Valuable Victories
June 30, 2014
The 95th annual meeting of the National Federation of State High School Associations occurs June 28 to July 2 in Boston. I wonder if any speaker will say anything as profound as this statement by philosopher/psychologist William James during a lecture in Boston in 1906 (just months after the founding of the National Collegiate Athletic Association):
“. . . the aim of a football team is not merely to get the ball to a certain goal (if that were so, they would simply get up on some dark night and place it there), but to get it there by a fixed machinery of conditions – the game’s rules and the opposing players.”
Competitive athletics is nothing without a set of rules that opponents must follow. All opponents. Even those with “helicopter parents” who try to provide a parachute to their child after a mistake. Even those who believe their money or connections should give them a free pass. Even for star players; even for substitutes.
Without rules of eligibility and competition, and opponents playing by the very same rules, there is no validity in moving the ball to the goal. Without rules, there is no value in sinking the putt, making the basket, clearing the bar or crossing the finish line.
Without a regulatory scheme adhered to by all competitors, victory is hollow. Rules are a big part of what gives school sports meaning and value.
Generation Next
January 31, 2014
Young women who are interested in leadership as well as men and women responsible for recruiting, hiring, training and retaining women as coaches, administrators and officials will be in attendance. Click here for program details.
I fully expect to see meeting rooms and hallways full of enthusiastic people with a “can-do” spirit. After all, that’s the type of person who takes the time and goes to the trouble to attend a conference like this and to encourage or even arrange for others to attend or even to lead sessions.
And they won’t be dodging tough topics. They will talk about significant health and safety issues. They will address problems caused by improper perspective. They will wonder about the future of education-based athletic programs in a world of decreasing funds for schools and increasing distractions from society.
But as sure as I am that the sun will rise tomorrow, I’m just as sure that this weekend’s crowd includes at least several individuals who will tackle today’s and tomorrow’s problems, and solve many of them. In this generation of women in sports leadership are the genuine leaders who will assure school sports is as alive and well for the next generation of girls and women as it has been for this current generation.