Does Absence of Athletic Trainers Constitute Negligence? - Athletic Business

[Illustration by Arnel Reynon]

JACKSONVILLE - It seems like with what we know about the risks inherent in participation in football that this a really silly question to ask. Of course it does. Schools and programs at every level are weighing the economics versus the risks and shamefully are trying to save nickels and dimes while risking the long-term health of kids. 

The fact that the justice system is not stepping in makes the story even more reprehensible. And then we wonder why stories like the loss of life at the University of Maryland's football program happens to say nothing of the overall "toxic culture" that was mentioned there and elsewhere. You can make the argument that all of the toxic stories we hear about in college athletics recently including Michigan State and Penn State earlier, emanate from a system that values nickels and dimes over the health (physical, mental, emotional) of kids. 

Kids are not a commodity. We have to stop treating them as cogs in a machine.

from athleticbusiness.com

https://www.athleticbusiness.com/athlete-safety/does-absence-of-athletic-trainers-constitute-negligence.html

Does Absence of Athletic Trainers Constitute Negligence?

Intercollegiate football is an exciting but violent sport. A school can employ qualified coaches and medical personnel, and use injury waivers to protect itself from liability. However, failure to meet industry standards for student-athlete care will likely bring litigation in the event a player sues over treatment of injuries suffered on the field. This is evident in the ongoing case of Feleccia v. Lackawanna College, 156 A. 3d 1200 – Pa: Superior Court 2017.

The injuries On March 29, 2010, Augustus (Gus) Feleccia and Justin T. Resch participated in a tackling drill during the first day of spring football practice at Lackawanna Junior College in Pennsylvania. Both players were injured during a variation of the Oklahoma drill, during which an offensive player is isolated against a defensive player in a confined space. The offensive player tries to run past the defensive player without being tackled.
The Oklahoma drill is recognized as one of the most violent practice drills, especially the variation used by Lackawanna. This drill emphasizes proper pad level and ball security for the offensive player, and proper block shedding and tackling technique for the defensive player, but often results in a vicious collision.
While involved in this drill, Resch attempted a tackle with his head down and suffered a T-7 vertebral fracture. Normally the football program would have two certified athletic trainers assigned to its practices. However, this session had two non-certified "first responders" instead. Resch was evaluated by a Lackawanna first responder, then was transported by ambulance to a hospital.
The tackling drill continued. Feleccia suffered a "stinger" to his right shoulder during his first tackling attempt. A second Lackawanna first responder told him that he could return to practice once he began feeling better. Feleccia returned, made a tackle with his right shoulder, then suffered a brachial plexus avulsion on his right side.
After the players sued, the trial court entered a summary judgment in favor of the college. This ruling was supported by the fact that the players had signed injury waivers and assumed the risk of injury by participating in the violent sport of football. On appeal, the players asked the court to rule on two issues:
1. Is a Pennsylvania college required to have qualified medical personnel present at intercollegiate athletics events to satisfy a duty of care to the college's student-athletes?
2. Is an exculpatory clause releasing "any and all liability" signed in connection with participation in intercollegiate football enforceable as to negligence?

The issues First, the plaintiffs asked if the college is required to have certified medical personnel at practices. Led by athletic director Kim Mecca, Lackawanna hired Kaitlin Coyne and Alexis Bonisese in August 2009 to serve as certified athletic trainers.
At the time each was hired, neither Coyne nor Bonisese was licensed or credentialed as an athletic trainer. Mecca designated the two as first responders, but they were assigned job responsibilities typically granted to athletic trainers. Moreover, neither Coyne nor Bonisese had earned their athletic training credentials by the time of the athletes' injuries, yet court testimony revealed that Coyne, Bonisese and the football coaching staff represented the first responders as athletic trainers. In addition to being inexperienced and without credentials, the court heard testimony from a former professor and an internship supervisor that expressed concern regarding both Coyne and Bonisese's ability and potential work performance.
The college argued that there is no law in Pennsylvania or standard in the National Junior College Athletic Association requiring that certified athletic trainers be present at practices. The college also contends it did not have sufficient funds to hire qualified athletic trainers. In fact, Lackawanna Junior College president Dr. Ray Angeli said he was unwilling to pay an athletic director a salary higher than that of a first-year professor, but an athletic department budget analysis showed the funds were available.
Next, the plaintiffs questioned the validity of the waiver. To be valid, a waiver must not violate public policy, must be between persons relating entirely to their own private affairs, and each party must be a free bargaining agent. In common terms, a waiver is scrutinized based on its context and its content. The context refers to font size and where the waiver appears — a court may choose not to accept a waiver written in very small type and hidden within a large contract. The content refers to the language itself. The waiver should contain clear language that is easily understood by the participant.
Prior to spring football tryouts, both Feleccia and Resch signed the "Lackawanna College Waiver and Hold Harmless Agreement." Among its provisions, the signer relinquishes the right to sue "for any and all liability." The plaintiffs argued that the language is not clear that Lackawanna's negligent acts are included in the waiver.
Although Resch testified that he understood that the Oklahoma drill might be used during practices, the plaintiffs argued that the requirement to participate in the drill does not include the use of the non-certified first responders. The college still had the duty to use qualified personnel to assess and treat foreseeable injuries to meet a reasonable standard of student-athlete protection, according to the plaintiffs.
Lastly, the plaintiffs argued that the assumption of risk theory does not cover the acts in this case. Generally, the assumption of risk doctrine protects a defendant when a plaintiff encounters a known or obvious danger but voluntarily engages in the activity anyway. The plaintiffs argued that while they may assume the general risks of playing football, they were unaware of Lackawanna's failure to provide qualified athletic trainers. This act could not be considered a known or obvious danger of participating in football.
At the trial court, the defense argued that the assumption of risk doctrine eliminated any duty for the college. The plaintiffs are experienced football players (Feleccia had been playing since age 10, Resch since age six) and acknowledge that football is an inherently dangerous sport in which injuries occur. Neither player testified that they were forced to participate or coerced into participating in the Oklahoma drill.

