Are Big Time Collegiate Programs Justified in Spending So Much Money?

Big-time college sports programs are increasingly spending more and more money each year. It has increased four times faster than academic budgets at those universities.  It also has no effect on the academic quality of the student-athletes.  Many of these schools spend to keep up with other universities.  They spend a lot of money on paying coaches (some coaches make more than the actual President of that university) and a huge amount of money is spent on building and maintaining state of the art facilities.  They spend money on those things because if they want to be competitive in their sport, they have to get great recruits, and having a good coach and good facilities greatly helps with recruiting. 

In our American Sport in the 21st Century class, we discussed reasons why all of this big spending by major college sport programs is justified.

Justification of Big Spending
-college sport is part of the college experience
-athletics are a valuable part to any university
-many people would disagree with cutting sports programs

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/2010-01-13-ncaa-athletics-subsidies_N.htm
In this article in the USA Today, it discusses if big-time athletics are worth the cost of maintaining those programs.  About 82% of major programs operate at a loss.  Is losing money worth winning? Many people say yes but there are solid arguments against it also.

Are There Problems In Youth Sports?

In American Sport in the 21st Century, we discussed some of the problems in youth sport.  Some of the problems that we discussed was that there is an over-emphasis on winning, there are pressures by significant others to achieve success, it instills unrealistic goals of being a star or being a pro, overuse injuries, over-training, and burnout.  All of these are major problems for some children that participate in sports.  It is not fair for kids to have to be put through these tough situations that young.

One thing that really bothers me about young kids playing sports is that the coaches are too hard on them sometimes.  They cannot really expect a young athlete to be fully developed and completely understand the game.  Then, those kids are punished for not knowing stuff that they should not be expected to know.  I think some youth sport coaches definitely take it way too far.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/93625-problems-youth-sports/
I found this article on Lance Armstrong's Livestrong website.  It explains how sports can be an amazing experience for a young kid but at the same time can be horrible do to certain situations and scenarios.

Should Athletes Be Considered Role Models?

Although maybe some athletes should not be, many athletes are looked at as role models.  Athletes impact many peoples' lives around the world and since they impact lives shouldn't they try to be good role models? In my American Sport in the 21st Century class, we discussed some good qualities would be in a role model.

Qualities In A Role Model
-Good decision making
-Leadership qualities
-Discipline
-Honesty
-Committment
-Good Sportsmanship
-A sense of humor
-Good self-image
-High moral values

We also discussed some of the best and worst role models in sport today.  Some of the best were Peyton Manning, Sidney Crosby, Tim Tebow, and Kevin Durant. Much of the class agreed that these players are some of the best role models because they all possess a lot of the qualities listed above.

Some of the worst role models were Tiger Woods, Mike Vick, O.J. Simpson, and Barry Bonds.  The class felt that these players all committed huge wrongs and therefore are terrible role models.

I think that whether players want to be or not, they are role models.  Since that is the case, I think that all professional athletes should at least try to carry themselves in an appropriate manner and act classy.  When a young kid sees his or her favorite players getting arrested for rape and gun possession, what does that say to the kid? Does it say that because their favorite athlete is doing those things that they are ok? NO! Athletes should be more aware that many people, especially kids, look up to them and should try to be good role models.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-UCwYfXqak
This video shows the Brawl at the Palace of Auburn Hills between the Pistons and Pacers. An example of how athletes can be bad role models.

http://sportslaw.uslegal.com/2010/04/24/should-athletes-be-role-models-for-young-people/. 
This article also gives its own point of view on whether athletes should or should not be role models.

Do Sports Teach Values?

One thing that was taught to us in my American Sport in the 21st Century class was that sports teach people values.  We were taught that sport builds character, leadership skills, patience, helps with working on a team, builds integrity, honesty, responsibility, and maturity.  Also, it is a fact that competition is everywhere.  Sports are competition. Therefore, playing sports help people learn how to compete and want to be the best they can be.  Sports also promote health and fitness. Playing sports is a fun, easy way to get exercise and stay fit. 

I personally agree with the thought that playing sports teaches a person a lot of values and builds character.  I played competitive sports all of my life and I think that there are many valuable things that I have learned by playing sport that I would not have learned if i had not.  First of all, I learned how to compete at a very young age.  My dad and grandfather would never let me win at any sport when I was little.  They told me I would never be good if they just let me win.  So I worked hard and practiced and when I finally beat them, it was that much more satisfying.  Also, I learned how to handle loss.  I have seen many people freak out over losing and it is embarrassing.  If you are going to lose, do so with class.  Those are just a few of the many values that playing sports has taught me.

I also found an article online that also supports the notion that sports help teach people many important things in life.  The website is http://ezinearticles.com/?What-Sports-Can-Teach-You&id=1577257. After I read this article, it only further proved to me that sports help teach many valuable traits to people that they will use for the rest of their lives.

Introduction

Hi, my name is Anthony Lamendola.  I am a Sport Management major at Slippery Rock University.  In my American Sport in the 21st Century class, we discuss many important topics relating to sports today.  There are often two sides to these topics.  In my blog, I will be talking about these topics and would like to get some more input from different people on some of these topics.  Thank you and I hope everyone enjoys reading this blog!