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Teen athletes skip senior year to compete in college or pro sports
"Much attention," writes sportswriter Jere Longman, "has been paid to high school seniors who jump directly to professional basketball and to college athletes who leave school early to play for pay. But less has been said about another development: athletes who bypass their senior year of high school entirely and advance to college athletics or to the pros." Sure, he writes, there are those who question this "leapfrogging" on grounds that "teenagers are missing a cherished year of high school and may be rushing into decisions—or feeling pressure to make choices—before they are physically and socially mature, and before they have explored a wider range of school choices." But there are counter considerations as well. For these and the stories of teens in three sports—soccer, football, and baseball—who have made the jump, see "
In a Class by Themselves," Jere Longman, The New York Times, May 29, 2003.Swearing and sportsmanship don't mix
When does a coach's use of profanity cross the line into unacceptable behavior and become cause for termination of employment? Highland High School (Colo.) answered the question in the firing of their boys basketball coach. Writing for the Greeley Tribune, Ricardo Sanchez asks University of Northern Colorado professor Robert Brustad, an expert on youth and sports, why so many coaches use profanity when they know they shouldn't. Brustad says human error plays a role, but he also thinks some coaches use foul language to motivate, to intimidate, or to emphasize a point. For more, see "
Profanity: The curse of coaching," Ricardo Sanchez Jr., The Greeley Tribune, May 25, 2003.Getting what you pay for in high school sports may prompt new demands
With increasing numbers of secondary schools charging students sports activity fees to ward against athletic program cuts that state budget deficits might otherwise necessitate, questions of equity and fairness surface. For example, are parents who pay hefty sports fees justified in expecting more playing time for their kids? See "
Fees keeping sports afloat, but at what cost?" Jason Strait, Associated Press, The Miami Herald, May 25, 2003.For sports columnist Barry Temkin's take on the difficult decision coaches face when they have to choose between costing their team the chance to win a conference championship game or paying tribute to departing seniors, see "
Tough draw: Win title or honor seniors?" Barry Temkin, The Chicago Tribune, February 21, 2003.The Washington Post's Preston Williams looks at the good and bad (and the attendant responsibilities) that come with ranking systems that spotlight pre-teen basketball players. See "
A New Meaning for Playground Basketball," Preston Williams, The Washington Post, February 24, 2003; Page A01.In a story for the New York Times philosophy professor Gordon Marino scoffs at the "lifestyle engineers" who write child-rearing manuals insisting that parents ought to be passionately devoted to their children's education, but when it comes to sports, they should be as indifferent as observers at a birthday game of pin the tail on the donkey. For his insight on being a zealous sports parent, see "
In (Self-) Defense of the Fanatical Sports Parent," Gordon Marino, The New York Times, January 26, 2003."The argument goes, writes Mark Simon, "that high school sports help kids stay fit. They teach sportsmanship, hard work and team play. And they prevent sub-par students from dropping out." But do they? See "
Should we trim school sports too? Athletics always seem to dodge budget knife," Mark Simon, The San Francisco Chronicle, January 16, 2003.How, if at all, should the media report on the feats of high school athletes? See "
Hype machine: Media's role in the coverage of LeBron James is out of hand," Jack McCallum, SportsIllustrated/CNN.com, December 17, 2002.Writes Orlando Sentinel's Rick Maese: At 6 feet 3 inches and 270 pounds, seventeen-year-old Clint McMillan is all about three things: eating, training and football. His high-priced regimen to gain weight and speed is preparing him for a professional football career, but at what cost? See "
Worth the effort," Rick Maese, The Orlando Sentinel, October 27, 2002.Heather Sokoloff of the National Post reports on research done by Dr. Drewe Dixon, who teaches sports philosophy at the University of Manitoba. Dixon's findings indicate that parents who sign up young children for hockey, soccer, baseball and basketball teams may be doing them more harm than good. For more on her findings and recommendations, see "
Little League may do children more harm than good," Heather Sokoloff, The National Post, October 5, 2002.In a Baltimore suburb an assistant high school football coach allegedly punched the teenage son of the rival head coach in a post-game fight injuring the boy's eye socket. Sports columnist Mike Preston examines the values and circumstances that lead to youth sports violence in "
Youth sports are all the rage, for both the good and bad," Mike Preston, The Baltimore Sun, October 4, 2002.Message Is Sent, but Meaning Is Unclear," Tarik El-Bashir, The Washington Post, September 25, 2002; Page D09.
