impact of athlete

what is the impact of athlete in the work setting?

I'm not sure what you are looking for here.

I think that athletes know what it's like to work towards a common goal - most of them are goal oriented (at least the successful ones) They learn how to get along with a lot of different types of people - they learn how to be leaders and solve problems. They learn how to reach out to less fortunate people ( at least in our program they did ) I tried to have our players connect with the younger kids in the program. Then, when they get out into the working world they have some of the skills necessary to succeed.
I had them try to be ambassadors to the young kids in the area by having them work our camps and work with them in small groups. That did a couple of things... they learned what it was like to coach/teach young people, IF they could teach it then for the most part they could do it themselves.
I think they become good leaders.

Is this what you are looking for? If not, please be more specific.

I don't want to turn this into my own forum but there are a lot of people that would rather whine about something than figure out a way to solve the problem. JMO

I don't understand what this means either

I gave it my best shot Don.

Airwolf, reminds me of that old \TV show... dated myself again eh!

I think it is a language barrier. Anything that starts with the work "work" confuses me.

I hope you are well

Dear Sir,

I would like to thank both of you for providing me your opinion.

Let me first define "sports" the way I understand it. Sports is activity, which is governed by set of rules, implemented by any individual or group to achieve a certain GOAL.

On the other hand, athlete, who is interested in any sports. is an individual who performs any sport governed by set of rules.

What happened if athlete turned employee? How can sports help them survive in life? How can they help their chosen institution?

airwolf_0812 wrote:What happened if athlete turned employee? How can sports help them survive in life? How can they help their chosen institution?

Now this is just my opinion of course...... but sports can help people survive in life and in the work place because they learned how to play by the rules.... by setting goals and working towards achieving them. They learned how to be a team player which is very important in their careers - working with others - and how to get along with other people and hopefully be a leader.

Funny Don - I never liked that word either .. WORK....... actually once I started teaching and coaching I never worked.... it was fun and I enjoyed helping kids.

I understand you definitions of sport and athlete. That is easy. It's your definition of institution that is hazy.

I can be very altruistic and agree with all the things that Ken has stated. I believe that there was a time that I did agree that sport did all those things he mentioned.

But, I have become very cynical. I work with very high level players, NBA and other pros from all over the world. I have learned that sport teaches them to win. That's all, no other value but win, and it makes no difference how it is done. They should think that way because they are professionals and their livelihood depends on it.

While they NBA is in season, I work with kids. What is disheartening is the values that Ken has discussed, playing by the rules, goal setting, leadership, cooperation, etc. is being replaced by win at any cost. While it is very discouraging to hear what parents and fans say to their kids and other players, it is even more discouraging to hear what the kids say to each other. What that says to me is that the trickle down eventually will prevent any of those things from being learned in the future. Encouragement and positive messages have been replaced by mean spirit and "Just Win Baby."

In answer to your question, theoretically, yes it can, sport can help. Practically, only in rare cases. I fear that those cases will become rarer and rarer. Then the answer will be "No, sport cannot help." I am also reacting to American culture. I have traveled throughout the world on behalf of basketball and I have to say that there are still places where sport does still expose positive values (basketball, not soccer/football).

I don't mean to preach but but the only ones that can stop the erosion of those values are the people who work with kids. If not me, who then?

Dear Sir,

I'm Jan Vincent P. Abella. I'm a psychology graduate of Central Luzon State University (CLSU). I'm a human resources assistant of one of the rural banks from Philippines. I live in 91 UNDP st. CLSU Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija.

May I request a copy of any of your published books related to the topics I have posted in the forum for my future research.

I have conducted a thesis entitled "Transfer of Values in College Sports to the Workplace." I could provide you a copy of mine if you request it. You are free to make comments or suggestions.

Thank you in advance for providing me your time.

God bless.

Don,

You make some great points.... and you are right on too!

Getting back to what the "game" is supposed to be about for KIDS needs to start with the PARENTS..... THEY are the ones with this WIN mentality at early ages.

Why is it that anyone that wants to teach or coach at the high school level has to be a certified teacher but ANYONE can coach young kids, WITHOUT any training?
It needs to start there... get rid of the WIN attitude and start teaching all the things I talked about.

I understand the WIN mentality at the PRO level, its a business - but when you talk about 1st graders thru lets say 6th grade, it should be about having fun and learning the things I stated. 7th & 8th graders the pressure to win starts but WHY cant they keep learning those things I stated.... that goes for 9th & 10th graders too.... but the further up the food chain you get the pressure to win becomes stronger.....

