The Risk and Reward of Sport
The Washington Post published a sobering article by Amy Ellis Nutt today on the dichotomy of high school football entitled "Damaged bodies, healing hearts."
In the first few paragraphs, I read about the toll football took on the high school boys in central Missouri -- a damaged vertebra, paralysis from the chest down, and one death due to a massive brain hemorrhage.
Nutt also describes how participating in high school football offers community and companionship for some players and families. She also highlights the belief of the coaches that they "can be part of the process of raising young men." I feel what her subjects are saying.
When I was growing up in Richmond, Indiana in the '80s, we did not have youth tackle football. We couldn't play tackle football until eighth grade. I always felt cheated that I only got to play flag football through sixth grade, and then had no football to play in seventh.
Coming from that background, I jumped at the earliest opportunity to get our son into tackle football, and coached his teams when he was in second and third grade. He has just finished his freshman football season, and is moving on to wrestling for the winter. Thankfully, he has avoided any injuries, and has definitely expanded his community of mentors, friends, and surrogate family members.
If you have read this blog more than once, you have probably seen that I feel sports -- particularly participating in team sports -- can accelerate your building of and inclusion in communities. I also believe that challenging yourself physically and enduring physical hardship are essential to personal growth. If you are really going to challenge yourself physically, you are going to have to take on a certain amount of risk.
I will not stand in the way of our son taking on a strenuous, yet well regulated physical challenge. If he wants to play again next year, I will support it. I don't know how much more risk I want him to take on, but it has to be his call...I think...for now.
Hoosiers, Hoyas Start New Eras
Indiana finished the 2016-17 campaign 18-16 with a 7-11 record in Big Ten Conference play. Georgetown ended the year 14-18 with a woeful 5-13 in the Big East Conference. Expectations are much higher at both schools.
Since then, Archie Miller has been brought in to relieve Tom Crean at Indiana, and hall of fame NBA player and Georgetown alumni Patrick Ewing is now the coach in northwest D.C. instead of John Thompson III.
Tom Davis of the Fort Wayne (Ind.) News-Sentinel believes the traits of the Crean era -- turnovers, poor effort, and lack of defensive focus -- will get taken care of by Coach Miller, but it won't be happening immediately. Zach Osterman of the Indianapolis Star thinks the loss of three of last year's top four scoring leaders and a brutal schedule will most likely keep the Hoosiers from reaching the NCAA tournament. I think it is clear the Hoosiers will not be going on some glorious run to any type of title this year -- Big Ten, NCAA, or, otherwise.
The Indiana season got off to a rough start with Indiana State coming into Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana and hammering the home team 90-69, Nov. 10. Barely sneaking past Howard by nine points on Sunday didn't necessarily boost morale of the Hoosier faithful, either. Next up for Indiana is a road game at Seton Hall tonight (Nov. 15) which will most likely result in the Hoosiers getting beaten to death on the boards and a loss.
I didn't realize IU was going to be this bad this year. Hang in there, Hoosier fans. Archie will have these guys much improved by the end of the year, even if there is no postseason opportunity earned by that point.
The Hoyas were bad last year. It was the worst year in the JT III era. I couldn't muster the interest or energy to drag my family to see them play at the Verizon Center (now Capital One Arena) last year.
Christopher Novak of Big East Coast Bias sees reasons for optimism, but doesn't think the Hoyas will win half of their games this year. Dave Preston of WTOP reports that Ewing will not have his team playing the signature "Princeton Offense" that JT III had learned while playing under Pete Carril (at Princeton...get it?) and employed at Georgetown. That's great news. The Princeton Offense is a beautiful thing to watch when done correctly, but when not run well -- like most of Thompson's team -- it is horrible to watch.
The idea of bringing back a successful, professional alumni to coach in the Big East hasn't worked recently. Chris Mullin came back to St. John's in 2015 and had a 22-43 record at the end of last year. Ewing got his Hoyas to 1-0 with a 73-57 victory over Jacksonville (which barely qualifies as a legitimate program) Nov. 12. They play an equally weak program in Mount Saint Mary's tonight as they work into their new system against a very week early season schedule.
Ewing is more prepared for coaching an NCAA Division 1 team than Mullin. He has served as an assistant for many NBA teams. If Ewing can get things moving a bit faster on the court, I might even get my family to the District to see a game this year.