The outcome The trial court entered a summary judgment for the defense. A summary judgment is appropriate only when the record clearly demonstrates that there are no genuine issues of material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.
The appellate court rejected that finding and stated that "colleges are expected to put a priority on the health and safety of their students, especially student-athletes engaged in dangerous sports." The summary judgment was overruled, and the case was remanded back to a trial court for a number of reasons.
Although courts generally accept a waiver for an inherently dangerous activity such as football, this specific waiver was rejected. First, the waiver did not state in clear and unambiguous terms that it would excuse Lackawanna's own negligent behavior.
Next, the waiver cannot be used as a shield against claims of recklessness or gross negligence. The Restatement (Second) of Torts (1965) states that recklessness is an unreasonable act that involves a risk of harm to others that is substantially more than negligent behavior. Thus recklessness is more similar to intentional conduct — which is not absolved via a waiver — than ordinary negligence.
Finally, the court stated the college's hiring and use of Coyne and Bonisese as athletic trainers fell below the applicable standard of care. This conduct should be considered gross negligence or recklessness.
Ultimately this court held that the college owed the players, who had engaged in school-sponsored and supervised intercollegiate athletics, a duty of care. This duty requires qualified medical personnel to assess injuries and adequately provide medical treatment when appropriate.
This case demonstrates that colleges owe a duty of care to student-athletes in terms of their safety and protection. Although a valid waiver may offer a school some protection, a court will also analyze the school's behavior and may determine that behavior to be more than simple negligence and thus allow the case to be heard at trial.

---

This article originally appeared in the July|August 2018 issue of Athletic Business with the title "Absence of actual athletic trainers may constitute negligence." Athletic Business is a free magazine for professionals in the athletic, fitness and recreation industry. Click here to subscribe.

Sent from my iPhone

Maryland Football Installs Cooling Stations - Athletic Business

JACKSONVILLE - This smacks of closing the barn door after the horses are gone, but it is better than nothing. Next up, the toxic culture.

from athleticbusiness.com
https://www.athleticbusiness.com/athlete-safety/maryland-football-installs-cooling-stations.html

