OK for coaches to use profanity?

There are some theories as to why there might be an increase.  More "permissive" language in the movies, TV shows and music kids listen to are some reasons cited.

Indeed, Randy Roberts, a history professor at Purdue University who specializes in mass culture, said,

"There was profanity in sports, but not like it is today," he said. "We live in a culture of license. It has developed over the years. Besides some of these court decisions that broaden what is protected as art, protected as literature, what is allowed to be shown, and the same sort of things have taken place in music. Suddenly you can do anything; you can say anything.

"One part of me says, why aren't parents doing something about it? But what can parents do in a society which has become extraordinarily permissive?"

Chris Carr, a sport and performance psychology coordinator for St. Vincent Sports Performance, feels that coaches should not be relying on profanity to get their points across, but rather "positive reinforcement and corrective critiquing."

"We talk to coaches about having an optimistic style, sharing belief in an athlete's abilities and encouraging teamwork, communication and positive mental attitude," Carr said. "They're asking their athletes to play with composure out on the court or field, but if a coach is losing (his) composure, how much modeling is being done?"

WTTCTH?*

About had your fill of Denver Broncos QB Tim Tebow?  You might want to skip to the next post, then.

From the Los Angeles Times:

Four students at Riverhead High in Long Island, N.Y., were suspended after Tebowing, in which they struck a pose that Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow is known for, in the hall. Jordan Fulcoly, Wayne Drexel and brothers Tyler and Connor Carroll were given one-day suspensions for their homage to Tebow. The school suspended them because other students joined them, clogging the hallways.

Hopefully they don't get good grades or eat all their vegetables, or they may be suspended for that too, I'm guessing.

"The administration told us that our Tebowing was blocking the halls and could potentially cause a riot, because they were growing in number and if the wrong kid gets pushed a brawl could ensue," football and baseball player Connor Carroll told yahoo.com. "We had no idea that we could get suspended for such a thing. It was a joke between a group of friends that took a life of its own. We figured at the most we would just be told to stop."

*Would Tim Tebow Clog The Hallway?

 

Parents demand new high school football helmets

Parents at a Boston-area high school have asked the school district to replace football helmets they say are "putting their teens at risk," according to Boston.com

Arlington High School had 12 football players leave games this year with suspected head injuries; there were seven confirmed concussions.

Stephen Harrington, director of the Arlington Athletics Foundation, complained that many of the district's football helmets are more than 10 years old, referring to them as "junk."  Last week Harrington presented parents' concerns to a School Committee which says it is now "looking into the matter."

The high school's athletic director said that "every helmet has been certified for use by the manufacturers, Riddell and Xenith.” 

That wasn't enough for one parent, though.  From Boston.com:

Rich MacDonald said he spent $400 on a newer helmet for his 15-year-old son Jeff to use while playing for the junior varsity team at Arlington High School this year.

Unfortunately, MacDonald said, his son took a hit during the first game of the season that resulted in a concussion and prevented him from playing the rest of the year. He said his son had to be taken by ambulance to Massachusetts General Hospital and missed considerable school time as well as football.

MacDonald said he was pleased with the way the school district handled the injury. But he said he was afraid to put his son in Arlington High School’s equipment and is glad he bought the newer helmet.

“For all I know, it may have saved his life,’’ MacDonald said. “Buying that helmet is no question the best $400 I’ve ever spent in my life.’’

High school punished for warning athletes about drug test

A Houston high school was placed on two years’ probation by Texas’ University Interscholastic League (UIL) after informing athletes of an upcoming steroids test.  While technically a violation of state law, punishment for the infraction was left up to the UIL, which also gave Sterling High School a public reprimand.

The high school claimed it did not notify athletes ahead of the test in an effort to cheat but rather to ensure athletes were on campus to take the test.

From The Daily Journal:

Testing rules require the drug testing company to notify schools 24 to 48 hours before arriving on campus. Only a handful of school officials are supposed to know they are coming and they are forbidden from notifying students, who can be banned from competition if they test positive.

A student can also be considered as having a positive test if they skip the test or are absent the day the tests are conducted.

[Sterling interim principal Sam] Dominguez said Sterling officials worried that absent students would be punished, so they called their families to tell them the tests would be the next day.

Even cheerleaders need support

Video shot by a spectator at the First Annual Louisiana High School Athletic Association (LHSAA) Cheer and Dance State Championship, held in Lake Charles, LA, this past December 3 shows a very enthusiastic “mom cheering on her daughter from Archbishop Hannan High School.”

The squad finished 5th in the Medium Varsity Division.  One wonders about that car ride home.

 

Prevention of sudden death in sports

The National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) and its Youth Sports Safety Alliance hosted the third annual Youth Sports Safety Summit this week in Washington, D.C., which was attended by some 65 members of sports and health organizations.

According to Athletic Business one of the objectives of the gathering was to review an advance release of NATA’s new position statement on safety in sports titled “Preventing Sudden Death in Sports.”

From Athletic Business:

To be published in the February 2012 issue of the Journal of Athletic Training, the statement outlines 10 major health conditions and causes of sudden death among athletes, while also providing updated recommendations to ensure better prevention and treatment of sports injuries. According to NATA, which hosted the summit, this is the first time an association has provided such condensed information in one document to help medical professionals, coaches, parents and others make more effective and efficient return-to-play and care decisions.

Also from Athletic Business:

While concussion legislation has passed in 36 states, concussions are not the only problem in youth sports. In fact, the leading cause of death from youth sports is sudden cardiac arrest, which is addressed in the statement along with asthma, catastrophic brain injuries, cervical spine injuries, diabetes, exertional heat stroke, exertional hyponatremia, exertional sickling, lightning and head-down contact in football. High school athletes suffer two million injuries every year, NATA says, resulting in 500,000 doctor visits and 30,000 hospitalizations. In 2010, 50 young athletes died on the playing field, and 40 have died so far in 2011 — including six athletes and one adult coach in August.

The article also includes a few of the recommendations from the statement that will be formerly published in February.

Diana Nyad worries we will stop worrying about the sexual abuse of children

Journalist and long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad wonders about the shock and public outrage over recent reports of sexual abuse of children by sports coaches, a condition in youth sports she says has been going on a very, very long time.  She, herself, was a victim of sexual abuse as a teenager.

From DianaNyad.com:

Many call the Penn State [sic] an outrageous anomaly of sociopathology. One columnist ends his incensed diatribe with the words “We are in a place we’ve never been.”

Really? Has nobody out there, except the literally millions of victims of this very same crime, been taking seriously the latest statistics: “One in four girls, one in six boys, in this country do not reach their 18th birthday without being sexually molested by someone they know”.

...I’m here to tell you from first-hand experience, my case occurring in the 1960’s, that this is not BY ANY MEANS a place we’ve never known. We’re in crisis and we’ve been in crisis for a long, long time in this country. Sexual abuse, particularly, by those adults we have held on high on pedestals, preying on the young ones most in need of attention, most vulnerable and thus least likely to tell the sordid tales, is rampant. Not frequent, but uncontrolled, unchecked, widespread, rampant.

Nyad also worries that public outcry will diminish as the Penn State and Syracuse stories age:

We simply cannot continue to brush this crisis under the rug of protection and embarrassment and fear. We cannot let the Penn State case come and go, fade from the front pages, until we learn of the next shocking incident of long-term, cover-up molestation. These situations are happening everywhere we live. On virtually every block of America’s city and suburban neighborhoods.