In our area there is NO trash talking allowed unless you want a T - and its as much about sportsmanship as it is winning. Play the game hard and by the rules. IF could have seen a few of my camps where the Varsity kids were working with the younger kids you would have smiled.

One of my favorite things to do was to play a game to 6, where everybody had to score ONCE before anyone could hit the winner. I mixed the age levels and abilities... you would have loved the way they worked hard to get the lesser kid a good shot. It taught my players leadership skills and when I let them play a game without the varsity player, one of the younger kids had to step up and be a leader.

Here are a few of my really quick thoughts...

- I think sports made a positive impact on me. Taught me how to deal with people, adversity, work ethic, etc. I don't think sports completely changed me, but I feel they had a positive improvement. I might not remember a word from my physics class or the name of the teacher, but I distinctly remember numerous situations in basketball. The things I learned had a lasting impression on me. I don't think it "changed" me but I do think I work a little harder and have more of a team attitude because of sports.

- As an employer in the business world other than just basketball, many of our best employees thrived in sports. When interviewing someone, if they showed work ethic in the past playing sports, that gives them bonus points. I don't exclusively look for sports people, but it does help their cause.

- All the "win" stuff at the youth level it true. It can be disgusting. I just talked with some friends about a local coach that started screaming at the other coach over a substitution issue. These are 9 year olds. The guy went absolutely nuts and everyone thought they would have to break up a fight. After things settled down the parents all demanded the coach be fired. He was and took his daughter to a different team. I know parents of players on that team. They were completely embarrassed by the situation.

- On a positive note, I'm seeing some great comments in email and on this website. I'm hearing coaches saying that they just want to help these players in the future. They are trying to be fair and teach lessons. They are teaching skills for the long run, not the short term. I truly believe that all our preaching is making a positive impact. There are some really great people out there that truly "get it". I don't know about you Coach Sar, but I feel like there are more educated youth coaches on this forum that there used to be. Granted it was pretty bad, but it seems a little better than it was.

Good thoughts Jeff,

I also think that people who played sports have an edge, they learned how to solve problems and work towards a common goal... and the big one, leadership skills.

I agree with seeing more educated youth coaches here - not seeing the guys that run his players for 2 hours just to help him make cuts.... people who truly want to help kids, not just in sports but helping them to grow up to be fine young men and women.

Maybe they are hearing the message that the experienced coaches are giving... and us " more mature " guys haha. The site gets better all the time, you and Joe should be very proud of how this is going. I'm proud to be part of it.

Not sure if this applies specifically to the question asked, but I think it pretains to what basketball can teach a player when approaching life.

As basketball players, we take on a great change when we step between the lines to compete on the court. We become people of focus, drive, and a strong desire to win. We fight through adversity and challenge. We are willing to stake that we are better than any that face us. We are basketball players.
Basketball teaches us how to win. It teaches us how to win in the most important game we play…life. It holds the valuable lessons that bring us to victory. Just as we can have a great day; we can also have a great game. But the truth is that no matter the game we have it is always a direct result of the effort we put into it. This is easy to see by those who consistently have great games have put more into their game. The same goes for life.
As basketball players we learn that we might not have the first, second, or third quarter but there is always a chance to win in the fourth. It teaches us that the only way to be successful with it is to be %90 mental and 10% physical.
Life demands for us to build skills to play at a high level in the same way that basketball does. Our overall game is similar to our character that plays a big part in how often we succeed. Every time we play we develop a plan of how we are going to win. As long as we execute that plan, we have a good chance of beating any team. This hold true when we set goals, make a plan to achieve them, and do the necessary work. This is why such amazing things have been created by man on this earth. They used the same principals.
Having a high basketball IQ is a valuable asset to have. It helps a player to understand what is happening in the game. Even more importantly it is helping the player anticipate and react to the move that is about to happen. This allows for turnovers, well played defensive stances, and easy scores.
The more a person develops their life IQ; they too can anticipate life’s next play and prepare themselves accordingly. This allows great things to be accomplished. A great young poet of the 90’s once said that “Life is a game to be played. Once one gets and understands the game and what the rules of the game are; then life is no longer a trick. It becomes the game to be played. Those who play do what they want to do while others do what they have to.”

Coach Sar wrote:I gave it my best shot Don.

Airwolf, reminds me of that old \TV show... dated myself again eh!

Coach Sar, may i know that old tv show? I would like to know. I might watch that if there's a chance.