Maryland Football Installs Cooling Stations
COLLEGE PARK — The University of Maryland football program opened a portion of Wednesday's practice to the media for the first time all summer, a noteworthy decision after the school took full responsibility for the death of former player Jordan McNair.
Two "cooling tents" were set up on the campus practice fields where there had been none before, and Matt Canada spoke for the first time as interim head coach, emphasizing how the players have weathered the recent period of turmoil.
"Our practices have been extremely crisp," Canada said. "The focus on our players' health and safety is No. 1. And our players are feeling that and understanding that, and that's our primary focus."
The Terrapins practiced for an hour and 46 minutes Tuesday with two breaks, Canada said, and a similar plan was in place for Wednesday's session. The practice was open to reporters from 12 to 12:30 p.m.
One cooling tent was located on each field, accessible to the offensive and defensive players, respectively. In addition to providing shade from the summer heat, they included fans, ice buckets and coolers with water, Gatorade and snacks. Training staff still drove utility vehicles around to hand Gatorade bottles to players, a practice that had been in place before, a Maryland spokesman said.
The updates and the effort for transparency came after a regrettable five days for the football program. Head coach DJ Durkin and other staffers were placed on leave Saturday after an ESPN investigative report brought light to allegations of excessive verbal abuse and a "toxic culture" under Durkin's tenure.
University officials released preliminary findings from the independent investigation into McNair's death, saying Tuesday that the 19-year-old was not properly treated for the heat illness he experienced before collapsing at a May practice.
Strength and conditioning coach Rick Court, the subject of many abuse claims, also announced his resignation Tuesday. Canada said assistant strength and conditioning coach Mason Baggett has taken charge of the weight room.
Canada first spoke to the Terrapins as their interim coach Saturday at a team meeting.
"I briefly addressed the football team and told them this was a challenging situation, we're all in it together, we're gonna work through it together and we need to consult with each other, talk to each other, lean on each other, be with each other, talk to your families," Canada said. "And whatever they needed from us as a staff, we were there. That was as brief as it was at the time."
The team's culture right now is "awesome," Canada claimed, and players are "loving each other" and still grieving for McNair.
"No matter what else comes out of this conversation, I want that to be echoed, that our players are special, they're doing a great job sticking together, they're excited to play football on Sept. 1 and we as a staff are really excited to get to watch them play," he said.
Canada also said he called Durkin to offer his support "in a situation that's really challenging," but he declined to give more details.
Maryland hired Canada in January after offensive coordinator Walt Bell left to take the same job at Florida State. Canada served as offensive coordinator at six other Division I FBS schools, most recently Louisiana State, before coming to Maryland. But this is his first time serving as head coach of any team an unusual way to take up that mantle.
Canada and athletic director Damon Evans arranged a parents' meeting Saturday, coinciding with a team scrimmage.
"I've talked to a couple parents and I've been very open and honest, which is the only way to be," Canada said. "Everybody's concerns right now are very wide-ranging. ... Our parents and our players want to have a good football season. That's what they're focused on."
Maryland opens its season Sept. 1 against Texas at FedEx Field.
Meanwhile, players and coaches who've associated with or played for Durkin continue to speak up about their experiences, leading to a mixed bag of support and criticism.
Local media at a Florida State practice asked Bell about his experience in College Park. Without directly mentioning Durkin or Maryland's program in his answer, Bell implied it was not a pleasant place to coach.
"I'm excited to be at a place where our kids smile at practice, they have a great time at practice, and they work for a head football coach (Willie Taggart) that kind of instills that family atmosphere in our organization," Bell said.
Cleveland Browns safety Jabrill Peppers played at Michigan when Durkin was the Wolverines' defensive coordinator. Peppers told "The Rich Eisen Show" that he thought Durkin used "extreme" tactics that he didn't like, describing it as "bully coaching."
On the other hand, some former players continue to say they had no problem with Durkin's style, even if it was demanding.
Will Muschamp, who had Durkin on his staff at Florida, was the first to defend the coach by accusing anonymous players cited in the ESPN story of wanting payback for lack of playing time. And Jim Harbaugh, Durkin's boss at Stanford and Michigan, declined to comment on Durkin's style when asked.

Sent from my iPhone

Mariners’ Robinson Cano among latest in long line of Dominican players to violate MLB drug policy | The Seattle Times

https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/jose-bautista-prospecs-beisbol-dominicano

The details in the article below (and the one above by Jose Bautista) are extremely disturbing and it goes to a topic that we've touched on here many times in the past: MLB's complicity in creating and maintaining this culture of dependency on the game itself and the siren song of PED dependency in order to make it here and leave the homeland.

They took a swing at fixing it in 2009 and the article gives an account from someone knowledgeable and on the ground that says it has only become worse. Not good MLB.

Players are coming from some of the most impoverished countries in this hemisphere, body types are changing literally overnight without a corresponding increase in economic development and we're to believe that these countries -- Cuba, Dominican Republic, Venezuela -- are all of a sudden able to develop young players to play baseball at rates higher than produced within the United States and Puerto Rico?

This may play a large role in the declining numbers of African America, white and Puerto Rican players currently in MLB. The demographics have changed too dramatically and in too short of a time period without the sort of infrastructure and economic development to explain other than to add in an element of rule-bending.

Combine this with the advantage of not being tethered to a draft and you a have a toxic brew that allows for MLB to take advantage of poor families and young kids in these countries based on economic desperation and love of baseball.

And that is shameful! What a horrible combination to be associated with.

According to Baseball Reference:

Buscone

A buscone is a term used in the Dominican Republic to refer to people who peddle young baseball players to scouts for teams from Major League Baseball. The word comes from the verb "buscar" which means to look for, to search; it traces its roots to "thief" in old Spanish pirate tales. Buscones identify promising players, train them (primarily in areas like running and hitting for power that impress scouts, rather than in actual game mechanics), and then pocket a share of the signing bonus, often about a quarter. Buscones are often criticized by MLB sources, including some scouts, but are considered part of the business of baseball in the Dominican Republic.

A "thief", one who "peddles young baseball players to scouts for teams from Major League Baseball." Nice!!

It's time to seriously reform the practice. The ends of the lucky 3% no longer justifies the means of the other 97% who are not so lucky.

El Ciclo _ by Jose Bautista

But what those kids don’t get is an education. MLB has made major strides in the last 10 years in building facilities in my country, but every year, hundreds of prospects fizzle out of baseball and head back into the real world with nothing to show for the thousands of hours they’ve devoted to this game.

The statistics are eye-opening. Less than half of those signed to academy contracts in the Dominican make it to America to play rookie ball. Only 25 percent make it to Class A. Only about 3 percent will ever take an at-bat in the Major Leagues.

This is the proposition presented to many Dominican families: Have your child give up school at age 12 for a 3 percent chance to play in the Majors. And they do it happily and willingly. Because there is no other choice. Can you imagine walking into a sixth grade PTA meeting and presenting that choice to American parents?

