Do College Sports Really Strengthen Character?

That was the title of an article in the August 31 Wall Street Journal (p. D-8). The piece suggested otherwise: “It is a truism to say that it would be easy to run a daily rap sheet on college players.”

To that end, many colleges utilize something called The Hahm-Beller Values Choice Inventory, which is “designed to evaluate moral reasoning in the sport milieu. Participants read twenty-one short common sport scenarios and evaluate each situation based on a five point Likert Scale from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree. The HBVCI is the only inventory specifically focused on sport and developed using moral theory as a guide.”

The following questions describe incidents that have occurred in sport settings. Each question addresses moral issues. Because there are no right or wrong answers, please circle the answer that best describes your feelings. SA = Strongly agree; A = Agree; N=Neutral; D=Disagree; SD = Strongly Disagree.

1. Two rival basketball teams in a well-known conference played a basketball game on Team A’s court. During the game, Team B’s star player was consistently heckled whenever she missed a basket, pass, or rebound. In the return game on Team B’s home court, the home crowd took revenge by heckling Team A’s players. such action is fair because both crowds have equal opportunity to heckle players.

2. During a volleyball game, player A hit the ball over the net. The ball barely grazed off player B’s fingers and landed out of bounds. However the referee did not see player B touch the ball. because the referee is responsible for calling rule violations, player b is not obligated to report the violation.

3. Certain basketball teams are coached to run plays that cause the opponents to foul. Players and coaches believe this is clever strategy because the opponents may foul out of the game, giving their team an advantage. Because the coach orders this type of play, the players should follow his directions.

4. During a youth sport football game, an ineligible pass receiver catches a long touchdown pass and scores. The officials fail to determine that the player was ineligible. Because it is the referee’s job to detect the ineligible receiver, the player or the coach does not have to declare an ineligible receiver.

So, the questions are these:

Do college (high school, professional) sports strengthen character? If so, how? (Building camaraderie, e.g.) If not, why not? (Pressure to compete, leads to violence, e.g.)

Something that wasn’t part of the vocabulary when I was growing up: non-competitive sports, where “everybody is a winner”. Is this a good idea? Or do you believe, “it’s a competitive world out there”, and kids might as well learn early?

Oh, and what are your answers to the four sample questions above?
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Near-twin Gordon is doing a mixed CD exchange on the topic of law and order. Go and participate. But if you’re not so inclined, but have some suggestions for me of “songs that describe law, order, and righteousness, or… that deal with criminals, crime, lowlifes, or even cheater pants,” please e-mail me ASAP. You’ll see Gordon’s caveats of choices, and I can’t use the Clash’s Police On My Back, a song I LOVE, because Lefty just used in his most recent mix, which I received this month.
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Billy Preston would have been 60 today. RIP, Billy.

I’m Not Lovin’ It


Here’s my first attempt at a logo from the Official Seal Generator, which near-twin Gordon tipped me off about. I’m not crazy about it, and if you’re inclined to give it a try and e-mail your creation to me, I’ll send you some stuff.

Meanwhile, my late summer allergies to whatever grasses I react to, which usually settle in in mid-August, were postponed until this week. I have laryngitis (which some people say is a blessing), a sore throat, and I feel achy. Our new co-pastors, Miriam and Glenn Leupold, are being installed on Sunday, and I’d love to sing for the event, but if I feel – and more importantly, SOUND – like I do now, no way.

So, go send some love to Lefty and his wife, mock Johnny B’s NFL picks, and go tell Eddie hi. I’m going back to bed.

I’m 53 1/2


53 1/2? Adults don’t count half birthdays.

Anyway, I was e-mailed something from http://www.paulsadowski.com/NameData.asp, and surprisingly – no, ASTONISHINGLY – I found it about 93 1/2% (or more) accurate:

You entered: roger owen green

There are 14 letters in your name.
Those 14 letters total to 88
There are 6 vowels and 8 consonants in your name.

Your number is: 7

The characteristics of #7 are: Analysis, understanding, knowledge, awareness, studious, meditating.