Should high school students have to sit out of sports for a calendar year when transferring to a new school solely for athletic reasons? Apparently the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference doesn't think so. The proposition failed to get the number of votes needed to restrict eligibility. For more insight, see "
It's a different story in Illinois. Sports columnist Barry Temkin writes, "with certain restrictions, athletes can transfer from a private school to a public school and from a private school to another private school without penalty. But an athlete who switches from a public school to a private school faces a year of ineligibility unless he or she moves into another school district. For the logic, or illogic, behind these rules and what's being done about it, see "
One worry notwithstanding, sports columnist Mike Freeman wants to make sure we don't forget what is right about the Little League Worlds Series, namely: it "still charms and moves baseball fans, young and old, to an outburst of joy or a lump in the throat." His one worry? "The Little League is at a critical point in its development, teetering between that sense of simple athletic artfulness and shameful commercialism. It is not at that point yet, but the smell of money is beginning to emerge stronger than the scent of the grass on the field." For more on what's right about the LLWS, see "
The Little Leaguer who hot-dogged his way around the bases after a go-ahead homerun was booed and reprimanded by the team manager for his unbecoming behavior. What some viewed as bad sportsmanship, sports columnist Mike Freeman defended as "excessive celebration" that should be viewed through a cultural and racial prism. For sake of argument, let's say some sports showboating and hot-dogging is culturally or racially unique. The question remains, if it's at the expense of an opponent, is it bad sportsmanship? Can it be good clean fun if it shows up the other team or another player? After reading the column, judge for yourself whether Freeman's argument advocates moral relativism or if a principled argument can be made that sports entertainment, at all levels, is at its best with this kind of deportment. See "
Last year, writes sports columnist Kevin Kernan, the lesson from the Little League World Series was that no one likes a cheater; this year's is that it's not right to be a showoff. It wasn't caught on ESPN highlights, he writes, but after Coach Morris McWilliams explained to his young player — whose homerun trot and antics were widely interpreted as one-upmanship — that such behavior was unacceptable, the youngster owned up to his mistake. For a feel-good story on lessons learned, see "
As unsettling and disturbing as the player residency questions were for Harlem Little League's organizers and players, the experience provided incomparable opportunities for growth says sports columnist Bill Rhoden. Even with all the parental zeal and adult vanities, he writes, the travel, the turmoil and the competition are worth the lessons learned. Rhoden adds, "The players from the Harlem Little League will be able to play and coach in the games of their lives, and live through an experience they will never forget. They have learned lessons that could never have been learned in a book, that no teacher could have ever taught: lessons about complexity and truth, the thin lines that separate reality from the ideal. They have learned about loyalty and perseverance." See "
The Associated Press reports that the Harlem Little League team with three players whose residency was questioned has been cleared to play in the World Series this weekend. The storm has forced young children to deal with adult pretense and left many of us bewildered over the ills of youth sports.