I can already hear the people on Twitter shouting, “So what? I’d beg for the opportunity to do that for free.”

And those people are totally right. Those kids feel the same way. In my 30 years playing baseball, I have never heard a single guy say, “You know what? That was unfair. Somebody forced me into this life. This isn’t what I wanted to do.”

It’s their only way out.

---

from seattletimes.com
https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/mariners/mariners-robinson-cano-among-latest-in-long-line-of-dominican-players-to-violate-mlb-drug-policy/

Mariners' Robinson Cano among latest in long line of Dominican players to violate MLB drug policy

Geoff BakerOriginally published May 25, 2018 at 7:00 am

Robinson Cano and Dominican catcher Welington Castillo of the White Sox this month became the 56th and 57th MLB roster players suspended since PED testing was implemented. Of those, 40 percent were born in the Dominican Republic despite only about 10 percent of MLB players hailing from that country in a given season.

A darkened Santo Domingo parking lot isn't the safest place in the Dominican Republic to meet sources for stories.

But this source wanted the isolated location, because he was one of the biggest known suppliers of performance-enhancing drugs to Dominican baseball minor-leaguers playing in that country and the United States. He still hoped to play ball for a U.S. college, had a cousin in the major leagues and was taking a risk by talking, but he wanted people to know why Dominican major- and minor-leaguers were getting caught using PEDs at a disproportionately high rate.

The year was 2005, when Major League Baseball's fledgling PED testing program in the majors and minors was showing signs of a serious Dominican problem. A weeklong quest for answers through Dominican baseball's underbelly – including the shadowy world of unregulated, independent trainers known as "buscones" that develop the country's teenage baseball talent amid a scarcity of high-school leagues – led us to the dealer and his explanation for why PED usage was practically mandatory for the nation's youth.

"All the (U.S.) scouts want players who are 16 or 17 to throw over 90 miles per hour," he said. "In the U.S., even when you're 20, the scouts only ask for 86 or 87. That's why so many young players make the decision to use the stuff."

With hitters, he added, scouts wanted muscular sluggers with grown-man strength. And in the Dominican, where your career often is effectively over if you haven't signed a professional contract by age 18, players can't always wait for natural growth.

So, some buscones – who pull players as young as 12 from school and work them around the clock to sell to MLB scouts starting at age 16 – beef up their prospects on steroids, testosterone and even farm-animal drugs meant for horses and cows.

This was the free-for-all Dominican system that Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano, suspended 80 games last week after testing positive for a PED masking agent, competed within as a teenager. The same goes for Mariners teammate Nelson Cruz, who is two years older than Cano and was suspended 50 games with Texas in 2013 after being linked to the PED-supplying Biogenesis clinic in Miami.

When they see they're competing for these contracts against players all taking drugs, they feel the need to take drugs themselves," - Arturo Marcano

MLB has attempted reforms, introducing suspensions for PED usage in 2008 for pros in the rookie-level Dominican Summer League and some top amateurs. But Arturo Marcano, a lawyer, ESPN commentator and author of books on baseball's globalization and the exploitation of players in the Dominican Republic and his native Venezuela, says little has changed.

"If anything, it's gotten much worse,'' Marcano said last week, adding that a proliferation of private Dominican academies run by offshore U.S. investors, official player agents and buscones has created intense competition for younger players. Marcano said teams are "pre-signing" players to unofficial deals by 14 and 15 until they're eligible for official contracts at 16 years, six months of age.

"When they see they're competing for these contracts against players all taking drugs, they feel the need to take drugs themselves," Marcano said. "Sometimes the buscones and the player agents are forcing them to take drugs. And when they start taking PEDs at 12 and 13, it's hard to get them to ever stop.''

Cano and Dominican catcher Welington Castillo of the Chicago White Sox this month became the 56th and 57^th MLB roster players suspended since PED testing was implemented. Of those, 23  – 40 percent – were born in the Dominican Republic despite only about 10 percent of MLB players hailing from that country in any given season.

And that's not counting former Mariners star Alex Rodriguez and Royals infielder Adalberto Mondesi (currently in the minor leagues), who both were suspended and are dual U.S.-Dominican citizens with close ties to the Caribbean country.

Players from Venezuela grow up under a similar system and are funneled through MLB academies in the Dominican, as are prospects from Central America and other Caribbean countries. Five Venezuelans, three Cubans, one Panamanian and one Nicaraguan have been nabbed for PEDs since 2005, which, combined with the Dominicans, accounts for 58 percent of all suspensions despite comprising less than a quarter of the MLB population.
Of 14 players suspended in the 2013 Biogenesis scandal, 11 once played in the Dominican Summer League.  The past five MLB players suspended since the start of 2017 hail from the Dominican as well.
Marcano said the late 1990s, when Cano and Cruz were amateur players, was still a "Wild West" for Dominican baseball, with MLB a decade away from suspending for PED usage there.
Cano didn't need the buscones, because his father Jose had pitched for the Houston Astros in 1989 and was independently training him. As a Dominican high-school player, Cano had been slow, with a skinny upper body and was passed over by several teams before the New York Yankees signed him for a much smaller bonus than his dad was seeking.

