Roy’s Ramble, November 8, 2019

As we head into this holiday season, please consider support Blessings in a Backpack

SUPPORT BLESSINGS IN A BACKPACK, A NATIONAL NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT FEEDS SCHOOL CHILDREN IN THE UNITED STATES.

STORIES THAT I AM FOLLOWING THIS WEEK

Chase Young–Reports out of Columbus this morning are that Ohio State Heisman candidate Chase Young may be ineligible for violations of NCAA rules. He is being suspended from the Maryland and potentially Rutgers. Cynics will question the timing as he sits to investigate these issues before Ohio State’s two big games against Penn State, Michigan and the potential Big Ten Championship game. He would be a huge loss to a dominant defense but more importantly, if there are truly violations you have to wonder whether Ohio State will be forced to forfeit games in which he competed.

Jermaine Whitehead—The Browns’ DB went off the deep end in a Twitter tirade that led to his release.  It is sad to see a player lose his livelihood over a adrenaline induced rant on social media.  There are many players who have ACTUALLY been violent that have received lesser punishments.  Sports is not always rationale and the tidal wave of response to his posts almost forced this move.  One thing that I hate in today’s world is how many people’s lives are being destroyed by single mistakes or expressions of frustration.  I am certainly not excusing violence, sexual assault or other offenses, but we seem to be having trouble drawing a reasonable line. 

McDonald’s –The company’s decision to terminate its CEO Steve Easterbrook is another example, where a consensual relationship ended a long career.  I understand that it was against corporate policy and I understand the risks of not making that decision, but it seems like an extreme action for a consensual relationship.  One of the challenges in today’s world is that “any” mistake can now be a fire-able offense. We want people to learn from mistakes, admit mistakes and take responsibility for mistakes, yet we seem to be making the penalty so high that is discourages that type of behavior.

Running up the scoreA high school coach was suspended because his team scored too much.  While we all understand sportsmanship, sports is ultimately about competition. As many coaches have said over the years, “if you don’t want us to run up the score, stop us.”  Now that sentiment may be more applicable to college or pro sports than youth sports, trying to draw a bright line at a certain score margin will create other unintended side effects.  Instead of teaching kids to compete to the finish and try their best, will we see schools that are dominating a game do a dumb thing like run backwards, fumble on purpose or take other actions that are likely worse in the long run.

Podcasts.             One of the privileges of running the Sports Philanthropy Network is the opportunity sit down and meet so many interesting people and hear about the fascinating work they are doing in the community.  This week I had the pleasure to record several podcasts that will be released over the coming weeks and it never fails to amaze me to see and hear the passion of those individuals running the organizations.  I hope that you will tune in and listen to our podcasts.

Sports Philanthropy Newsstand.              Each week we release a Newsstand that includes many interesting stories from the world of sports philanthropy.  I hope you will take a look at these each week and see the tremendous work being done.

NCAA.   Lots of ongoing conversation about the Name, Image and Likeness issues. If you did not get a chance to read my views from last week, here is another chance

Six Gaping Holes in the NCAA Statement.

Where Do College Sports Go From Here? Only Two Choices.

Chicago White Sox Game Changers.        The White Sox hosted a terrific event billed as “Incorporating Inclusion and Accessibility Through Sports”.   With a focus on adaptive sports, this Game Changers panel looked at the importance of increasing the level of activity and access to facilities.  For more detailed coverage, read the full post here.

HUMOR FOR THE WEEK

MOTIVATION FOR THE WEEK

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