Writes Newsday's Shaun Powell: "Working almost as unwitting partners, grown-ups and TV have managed to screw up a good thing. The World Series used to be a kid's domain, like a basement with a do-not-disturb sign scribbled outside the door. Not anymore. Now it's ruled by parents and coaches who'll do almost anything to get Junior to Williamsport; and TV, which puts games in prime time and eagerly shows us the 'heroes' and 'goats.'" For more insight on how the World Series has been "tainted by two very unwelcome intrusions: national TV and sneaky adults," see "
"Blessed are the volunteers and coaches and parents and officials who provide supervised games and competition for youngsters," writes George Vecsey of The New York Times. "But," he asks, "at what age do children need traveling teams and regional tournaments? And do we need to show children's games on television and cover them in sports sections? Do adults really need to enable children to bend or break or test or extend the law?" In the end, he questions: "Are international youth tournaments worth the finagling?" See "
Some treat him as a celebrity, but others aren't so charitable. They brand him a cheater, wondering how he couldn't have known, at age 14, how old he was. We're talking about Danny Almonte, whose false birth certificate became the centerpiece of last year's Little League scandal when officials learned he was two years older than rules allowed. The Dallas Morning News' Juliet Macur quotes the youngster as saying he's forgotten about last year. We ask: Should the media let us forget too or are we better served by remembering? Should the media keep this boy in the spotlight or should they insulate him from further public scrutiny? What does how we view and treat the kid today say about us? For a current profile, see "
Seventeen-year-old swimmer Michael Phelps, the youngest male to set a world swimming record, had to make this decision: Should he sign a lucrative endorsement contract with Speedo and be able to train for the Summer Olympics without financial worries or should he forgo the guaranteed income stream to retain his college eligibility? Some might question the system that makes such a choice necessary, but that's not at issue in Vicki Michaelis' profile piece on a this "normal high schooler." See "
Sixteen-year-old champion rhythmic gymnast Mary Sanders, with dual Canadian and American citizenship, must decide which country to represent in pursuit of her 2004 Olympic medal dreams. She's lived in Canada throughout her life, but representing the US, her late father's homeland, would be a fitting tribute. For how the disparity in the two teams' available financial support confuses her decision-making, see "
To raise $100,000 an Illinois high school has sold naming rights of its $1.8 million football stadium to Rust-Oleum. Some contend that such corporate support is a viable alternative to increasing taxes or cutting programs, but adversaries say it's a marketing ploy that not only sends the wrong message to youths, it abuses their impressionability. Has the allure of financial reward eclipsed important social and moral values? Have economic realities obfuscated critical thinking about the proper role of commercialism in student sports? For more insight, see "
Sports columnist Greg Stoda calls it "a remedial refresher course in a basic set of manners" for parents and other adults attending kids' games, but it's more like a psychological reality check. See "
"Maybe they need to take an ethics class" — Cynthia Ford ... The story goes that Kearny National team coaches asked their players to lose a game to the Kearny American team so the American team could advance to the Little League World Series. Apparently the coaches didn't play their "first string players" leading some to question the coaches' ethical underpinning. Kearny Mayor Alberto Santos, writes USA Today's Kelly Whiteside, "believes the controversy has brought to light what he calls an ethical issue in sports. He likened the case to a pro team out of contention that might bring in second-string or untested players. In a way, that team isn't doing its ''all'' to win the game." See "
In an effort to halt the downturn in participation in youth football and at the same time soften football's reputation for being a dangerous sport, the NFL Junior Player Development program created a coaching clinic for women. The graduates now coach their high school sons (and maybe one day their daughters). See "
The future of sports for kids is in question, observes Brooke Adams of The Salt Lake Tribune. Statistics show a dramatic drop in the numbers of kids who turn out for baseball, basketball and softball. Why? The economy, family dynamics, changing demographics, numerous options, the Olympics, Sept. 11, lack of publicity—or that many kids today are more interested in TV, Nintendo and sports like skateboarding and snowboarding. For more, see "
Is it fair for a middle school or junior high school athlete to repeat a grade to gain another year of growth and playing experience? Some say it's cheating and that it distorts the playing field; others say it helps athletes mature socially, academically and athletically. See "
A New Jersey sports complex may have inoculated youth baseball against obnoxious sports parents with a unique design of its diamonds. See "
Is it better for sports parents to push children to specialize and excel or to let athletic development progress as it might? If you push too hard, your kids may burn out; if you don't, they may fall behind their peers." For sports sociologist Jay Coakley's take, see "
On the record number of athletes requesting high school transfers and the problems it engenders, California Interscholastic Federation City Section Commissioner Barbara Fiege, checks off some of the issues: "… local students being displaced, the perception of the creation of all-star teams, students changing schools after beginning in one, the concept of loyalty, the opportunities for adult inducements." See "
When the ethics of coaching youth sports tangles with the ethics of sports parenting, the sad truth is all stakeholders lose—especially when the conflict lands in a courtroom for judge and jury to decide. See "
Sports columnist Eric Sondheimer warns, "Cheaters in high school sports, beware. The tide is turning. Your protectors are dwindling." How so? "Coaches who illegally recruit athletes are being fired. Students who falsify addresses are being declared ineligible. Teams that use ineligible players are forfeiting games." For more on what some California high schools are doing to ensure victory with honor and how positive peer pressure is being applied to restore integrity to high school sports, see "
Our nation's youth perhaps too often emulate college and pro athletes. Now, says sports columnist Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel, youth sports organizers are too. For a pitiful look at how sports organizers sell their souls for TV money, see "
Through the stories of students, parents, and sports psychologists, sports writer Tarik El-Bashir explains what's good (competition, camaraderie, increased focus, self-esteem, and self-confidence) and what's bad (brutality, health and injury risks) about high school wrestling. See "
Sports columnist Kevin Blackistone reports that according to some in basketball circles, high school junior LeBron James of Akron, Ohio, is "so accomplished as a basketball player already that he would be selected in the first round of the NBA Draft this month."
