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Determination helps college basketball player overcome odds

 

A true fighter makes it to the top of Kilimanjaro

 

 

 

Do leadership and teamwork really matter? Ask the Boston Red Sox

It appears that the September 2011 collapse of the Boston Red Sox was more than a reinstitution of the Curse of the Bambino. In fact, it was worse, because it was preventable.

From almost all accounts, the Red Sox collapse was caused in large part by a lack of team commitment and a failure of locker room leadership.

This post-mortem by Bob Hohler of the Boston Globe provides a case study of why leadership and teamwork matter - even if you have massive talent and a payroll to match. Coaches and parents, think about having your young athletes read this article as a leadership learning experience.

INSIDE THE COLLAPSE (Boston Globe)

Study: The Price of Poverty in Big-Time College Sport

A newly released study by National College Players Association (NCPA) and Drexel University Department of Sport Management blames colleges sports scandals on a black market created by unethical and unpractical NCAA restrictions on college athletes. This study will surely have its detractors, but it should give pause to parents and coaches of athletes with aspirations to play Division I college sports. From the press release:

Examining football and basketball teams from Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) colleges, the study calculates athletes' out-of-pocket educational related expenses associated with a "full" scholarship, compares the room and board portion of players' scholarships to the federal poverty line and coaches' and athletic administrators' salaries, and uses NFL and NBA collective bargaining agreements to estimate the fair market value of FBS football and basketball players. The study...shows that the average scholarship shortfall (out-of-pocket expenses) for each "full" scholarship athlete was approximately $3222 per player during the 2010-11 school year. The report also found that the room and board provisions in a full scholarship leave 85% of players living on campus and 86% of players living off campus living below the federal poverty line. The study estimates the fair market value of the average FBS football and basketball player to be $120,048 and $265,027, respectively.

Read the full press release and link to the full study at the NCPA website.

 

Jeff Janssen on the Biggest Reason Team Captains Struggle

Sports leadership expert Jeff Janssen proposes that "The biggest reason why captains are not as effective as they should be is most often a lack of awareness. They lack an awareness both in terms
of what it takes to be an effective leader, and just as important, they lack an awareness of their strengths and weaknesses as leaders."

Learn more in this insightful article from one of the most respected sports leadership experts in the country:

http://www.jeffjanssen.com/coaching/captains_struggle.html

Coaching Tips from MSU: Be Intentional about Leadership Development

Dan Gould is a professor of kinesiology and Director for the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports at Michigan State University. In this video he profiles the work of the Institute and highlights an important research finding: Coaches who are intentional about teaching leadership produce better team leaders. Learn more in this brief video....

How Parents Can Help Student Athletes Grow as Leaders

Dr. Chris Stankovich, known as “The Sports Doc” for his segment on Ohio News Network and featured column in Columbus Parent magazine, is a national expert in the field of sport psychology.  In this article on the 'hleadership' website, Dr. Stankovic recommends that parents can help their student athletes grow as leaders in sports and in the community by emphasizing that being a student athlete is a privilege with responsibilities for integrity, responsibility, positive attitude, and intelligent decision making. 

Read 'Student Athletes as Leaders in Our Schools and Communities' at the hleadership website...

 

 

Growing Leaders: A View from Down Under

The best coaches know that developing team leaders is a key to sustainable success.  Wayne Goldsmith is an expert in sports leadership who has worked with some of the best teams from his home base in Australia.  In this brief article Mr. Goldsmith explains why empowering athletes to lead is important not only for athletic performance, but for preparing athletes for life in a changing society.

Read 'What All this Leadership by Empowerment Stuff About' at sportscoachingbrain.com...

Old School vs. New School Coaching: Which Is Best for Your Athletes?

Athletes are changing, and so are coaching styles.  'Old school' command style coaching is being questioned by many, and more coaches are adopting a 'new school' cooperative approach.  Which is better, and what are the appropriate criteria for deciding a personal coaching philosophy?  These important questions are addressed in a brief but thoughtful essay by W. Glenn Reese of the United States Sports Academy. 

Read the ful article at the United States Sports Academy website...

 

 

Emotional intelligence and athletic performance

The field of leadership studies has produced a wealth of research showing that individuals with high emotional intelligence are better equipped to perform as part of a team, especially in pressure situations.  Mathilde Clements, a psychologist with the South Australian Sports Institute, asks whether emotional intelligence can help athletes manage their emotions in competition, and whether coaches can actually help athletes develop emotional intelligence.  She provides a set of practical tips to help coaches help their athletes build emotional intelligence and improve their performance.  Parents can also adapt these tips into their parenting strategies.

Read the full article here...