These days Cano's dad, who is not registered player agent, runs a private academy in the Dominican that has partnered with U.S. investors on developing Dominican teens.

As for Cruz, a basketball player and late baseball bloomer, he didn't need a buscon either after being discovered somewhat accidentally by a New York Mets scout watching a pickup game.

Cruz at 17 was thrust into the Mets' academy and struggled for three years in a Dominican Summer League rife with PEDs as a byproduct of the buscones system. Only 2 percent of Dominicans signed to pro contracts make it to MLB, and the academy players are in cutthroat competition just to make the U.S. minor leagues.
Cano skipped the MLB academy system and at 18 went straight to rookie ball in the U.S. But he'd return home each offseason and later played winter ball in the Dominican, competing alongside players purchasing myriad PEDs at local pharmacies without prescription.
Both Cano and Cruz say they've never taken PEDs to boost performance. Cano says the masking agent was prescribed for an undisclosed health condition, and Cruz said he made a "mistake" seeking treatment from Biogenesis for an ailment that caused him to lose 40 pounds.
Cano was 15 and Cruz 17 in 1998, when Dominican star Sammy Sosa chased Mark McGwire for the season home-run record.
Dominican teens wanting to emulate Sosa – who hailed from Cano's hometown of San Pedro de Macoris – were given catch-all advice by buscones, scouts and coaches: "You can't walk your way off the island."
They know that I used, and they want to know what I took." - Pedro Soto, former amateur pitcher

In other words, only free-swinging power-hitters need apply.
Once inside MLB teams' Dominican academies, even players that previously avoided PEDs felt pressure to keep up. Not getting promoted meant returning into impoverished Dominican life with relatively no education.

During our 2005 visit, a few years after Cano and Cruz had left for the U.S., a former amateur pitcher named Pedro Soto – identified by buscones as a PED supplier — estimated in an interview that 90 percent of Dominican players used such drugs by their late teens.
Soto, then 22, acknowledged that he had counseled amateur players about PEDs and supplied pro prospects in MLB-run academies.
"They know that I used, and they want to know what I took," Soto said.

It wasn't until 2009, after embarrassing disclosures about MLB team officials colluding with buscones, that commissioner Bud Selig dispatched executive Sandy Alderson to the Dominican as an emissary. Alderson reported in September 2009 that "corrupt buscones" were primarily responsible for the PED pipeline and added that MLB teams had avoided confronting them – fearing they'd be denied access to top prospects.
Marcano said subsequent MLB drug testing of Dominican amateurs, introduced in 2010, screens only a fraction of prospects signed annually into pro academies.

"The biggest problem is still at the amateur level," he said.
MLB has tried educating Dominican players about PEDs and testing. But they see players earning millions – Cano signed a $240 million, 10-year contract with the Mariners in 2013, and Cruz signed a $57 million, four-year deal with Seattle in 2014 – and figure it's worth using all the way to the majors and even after making it.

Manny Ramirez appeared Hall of Fame bound before he was suspended in 2009 and 2011. Before being suspended, Ramirez had won a World Series and had nothing more to prove.

Studies by the World Health Organization, Yale University and the National Institute on Drug Abuse, among others, have found long-term PED usage can create either physical or psychological dependence on them. Dominican players weaned on PEDs at 14 and now in their 30s in MLB will have been playing baseball on them the majority of their lifetimes.

Marcano said some Dominican players in MLB feel pressured to keep earning more money to support large families back home.

Or, they feel pressured, just like American players, to perform for big contracts. Rodriguez said he took PEDs to help him live up to his $250 million contract signed in Texas after leaving Seattle.

Some might continue using PEDs because they're chasing a record. Others, just to stay in a game they love.

But the myriad reasons some Dominican players will use PEDs for 20 years or more all have one underlying commonality. It's best explained by that PED pusher we talked to during that 2005 parking lot meeting: "They're afraid that if they stop, they won't be good anymore.''