He asks, if tennis players and ice skaters and actors and computer geniuses can earn money professionally, why shouldn't basketball and baseball players be able to also if they're ready?
(See "
What ethical arguments support allowing some youngsters to compete in professional sports but not others?
A controversial wrestling hold has spawned an ethics debate over fair play and safety in Bennington, Vermont. Earlier this year at the state finals a young high school wrestler pinned another using a wrestling technique called a front headlock. The move rendered his opponent unconscious.
The referees allowed the pin to stand, as they had on three other times this wrestler had knocked out an opponent in a match. This time, however, the opponent's coach and his father complained about the move to the Vermont Principals Association.
The next week when the youngster used the same technique in another tournament, with the same result, he was disqualified.
After an investigation by the VPA, the youngster was stripped of his state title and his school was put on probation for a year. The VPA required the wrestler and his coach to write letters of apology, and it banned the school from hosting next year's state tournament. It also ordered the coach to teach wrestlers to avoid using the headlock to cause unconsciousness.
Apparently the front headlock is a legal move, but if too much pressure is applied to the carotid arteries on either side of the neck, circulation to the brain is stopped and a wrestler can lose consciousness. According to Jerry Diehl, National Federation of State High School Associations' assistant director and liaison to the Wrestling Rules Committee, wrestlers passing out from moves, especially the front headlock, is not uncommon. And it happens in a matter of seconds.
The National Federation Rules state: "Any hold with pressure exerted over the opponent's mouth, nose, throat or neck, which restricts breathing or circulation, is illegal." It was based on this rule that the young wrestler was disqualified in the later tournament.
Many coaches in the wrestling community are upset because the VPA stripped the wrestler of his state title "for a move that the two officials on the mat did not deem dangerous at the time it was applied." In fact the wrestler had repeatedly sought advance rulings from referees as to whether the hold was legal, and he had been told it was.
Nevertheless some complain that just because officials don't rule a move illegal doesn't mean it's okay. They say it wasn't "morally or ethically" right for the coach not to stop the move on his own initiative.
Did the coach fail in his moral duty to the young wrestler, to his team, his school or the opponent and his school?
Is if fair to punish this wrestler and his school for a move that was ruled legal by the referees?
What is the underlying message of the VPA's orders and is it morally supportable? Had the VPA not sanctioned the wrestler or his school, what message would that have sent?
(See "
Two years ago an NCAA committee concluded after a year-long study that shoe companies contribute to a "corrupting influence" on youth sports. Particularly called into question is the practice of giving their apparel and gear to top young basketball players through sponsorship of high school teams and elite summer camps.
Critics say corporate sponsorship is ruining the competitive balance on high school basketball courts. Kids are wont to play for teams that give away expensive elite-brand products, and are enticed, therefore, to transfer to schools with these lucrative endorsement deals. The result is a shoe-company-sponsored tier of elite teams that dominate the rest of the contenders.
Some school administrators argue that it's the shoe companies' money and they are entitled to do whatever they want with it, whether it's donating thousands of dollars in free apparel to athletic departments or thousands of dollars worth of computers to school libraries. They contend that schools should be allowed to develop sponsorships and corporate relationships if they want to and that those that do should not be penalized because others don't or aren't successful in doing so.