The expression or destiny for #7:
Thought, analysis, introspection, and seclusiveness are all characteristics of the expression number 7. The hallmark of the number 7 is a good mind, and especially good at searching out and finding the truth. You are so very capable of analyzing, judging and discriminating, that very little ever escapes your observation and deep understanding. You are the type of person that can really get involved in a search for wisdom or hidden truths, often becoming an authority on whatever it is your are focusing on. This can easily be of a technical or scientific nature, or it may be religious or occult, it matters very little, you pursue knowledge with the same sort of vigor. You can make a very fine teacher, or because of a natural inclination toward the spiritual, you may become deeply emerged in religious affairs or even psychic explorations. You tend to operate on a rather different wavelength, and many of your friends may not really know you very well. The positive aspects of the 7 expression are that you can be a true perfectionist in a very positive sense of the word. You are very logical, and usually employ a quite rational approach to most things you do. You can be so rational at times that you almost seem to lack emotion, and when you are faced with an emotional situation, you may have a bit of a problem coping with it. You have excellent capabilities to study and learn really deep and difficult subjects, and to search for hidden fundamentals. At full maturity you are likely to be a very peaceful and poised individual.

If there is an over supply of the number 7 in your makeup, the negative aspects of the number may be apparent. The chief negative of 7 relates to the limited degree of trust that you may have in people. A tendency to be highly introverted can make you a bit on the self-centered side, certainly very much self-contained . Because of this, you are not very adaptable, and you may tend to be overly critical and intolerant. You really like to work alone, at your own pace and in your own way. You neither show or understand emotions very well.

Your Soul Urge number is: 5

A Soul Urge number of 5 means: The 5 soul urge or motivation would like to follow a life of freedom, excitement, adventure and unexpected happening. The idea of travel and freedom to roam intrigues you. You are very much the adventurer at heart. Not particularly concerned about your future or about getting ahead, you can seem superficial and unmotivated.

In a positive sense, the energies of the number 5 make you very adaptable and versatile. You have a natural resourcefulness and enthusiasm that may mark you as a progressive with a good mind and active imagination. You seem to have a natural inclination to be a pace-setter. You are attracted to the unusual and the fast paced.

You may be overly restless and impatient at times. You may dislike the routine work that you are engaged in, and tend to jump from activity to activity, without ever finishing anything. You may have difficulty with responsibility. You don’t want to be tied down to a relationship, and it may be hard to commit to one person.

Your Inner Dream number is: 11

An Inner Dream number of 11 means: You dream of casting the light of illumination; of being the true idealist. You secretly believe there is more to life than we can know or prove, and you would like to be provider of the ‘word’ from on high.
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Fans of Boing Boing may have already read about the “track-for-track mash-up of the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds with the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”, two of my favorite albums. Let’s put it this way – they don’t describe it as noise for nothing. Or am I just showing my age?

Conversely, there are some very entertainly odd items at the main Clayton Counts site, including Leonard Nimoy, David Hasselhoff (interesting picture, that), and Annette Funicello singing the Johnny Carson Tonight Show theme BEFORE it was the Tonight theme.
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Happy birthday, Chrissie Hynde, who’s 55, and belated birthday wishes to Shazrak and Cecily.

Condi vs. Hillary


I sincerely believe that the United States ought to have a woman President. In recent months, Chile, Germany, and Liberia have selected female heads of state. Here’s a list of other current women heading their governments, excluding queens and other ceremonial heads of state. And here’s a list of women heads of state in the 20th century.

Yet, the idea of either Condoleeza Rice or Hillary Clinton running for President fills me with deep disappointment, because I would be loath to vote for either them.

Condi is easy to dismiss as a candidate, assuming she’s even interested: architect of our failed foreign policy, especially in Iraq. Yet, it saddens me. Not only a woman, but a black woman, and I’ve had to write her right off.

