Sportsmanship, Character Building, & PE

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?

Sportsmanship, Character Building, & PE

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