Some high school administrators think the solution lies in outlawing or at least limiting sponsorships. Others want to encourage the shoe companies to spread their wealth more broadly.
Is there anything ethically questionable about these sneaker company endorsement deals? Are they fundamentally good? Do they exploit anyone? Are their goals or purposes morally supportable?
Does the shoe companies' power to influence the competitive makeup of high school basketball teams carry with it any ethical responsibility?
If shoe company sponsorships were eliminated or reduced, whose rights would be diminished? Who would be benefited? Are more people helped than are harmed by these endorsements?
(See "
Jurisdictions around the country are grappling with whether or not—and if so, how—to prohibit students who transfer schools without changing residences from participating in sports.
The Los Angeles Times reports that in California's 529-school Southern Section nearly 3,800 students transferred with no change in home address from the fall of 1999 through December of 2001.
Similarly the Denver Post reports that about 2,600 students changed high schools without changing their home address last year in Colorado.
Critics of liberal transfer rules complain that they lead to coaches' illegally recruiting big-name players, high school's building teams to win state titles, and that they take away a school's sense of community.
(See "
Should students be restricted from transferring high schools unless their parents move their residences inside a school's boundaries?
Is recruiting highly talented high school athletes bad? How is it different from attracting students gifted scholastically?
What is unethical about building high school athletic teams to win state titles?
Striving to build community cohesiveness is good, but so is working to achieve athletic and ethical excellence. What other life values are called into question vis-à-vis student transfers, and which should receive higher priority?
Quoting an athlete the North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake High School newspaper reported, "I think my stats show that I play better in games after a night that I drink. I don't get hung over, so I don't think it should matter whether I drink or not. That should be my decision."
The newspaper reportedly surveyed 95 athletes for the story, and 48% admitted smoking or drinking within 24 hours of a game.
One would think this would provoke an outcry from parents and school officials, but sports columnist Eric Sondheimer writes, "Athletes at Harvard-Westlake who drink at parties or social gatherings are unlikely to receive disciplinary action by school officials unless it reflects badly on the school or results in legal action."
Sondheimer reported that boys' basketball Coach Greg Hilliard said, "We don't condone [drinking], but it's not our role to tell parents how to raise kids." He quoted Headmaster Thomas Hudnut: "I think punishment is the last resort, and it's better to appeal to people's good instincts than merely address the bad ones."
See "
Should high school coaches impose "no drinking" and "no smoking" rules on athletes even if there's no formal school policy against it?
What are the ethical ramifications of allowing students to decide for themselves whether or not to smoke or drink?
Is it morally responsible not to punish students for violating rules against smoking or drinking?
Last year, New York Newsday staff writers Michael Dobie and Arthur Staple wrote an extraordinary series on high school summer basketball that raises, directly and indirectly, important ethical issues. It comes to light again now because the series took 1st place in the recently announced Associated Press Sport's Editor's annual awards. We step away from our usual daily Sports Ethics Question to present some of the issues this series raises.
The series begins and ends with the challenges one very talented New York City basketball player faces as he moves through high school and the summer basketball system.
In "
"
The role, motives and expectations of the two major sneaker companies and the moral values they call into question are reported in "
In "
"Some of the most egregious abuses in summer basketball occur at the boundary between athletics and academics," write the series' authors. "The paradox is unavoidable: Summer basketball is the primary way to be seen and recruited by colleges; at the same time, the extended season undermines academics and often leads to players being ineligible to play as college freshmen." "
"
In "
St. Petersburg Times' Emily Nipps reports on the disparities and inconsistencies in how school athletes are reprimanded depending on whether the incident takes place at a school event or off-campus. High school associations typically have rules and punishment guidelines for on-campus offenses but often there is no policy for disciplining athletes charged with crimes committed away from school. The burden of punishing athletes charged with off-campus misdeeds rests with individual schools, and often rests on the coach.
