Playing with Fire Podcast

John Hollinger of ESPN Insider presented his picks for the top 30 International players in the NBA emphasizing the globalization of the league and the significant impact that international players are having on the game. John made a good case for his assertion that international players are fast becoming superstars of the league and I think their growing number will exert a very positive influence on “culture” in the NBA.

Based on my experience with international student-athletes here at Belmont Abbey College as well as at other institutions, I found that these student-athletes bring more than just their tremendous physical talents. A very high percentage of them are more mature and decidedly more focused on taking advantage of every opportunity they are given. I am amazed at their dedication and pursuit of excellence in all that they do.

Without referring to specific names, it is not uncommon for me to see an international student-athlete with a double major and grade point average of 3.9. While competing at a high level this individual will positively contribute to student life, participate in cutting edge internships and prepare for medical school or other graduate studies. And if that wasn’t enough, all of this is done with humility, integrity and charity.

Although there are always exceptions, I am convinced that these individuals make a college, a league and America a better place. They will be the first to tell you about the incredible opportunities this country has to offer and by their presence they remind us of the extraordinary blessing of living in the United States of America. Hopefully we can have as positive influence on them.

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Show Notes

Episode #008

:50 What’s in the show
1:10 Freestyle - Being tough minded
1:50 Listen-up - Interview with Ray McKenna - Catholic Athletes for Christ
7:45 What’s Hot - The movie Iron Will
9:20 Praying Twice - Cat Jahnke ‘One of Those Things’
13:30 It’s Your Call - Question on how to get a scholarship to college. Listener comment line 206-203-1301 or feedback [at] reclaimthegame [dot] com
15:50 Skills ‘n Drills - Jumping higher
20:00 Iron Will - Managing change - take the leap
23:30 Soul Food - How to make a good decision - Prudence
27:50 Close

Have you ever heard thousands of fans singing the National Anthem or chanting in unison? It gives you a chill up your spine and may even bring a tear to your eye.

I once was fortunate enough to be on the receiving end of one of these coordinated responses and found it to be overwhelming. As I approached the high jump bar in the 1980 U.S. Olympic Trials thousands of spectators, who did not know me, clapped in time to each step that I took. As my approach speed became faster so did their response. The power and connectedness I experienced with everyone in the stands that day was awesome.

Witnessing this again at a recent sporting event made me think that it is time for a paradigm shift. Imagine a group of men and women trained to help make this coordinated support a regular occurrence at games and competitions. Using the latest technology to increase the intensity and virtuousness of participation would add another dimension to the game by helping players and fans forge a closer bond. This might even be good for the bottom line! What should we call these people? How about Cheerleaders?

This may sound bizarre or naive but I think cheerleaders should lead rather than be ogled at for what they are not wearing. Cheerleaders should be professionally trained to help organize the outward expression of support by fans for their teams and help direct it in the most positive and effective way. As an athlete, I never appreciated or benefited from fans treating one of my competitors poorly. On the other hand, the ability of a crowd to lift an athlete or team is truly remarkable.

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Show Notes

Episode #007

:50 What’s in the show
1:10 Freestyle with Dr. Bill-Is all the negativity necessary
3:15 Listen Up - Interview with Dr. David Joiner
9:50 What’s Hot - Cinderella Man
13:20 Silverplated by Geoff Byrd
16:55 It Your Call - mind, body, and spirit in sports psychology. Contact us at 206-203-1301 or feedback [at] reclaimthegame [dot] com
19:50 Skills and Drills - Speed drills
26:00 Iron Will - Focus on the task, not the consequences
30:30 Soul Food - Adversity
31:25 Closing

Arsenal’s slump extends to four straight losses in the English Premier League… Bill Hall is hitting .194 and trapped in a 1-for-20 slump… Jason Giambi was sinking in a 5-for-35 batting slump. What is this mysterious thing called a slump?

Dr. Jim Taylor has written, ‘Slumps are used to describe a wide variety of performance declines. As a result, there has been no clear definition of what a slump really is. For example, Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary (Merriam-Webster, 1974) defines a slump as “a period of poor or losing play by a team or individual” (p. 1095). However, this definition lacks precision. Several factors must be considered in defining slumps. First, ability is important. That is, if the team were always lousy, their poor play would not be a slump. As such, current performance must always be compared to a previous level of play. Second, the length of the decline is relevant. For example, a baseball hitter who goes 0 for 4 may not be in a slump, but if he goes 0 for 25, he probably is. Third, a common aspect of a slump is that there seems to be no apparent explanation for the decline. If there were an obvious reason for the drop in performance, such as an injury, then it would not be a slump. Finally, a slump is subjective, i.e., a slump for one person may not be a slump for another.

In defining a slump, these factors must be taken into consideration. As a result, a slump is presently defined as: An unexplained drop in performance that extends longer than would be expected from normal ups and downs of competition (Taylor, 1988).’

The primary reason for a slump is a lack of physical and / or mental awareness during training and competition. Improving performance is relatively easy if you know in detail what you have done, your actual performance, and know in detail what you would like to do, your ideal performance. If you know the actual and the ideal, improvement is inevitable.

Then why are there so many slumps? Because most athletes, when learning to master their sport skills, never fully develop the mental and kinesthetic awareness needed to end the unexplained drops in performance. As a result, they are left hoping that the slump will end and their performance will magically return if they wear a new pair of “lucky” socks or try a new bat or… you get the point.

My advice is to stop believing the idea that you are the victim of some external, mysterious cloud, which has enveloped you and has indefinitely taken over your mind and body. Increasing your awareness by staying focused on the task-at-hand will end slumps and steadily improve your skills. It’s better than buying a lot of new stuff you don’t need, right?