Sent from my iPhone

https://illinoisfamily.org/marriage/fathers-future-america-2/

Fathers and the Future of America

"So, what is your relationship with your father like?"
As a volunteer chaplain for our county's juvenile detention center, I asked this question about three hundred times over the course of about six years. I only recall two occasions where a young inmate told me that he had a good relationship with his father.
What was interesting to me was that in our county there really was no demographic consistency that you could point to that would explain youth crime. We had Caucasians, African-Americans, Hispanics and Asian-Americans. Economically, we had upper class, middle class and lower class (the rich youth would often steal, which was ironic). There were Christians (mainly), Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and Atheist. They came from urban, suburban and rural settings. The only absolute consistency was that there was no healthy relationships with their fathers.
On Mother's Day, nearly all of the inmates would send cards to (and receive cards or letters from) their mothers and/or grandmothers. But Father's Day was simply a non-event.
Many never met their biological fathers. Many had abusive step-fathers, or lived with a revolving door of men coming in and out of their lives. Some lived with their fathers, but their dads were too preoccupied with work or other responsibilities to take time for them. The conclusion I reached, from my own observation, was that the lack of a father's guidance was the single-most dominant factor in juvenile crime.
The Influence of a Father
Some time back, I read a study in a news magazine, where school students were asked which academic subject was the most important. It turns out, surprisingly, that all of the students gave the exact same response! No, they didn't all choose the same subject in their answers, but the underlying reason for that choice was exactly the same. The most important academic subject that you could learn, according to school students, was whatever subject their father helped them with for homework. So if their father tutored them in Math, then Math was the most important subject. If Science, then the students said Science, and so on.
The reason for this is that children intuitively understand that their father has limited time, and if he is going to take his precious time and help a child learn something, it must be very important (at least in the mind of his child). This speaks to me of how important it is for us as fathers to be intentional about how we spend our time investing in our children.
Shortly after reading that report, I had a conversation with a man after church one Sunday who had three adult children. He proudly informed me, "Israel, over the years there was one thing that I made sure to impress upon my children. If there was one thing I really wanted them to embrace, and learn to love, it was sports! And they have! All of them are huge sports fans, just like me. They played all kinds of sports, we watched lots of sports on television, and even had season tickets to the local stadium games. Yep, they are now teaching their children to love sports as well."
While I recognize some of the benefits of organized sports, I had to wonder about the wisdom of promoting sports as such a high value in life. If a father has one chance to pass on values and beliefs to his children, he had better be mindful and selective with what he chooses to emphasize.
God Give Us Men!
As a young man, I grew up with a very limited fatherly influence. My parents divorced when I was six, and I saw my father only one weekend a month until I was fifteen, and then not at all. From six to fifteen, I lived with a physically abusive step-father. Today, I am a blessed father of nine children! By the grace of God, I have been able to break the cycle of abuse and dysfunction and my children are able to live in a peaceful home with two parents who love them.
I believe that when men turn their hearts to their wives and children, and commit to be godly servant-leaders in their own homes, we will see the beginning of the stabilization of society. Consider the many areas of society impacted by fatherless homes:


Read more HERE.
I strongly encourage churches and civic institutions to do everything they can to train, equip and encourage men to take seriously their roles as husbands and fathers. The future of our nation, in many ways, depends upon it (see Malachi 4:6 & Luke 1:17).

---

---

https://thefatherlessgeneration.wordpress.com/statistics/

Statistics

• 63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes (US Dept. Of Health/Census) – 5 times the average.

• 90% of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes – 32 times the average.

• 85% of all children who show behavior disorders come from fatherless homes – 20 times the average.  (Center for Disease Control)

• 80% of rapists with anger problems come from fatherless homes –14 times the average.  (Justice & Behavior, Vol 14, p. 403-26)

• 71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes – 9 times the average.  (National Principals Association Report)

Father Factor in Education – Fatherless children are twice as likely to drop out of school.

• Children with Fathers who are involved are 40% less likely to repeat a grade in school.

• Children with Fathers who are involved are 70% less likely to drop out of school.

• Children with Fathers who are involved are more likely to get A's in school.

• Children with Fathers who are involved are more likely to enjoy school and engage in extracurricular activities.

• 75% of all adolescent patients in chemical abuse centers come from fatherless homes – 10 times the average.

Father Factor in Drug and Alcohol Abuse – Researchers at Columbia University found that children living in two-parent household with a poor relationship with their father are 68% more likely to smoke, drink, or use drugs compared to all teens in two-parent households. Teens in single mother households are at a 30% higher risk than those in two-parent households.

• 70% of youths in state-operated institutions come from fatherless homes – 9 times the average.  (U.S. Dept. of Justice, Sept. 1988)

• 85% of all youths in prison come from fatherless homes – 20 times the average.  (Fulton Co. Georgia, Texas Dept. of Correction)

Father Factor in Incarceration – Even after controlling for income, youths in father-absent households still had significantly higher odds of incarceration than those in mother-father families. Youths who never had a father in the household experienced the highest odds. A 2002 Department of Justice survey of 7,000 inmates revealed that 39% of jail inmates lived in mother-only households. Approximately forty-six percent of jail inmates in 2002 had a previously incarcerated family member. One-fifth experienced a father in prison or jail.
Father Factor in Crime – A study of 109 juvenile offenders indicated that family structure significantly predicts delinquency. Adolescents, particularly boys, in single-parent families were at higher risk of status, property and person delinquencies. Moreover, students attending schools with a high proportion of children of single parents are also at risk. A study of 13,986 women in prison showed that more than half grew up without their father. Forty-two percent grew up in a single-mother household and sixteen percent lived with neither parent
Father Factor in Child Abuse – Compared to living with both parents, living in a single-parent home doubles the risk that a child will suffer physical, emotional, or educational neglect. The overall rate of child abuse and neglect in single-parent households is 27.3 children per 1,000, whereas the rate of overall maltreatment in two-parent households is 15.5 per 1,000.
Daughters of single parents without a Father involved are 53% more likely to marry as teenagers, 711% more likely to have children as teenagers, 164% more likely to have a pre-marital birth and 92% more likely to get divorced themselves.
Adolescent girls raised in a 2 parent home with involved Fathers are significantly less likely to be sexually active than girls raised without involved Fathers.