Some think procedural and punishment standards should be set and imposed by the state. Others think behavior standards and punishment decisions should be made locally, preferably by school officials not connected with athletics. Still others feel the decision should be left to coaches and athletic department administrators who know the athlete's situation. Some think that's like asking a fox to guard a hen house, a situation rife with conflicting and competing interests.
What ethical considerations should be addressed in deciding who should set standards governing athlete misconduct both on the playing field and off-campus?
What ethical factors are important in deciding who should be responsible for investigating and administering punishment for athlete transgressions?
For a look at some of the inconsistencies documented in Florida high school cases and an introduction to these issues, see "
In the controversy over whether dodgeball is a proper game for school children, Neil Williams, chairman of the physical education department at Eastern Connecticut State University contends the game encourages the strong to victimize the weak, which is not a practice schools should foster. The focus of physical education, he says, should be on harmony, community and cooperation. Dodgeball defenders argue that getting picked on and eliminated from competition is life, and that dodge ball teaches lessons about how to deal with winning or losing. Which argument is more ethically sound? See "
Sports parenting gets a once-over from Denver Post sports columnist Mark Kiszla as he explains why some believe moms and dads are coaches' worst enemies. Parents with visions of riches dancing in their heads don't send their athletic prodigies to college for an education. Instead they see a stint in college ball as a fast track to the pros and thereafter a life of luxury. Many suffer no compunction in haranguing coaches to play (showcase) their "star" more. Parents always want what's best for their sons (and themselves). The top priority for most coaches, however, is to win, and they know their chances of doing so increase if their standout players don't leave for the NBA. See "
Caught in these conflicts of purpose and conflicts of interest are the athletes. They undoubtedly want to please their parents as well as their coaches. They too want to win. They too want to improve their chances of getting into the pros. And many want a college education along the way.
When all of a college athletes' role models and authority figures are at honorable but cross purposes and no one they love and respect can be truly objective, the value of life's early moral lessons is made crystal clear. The question we must ask ourselves, day in and day out, is are we modeling the kind of behavior we want our children and others who look up to us to imitate.
Is it right for parochial schools to play in state public schools tournaments? Is the playing field too skewed because, unlike public schools, parochial schools can recruit to bring in athletic talent from beyond their immediate geographical region? See "
Is it ethical for high school coaches to supply over-the-counter drugs and supplements to their athletes? See "Emotions high as Rockford coach quits," Dave Murray, The Grand Rapids Press, February 12, 2002, and "
Is it wrong to allow high school athletes to transfer from one school to another solely for athletic reasons? Who is best qualified to decide whether a particular transfer should be permitted? Should there be any restrictions? Who is harmed by this practice? If it became a routine occurrence, would youth sports in general be hurt? What about the culture of the game itself? Would it be hurt? Would it be morally acceptable for money to exchange hands? Should the athlete's liberty, and that of his or her parents' be the paramount consideration? Are the transfers fair to both schools, to both teams, and to all other students (athletes and nonathletes alike)? What other ethical red flags does the practice of transfers and the transfers themselves raise? (See "
Some believe the high stakes and manic intensity that reign in youth sports are bad and that youth sports leagues and parents share the blame. Do you agree? Are parents who don't buy into the regime wrong? How can they buck the system and still give their children the lessons and benefits of play? See "
Is there anything ethically wrong with letting or making a seventh grade football player repeat a grade so he is bigger and stronger when he gets to high school?
The owner of a local supermarket pledged $5,000 a year for 20 years to a high school to cover maintenance and operation of its gym. In return, the city named the gym for the supermarket. Is this unethical in any way?
What moral arguments support allowing teenagers (such as 17-year-old Ty Tryon joining the PGA Tour) to compete in professional sports? With so much money at stake for so many people, who is in the best position to make an objective, principled decision for the youth? Does the nature of the sport matter (tennis, basketball, golf, snowboarding, ice skating)? (See "
Considering health benefits, lessons in sportsmanship, and increased self-esteem from learning new skills, should students be required to put academic learning before participation in sport?
Should physical education programs and amateur sports be forerunners to and patterned after professional (elite) sports?
Should sport impose a minimum eligibility requirement based on age (e.g., in women’s tennis, 14 yr. olds can compete against 30 yr. olds.)?
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