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Show Notes

Episode #006

1:10 Freestyle
2:30 Listen-Up - Interview with Chris Godfrey of Life Athletes
8:35 What’s Hot - Coach Wooden: One-on-one by Jay Carty and John Wooden
Available at Amazon.com
13:15 Praying Twice - ‘Sing’ by Christine Havrilla available on iTunes
16:30 It’s Your Call - Listener question: ‘How do I stay focues and improve in the face of criticism’. You can give us your feedback via our listener comment line 206-203-1301 or at feedback [at] reclaimthegame [dot] com
19:00 Skills and Drills - Catching
24:40 Iron Will - Tapping into remarkable performance
31:15 Soul Food - Your purpose in the face of pain
35:25 Closing Remarks

As a father of ten children, I have made sure that they understand there are positive and negative consequences to any action. I also have made sure they understand that when they act inappropriately the negative consequences they experience are their own doing, not mine.

NFL Commissioner Goodell must be a good father. His decision to suspend Adam “Pacman” Jones for one season is dramatic enough to get everyone’s attention. Even if Jones does not get the message, I hope he does, any player on the “edge” will think twice before leaping off the cliff. Most players know right from wrong and choose to do the good. However, for those that need to be behaviorally conditioned to do no harm, they will be helped by the electric shock therapy of a one-year suspension. For the players who have been doing the right thing all along, this is the vast majority, and want to work in an environment of virtue, I am sure this is a welcomed ruling. Not because they wish any individual harm but because it helps reinforce what sport should be, a means for developing virtue.

Jones’ fear that someone will take his dream away is unfounded. No one has taken it, he has thrown it away, but I remain hopeful because there is forgiveness and reparation for the penitent, right?

Is Sports Illustrated so lacking in substance that it needs to include immodestly dressed women all over the front page of its website in order to attract customers?

Here’s the way I see it. If I do not understand what virtue is and why it is important to my happiness, there is a good chance that I will drift toward vice, the bad stuff, and ultimately not be happy. For many it is almost too late since any talk about being “good” seems childish or fanatical. However, this way of thinking leads to a vicious downward spiral in which people become more accustomed to vice and less aware of its damaging effects.

So when I mention words like modesty and chastity I hope you will continue reading and thinking. What do these words mean? The New Advent Encyclopedia describes chastity as, ‘the virtue which excludes or moderates the indulgence of the sexual appetite. Chastity is allied to abstinence and sobriety; for, as by these latter the pleasures of the nutritive functions are rightly regulated, so by chastity the procreative appetite is duly restricted.’

I do not want to be exposed to immoral material. Placing it on the front page, for children and adults to see before they have a chance to avert their gaze, is wrong. The soft porn that Sports Illustrated is pedaling is damaging to the dignity of women, family life, and the development of good moral people. How does it contribute to sport as a means for developing virtue? Why bring people down when you have the talent and resources to raise them up?

Imagine you are at work or school and a group of people approaches you yelling derogatory comments about your work and physical attributes. Outrageous, right? Or stepping out of the elevator onto a wet floor, you slip and fall. A group gathers around you shouting insults about your physical ineptitude and repeats it every time they see you step off an elevator in the future. These scenarios may sound extreme but sport fans routinely respond to opposing teams, coaches, and players in this manner every day.

Michael David Smith recently wrote an article about the Cincinnati Little League’s decision to ban “chatter” in the name of fair play. I think the League had the right concept, discouraging verbal abuse of opponents, but a less than satisfactory justification. The Ten Commandments’ admonishment against murder and bearing false witness provides a stronger argument against verbal abuse. The Catechism states that detraction and calumny destroy the reputation and honor of one’s neighbor. Honor is the social witness given to human dignity, and everyone enjoys a natural right to the honor of his name and reputation and to respect. Thus, detraction and calumny offend against the virtues of justice and charity.

What is disturbing about the ban on “chatter” was not the ban but the unanimous condemnation of the ban found in aolsportsblog’s reader comment section. The primary criticism was that children needed to be prepared for the terrible way they will be treated as adults. The consensus seemed to say, ‘I will be treated poorly in the future so I should get use to it and when given the chance retaliate in the same way.’ Instead of helping children to be more virtuous, they suggested the better course of action was an-eye-for-an-eye in order to become a tougher competitor.

This would have you believe that it is not possible or desirable to compete unless verbal abuse was part of the performance. On the contrary, competition is valuable because it provides an environment that challenges us to go beyond where we have been before. Timothy Gallwey used the analogy of a surfer to convey this point. Imagine you are a great surfer but you only surf on two-foot waves. The small wave does not provide the opportunity to use all of your ability. However, a twenty or thirty foot wave provides the catalyst for new skills to be realized in order to survive the ride. The big wave is like competition, it provides an opportunity to bring out a best performance. So why is there a desire or need by so many fans to degrade an opponent and thereby themselves? How great is a victory won due to an opponent’s failure rather than your team’s best performance?

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Show Notes

1:10 Freestyle - Just call me ‘Dr. Bill’, Anger and Violence
1:50 Continuation of Interview with Kyle Brady from episode 1
6:15 What’s Hot - Why is violence seen as good?
8:35 Praying Twice - ‘Rescue Me’ by Zach and Sarah available at Podshow.com
12:30 It’s Your Call - Feedback via our listener call-in line 206-203-1301 or feedback [at] reclaimthegame [dot] com
13:55 Skills and Drills - Plyometrics learn more at the National Strength and Conditioning Association nsca-lift.org
18:40 Iron Will - What do I ‘NEED’ to do?
21:30 Soul Food - Meekness and weakness
24:10 Closing