• 43% of US children live without their father [US Department of Census]

• 90% of homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes. [US D.H.H.S., Bureau of the Census]

• 80% of rapists motivated with displaced anger come from fatherless homes. [Criminal Justice & Behaviour, Vol 14, pp. 403-26, 1978]

• 71% of pregnant teenagers lack a father. [U.S. Department of Health and Human Services press release, Friday, March 26, 1999]

• 63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes. [US D.H.H.S., Bureau of the Census]

• 85% of children who exhibit behavioral disorders come from fatherless homes. [Center for Disease Control]

• 90% of adolescent repeat arsonists live with only their mother. [Wray Herbert, "Dousing the Kindlers," Psychology Today, January, 1985, p. 28]

• 71% of high school dropouts come from fatherless homes. [National Principals Association Report on the State of High Schools]

• 75% of adolescent patients in chemical abuse centers come from fatherless homes. [Rainbows f for all God's Children]

• 70% of juveniles in state operated institutions have no father. [US Department of Justice, Special Report, Sept. 1988]

• 85% of youths in prisons grew up in a fatherless home. [Fulton County Georgia jail populations, Texas Department of Corrections, 1992]

• Fatherless boys and girls are: twice as likely to drop out of high school; twice as likely to end up in jail; four times more likely to need help for emotional or behavioral problems. [US D.H.H.S. news release, March 26, 1999]

Census Fatherhood Statistics

• 64.3 million: Estimated number of fathers across the nation
• 26.5 million: Number of fathers who are part of married-couple families with their own children under the age of 18.
  Among these fathers –
  • 22 percent are raising three or more of their own children under 18 years old (among married-couple family households only).
  • 2 percent live in the home of a relative or a non-relative.
• 2.5 million: Number of single fathers, up from 400,000 in 1970. Currently, among single parents living with their children, 18 percent are men.
  Among these fathers –
  • 8 percent are raising three or more of their own children under 18 years old.
  • 42 percent are divorced, 38 percent have never married, 16 percent are separated and 4 percent are widowed. (The percentages of those divorced and never married are not significantly different from one another.)
  • 16 percent live in the home of a relative or a non-relative.
  • 27 percent have an annual family income of $50,000 or more.
• 85 percent: Among the 30.2 million fathers living with children younger than 18, the percentage who lived with their biological children only.
  • 11 percent lived with step-children
  • 4 percent with adopted children
  • < 1 percent with foster children
  Recent policies encourage the development of programs designed to improve the economic status of low-income nonresident fathers and the financial and emotional support provided to their children. This brief provides ten key lessons from several important early responsible fatherhood initiatives that were developed and implemented during the 1990s and early 2000s. Formal evaluations of these earlier fatherhood efforts have been completed making this an opportune time to step back and assess what has been learned and how to build on the early programs' successes and challenges.While the following statistics are formidable, the Responsible Fatherhood research literature generally supports the claim that a loving and nurturing father improves outcomes for children, families and communities.
• Children with involved, loving fathers are significantly more likely to do well in school, have healthy self-esteem, exhibit empathy and pro-social behavior, and avoid high-risk behaviors such as drug use, truancy, and criminal activity compared to children who have uninvolved fathers.
• Studies on parent-child relationships and child wellbeing show that father love is an important factor in predicting the social, emotional, and cognitive development and functioning of children and young adults.
• 24 million children (34 percent) live absent their biological father.
• Nearly 20 million children (27 percent) live in single-parent homes.
• 43 percent of first marriages dissolve within fifteen years; about 60 percent of divorcing couples have children; and approximately one million children each year experience the divorce of their parents.
• Fathers who live with their children are more likely to have a close, enduring relationship with their children than those who do not.
• Compared to children born within marriage, children born to cohabiting parents are three times as likely to experience father absence, and children born to unmarried, non-cohabiting parents are four times as likely to live in a father-absent home.
• About 40 percent of children in father-absent homes have not seen their father at all during the past year; 26 percent of absent fathers live in a different state than their children; and 50 percent of children living absent their father have never set foot in their father's home.
• Children who live absent their biological fathers are, on average, at least two to three times more likely to be poor, to use drugs, to experience educational, health, emotional and behavioral problems, to be victims of child abuse, and to engage in criminal behavior than their peers who live with their married, biological (or adoptive) parents.
• From 1995 to 2000, the proportion of children living in single-parent homes slightly declined, while the proportion of children living with two married parents remained stable.

Sent from my iPhone

Why Sport Matters and The Sports Ethic

from SportMatters.org:
http://www.sportmatters.org.au/why_sport.php

Why Sport?

Access to sport and physical activity is a fundamental human right. Sport is well recognised internationally as a low-cost and high-impact tool for development and a powerful agent for social change. It is a culturally accepted activity that brings people together and unites families, communities and nations. 