Alright, Indiana/Seton Hall game is into the second half...gotta go!
In the first few paragraphs, I read about the toll football took on the high school boys in central Missouri -- a damaged vertebra, paralysis from the chest down, and one death due to a massive brain hemorrhage.
Nutt also describes how participating in high school football offers community and companionship for some players and families. She also highlights the belief of the coaches that they "can be part of the process of raising young men." I feel what her subjects are saying.
When I was growing up in Richmond, Indiana in the '80s, we did not have youth tackle football. We couldn't play tackle football until eighth grade. I always felt cheated that I only got to play flag football through sixth grade, and then had no football to play in seventh.
Coming from that background, I jumped at the earliest opportunity to get our son into tackle football, and coached his teams when he was in second and third grade. He has just finished his freshman football season, and is moving on to wrestling for the winter. Thankfully, he has avoided any injuries, and has definitely expanded his community of mentors, friends, and surrogate family members.
If you have read this blog more than once, you have probably seen that I feel sports -- particularly participating in team sports -- can accelerate your building of and inclusion in communities. I also believe that challenging yourself physically and enduring physical hardship are essential to personal growth. If you are really going to challenge yourself physically, you are going to have to take on a certain amount of risk.
I will not stand in the way of our son taking on a strenuous, yet well regulated physical challenge. If he wants to play again next year, I will support it. I don't know how much more risk I want him to take on, but it has to be his call...I think...for now.
Hoosiers, Hoyas Start New Eras
Indiana finished the 2016-17 campaign 18-16 with a 7-11 record in Big Ten Conference play. Georgetown ended the year 14-18 with a woeful 5-13 in the Big East Conference. Expectations are much higher at both schools.
Since then, Archie Miller has been brought in to relieve Tom Crean at Indiana, and hall of fame NBA player and Georgetown alumni Patrick Ewing is now the coach in northwest D.C. instead of John Thompson III.
Tom Davis of the Fort Wayne (Ind.) News-Sentinel believes the traits of the Crean era -- turnovers, poor effort, and lack of defensive focus -- will get taken care of by Coach Miller, but it won't be happening immediately. Zach Osterman of the Indianapolis Star thinks the loss of three of last year's top four scoring leaders and a brutal schedule will most likely keep the Hoosiers from reaching the NCAA tournament. I think it is clear the Hoosiers will not be going on some glorious run to any type of title this year -- Big Ten, NCAA, or, otherwise.
The Indiana season got off to a rough start with Indiana State coming into Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana and hammering the home team 90-69, Nov. 10. Barely sneaking past Howard by nine points on Sunday didn't necessarily boost morale of the Hoosier faithful, either. Next up for Indiana is a road game at Seton Hall tonight (Nov. 15) which will most likely result in the Hoosiers getting beaten to death on the boards and a loss.
I didn't realize IU was going to be this bad this year. Hang in there, Hoosier fans. Archie will have these guys much improved by the end of the year, even if there is no postseason opportunity earned by that point.
The Hoyas were bad last year. It was the worst year in the JT III era. I couldn't muster the interest or energy to drag my family to see them play at the Verizon Center (now Capital One Arena) last year.
Christopher Novak of Big East Coast Bias sees reasons for optimism, but doesn't think the Hoyas will win half of their games this year. Dave Preston of WTOP reports that Ewing will not have his team playing the signature "Princeton Offense" that JT III had learned while playing under Pete Carril (at Princeton...get it?) and employed at Georgetown. That's great news. The Princeton Offense is a beautiful thing to watch when done correctly, but when not run well -- like most of Thompson's team -- it is horrible to watch.
The idea of bringing back a successful, professional alumni to coach in the Big East hasn't worked recently. Chris Mullin came back to St. John's in 2015 and had a 22-43 record at the end of last year. Ewing got his Hoyas to 1-0 with a 73-57 victory over Jacksonville (which barely qualifies as a legitimate program) Nov. 12. They play an equally weak program in Mount Saint Mary's tonight as they work into their new system against a very week early season schedule.
Ewing is more prepared for coaching an NCAA Division 1 team than Mullin. He has served as an assistant for many NBA teams. If Ewing can get things moving a bit faster on the court, I might even get my family to the District to see a game this year.
Alright, Indiana/Seton Hall game is into the second half...gotta go!
Comments
Post a Comment