Hillary is more problematic. A few weeks ago, Molly Ivans wrote a story about her which captures my ambivalence, at best, about her. She is running in the primary next week to maintain her seat, and unlike Joe Lieberman in Connecticut, has no chance of losing her party’s nomination*. Still, I will vote against her on September 12. Given the situation, with perhaps the political balance of the Congress at stake, I haven’t decided (yet) to vote against her in the November general election. I believe the word I’m looking for is conundrum.
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A nonsensical rationale for not covering certain candidates. The ersie comment is mine.

Greg on American imperialism, which just happens to mention Ms. Rice. At least one person has a comment.

*”The MoveOn poll results, (Jonathan) Tasini 44% to Clinton 56%, reveal just how close this race really is among the Democratic activist base,” according to e-mail I received yesterday.
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“Capital Cardiology Associates are holding the 2nd Annual Brooks BBQ to benefit the American Heart Association at 7 Corporate Woods on Southwoods Boulevard [today] from 3:30 to 6:00.”
I’ve eaten Brooks Barbeque. I LIKE Brooks BBQ. But a sale to help the Heart Assn? Sounds oxymoronic.

Monday Meme; Oh, It’s Tuesday

From some guy in Buffalo who really loves his city.

1. A month before it happens you’re told you’re going to lose your memory. How do you prepare for it and do you attempt to regain what you’ve lost?

Why does this remind me of the movie Memento? Anyway, some sort of redundancy- notes in the house about work, church; notes at work about home, work. Plaster my blog URL all over the place; maybe the reading will remind me. Label pictures of important people.

2. How do you describe your outlook on life?

“Life is a carnival, believe it or not.”

3. You fall in love with your soulmate, decide to get married, and then find out that person is going to die soon. Do you marry them anyway?

Absolutely. (But here’s the thing about soulmates: I’ve never believed that there’s only one.)

4. What are three of your favorite ice cream toppings?

I like strawberry, hot fudge, and Cherry Garcia.

5. Is there one article of clothing you love to wear no matter how out of style it is?

Only one?

6. Is there one color you wish would go away in fashion?

A color? Well, there DOES seem to be a notion in some circles that “orange is the new black”. More than that, though, most fashion is dumb, cyclical, and no reflector of most people’s real bodies.

7. What’s the first department you head to when you go shopping in a department store?

Increasingly, I hate going into department stores, particularly when they’re in malls. That said, when someone drags me there, I end up hanging out in the record/CD section.

8. How far away do you live from your parents?

772.62 miles from my mother, according to Mapquest.

9. Growing up, who was your favorite cartoon character?

Popeye the Sailor, who got me to eat spinach when I’d eat no other vegetable, save for peas and corn.

10. You plan a romantic evening and everything goes wrong, including the fancy dinner you burned. What do you do?

Smile on the outside, sulk on the inside, then order Indian food, apologizing profusely.

11. What’s the last thing you bought at the store?

I bought cottage cheese at the grocery store.

12. Have you ever walked out in the middle of a movie?

No, but I came very close with Fellini’s Satrycon.

13. What celebrity do most people say you look like?

No one has ever compared me to a celebrity. The high school science teacher at Albany High School, who I don’t know.

14. Is there any piece of jewelry you always wear?

I wear my wedding ring. That’s it.

15. Have you ever tried to pick someone up?

Maybe in college, but it most certainly was unsuccessful.

16. What’s the one thing you always manage to lose on your way out the door?

It’s never the same thing: sometimes it’s my keys or my wallet, or a list my wife gave me of things to pick up.

17. Out of these creatures which one are you most afraid of:
A.) Snakes
B.) Spiders
C.) Rodents

Snakes. It’s the slither thing.

18. What’s the last gift you bought for a friend?

A pass for a massage.

19. Do you ever buy people things for no reason?

Occasionally, when the item “speaks” to me.

20. What’s your favorite way to spend a lazy summer afternoon?

Reading, listening to music on the stereo.
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Saw the Australian Prime minister practically in tears over the death yesterday of “croc hunter” Steve Irwin. Scott conveniently posted this yesterday.

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