Effective sport-for-development programs combine sport and play with other non-sport outcomes to achieve the desired development objectives. The focus is not on mass participation or performance in elite sport. This requires a purposeful, professional and socially responsible intervention that is tailored to the social and cultural context. Sport is under-utilised as a development tool and should be an integral component of any comprehensive development program.

Ban Ki-Moon, UN Setary-General

"Sport has become a world language, a common denominator that breaks down all the walls, all the barriers. It is a worldwide industry whose practices can have widespread impact. Most of all, it is a powerful tool for progress and for development."

Thomas Bach, IOC President 

"The UN and the IOC know how much sport can do to address the vast array of human and social needs in the areas of; health, education, inclusion, sustainable development ad peace ... Yes sport can change the world, but it cannot change the world alone. When placing sport at the service of humankind, we need and we want partnerships with other players in society." 

Wilfried Lemke, Special Adviser to the UN Secretary General on Sport for Development and Peace

"Sport builds bridges between individuals and across communities, providing a fertile ground for sowing the seeds of development and peace."

Nelson Mandela

"Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair."

The Sports Ethic | Psychology Today: 

psychologytoday.com

Even the most talented, successful Olympic athlete is likely to have a short career. Mainly for physical reasons many are "finished" in their early 30s, though some sports are a little more forgiving. Years and years of amazingly dedicated practice and you are left without a career and probably with a number of semi-serious injuries.

So what is their fate? There are some attractive options: become a national coach, turn to media commentary, start your own brand. But other career paths, like becoming a sports teacher or working in a sports shop seems rather a come-down after all that effort and glory.

Some ex-sports stars have tumbled into a newish and very well paid wheeze: motivational speaking. Go to the website of those who offer a range of celebrity speakers and you find among the politicians, academics and business people a long list of former athletes. Some, perhaps many, you have never heard of; masters of a sport you are even less sure about.

But most business people will have heard a famous(ish) sports person speak at a conference. They may be round-the-world sailors, sprinters, boxers, or rowers. It's a nice little side gig if you are any good and get asked frequently. Many are, alas, not cut out for the role, which demands a certain flair and style that is not required on the field, court or pool.

The athlete's story can be very dull, quite often. It is all about spending years doing the same thing day-after-day, for months on end, working towards an event that lasts less than 30 minutes, four years hence. Often the audience is invited to try to work out, in their break-out rooms, how all this is remotely relevant for them at work. The better speakers do it for you. They have usually worked out that the work ethic and the sports ethic share a great deal.

Some of the sportsmanship values seem particularly relevant today: adhering to the rules, accepting the official's decision. Outwardly upholding the regulations of the governing sport. It is about all those good things such as integrity, reliability, honesty.  Being candid, sincere, forthright;  Being utterly trustworthy, and having the courage to live by principles.

Rule number one: no cheating (i.e. drugs), no knifing opponents in word and deed. No put-downs, insults, or ridiculing others. Be totally honest and respectful. Accept personal responsibility and understand the legal and moral obligations.

There are many other values that are part of the sports ethic and music to the ears of many employers:

Competition: All understand that competition is good; it drives up standards/records and is the only way to produce the best in their area. It is about fair play and justice, but also about standing out as the "best in class."

Universalism: Sport is open to all, irrespective of: age, class, creed, or sex. It does of course have a lot to do with shape. But the message is clear: you are judged entirely and exclusively on the quality of your performance. All that counts is sporting prowess. So opponents have to be treated to courtesy, dignity, and tolerance. Nepotism and favoritism are no-nos.

Diligence: Nothing is achieved or achievable at international standards without very hard work, fortitude, and perseverance. You can only succeed if you make personal sacrifices, take part in long, strenuous preparation and have stamina for the journey. You have to pursue excellence relentlessly.

Success: This is everything; coming second is not good enough. You play to win, to get the accolades and prizes that come with being first. This is the opposite of the "all shall have prizes" philosophy. No, not everybody is creative, or intelligent, or gifted "in their own special way." Success is for the few who have the right mix of ability and effort.

Self-Discipline: You have to lead a life of ascetic self-discipline and self-control. All your habits need to be healthy. It is about resisting temptation for long periods of time. Sacrificing many pleasures of the flesh for your goal.

Magnanimity: Learning to be gracious in defeat and able to openly admire those better than yourself. Hubris is a sin; humility a virtue. Though you might not believe it, you have to talk about how lucky you were, not how deserving.

There are some values of great importance that do not apply to all sports. Perhaps the most important is teamwork. This is about co-operation, trust, and support. It is about being totally loyal to your colleagues and as concerned for their welfare as your own. It is about learning how to be neither dependent nor independent, but interdependent.

The sports ethic is very much like the work ethic. It is where hard-work and dedication and winning are most important. It is no surprise then that some interviewers consider success in sports as a good indicator of how a person will perform in the work place. There may not be a lot of evidence in favor of this idea, but it seems eminently reasonable. Until, of course, one reads about all the illicit practices, particularly drug use, that goes on in those desperate attempts to win.

Download the Twitter app

Sent from my iPhone