Sports Role Models?

Where have all the athlete role models gone? This seems to be the discussion in many articles across the country lately. Since the 2005 season, nine players from one NFL team were arrested. One player, killed in a drive-by shooting in downtown Denver after leaving a nightclub on New Year’s Eve…. Other players being questioned about triple shootings. Let’s not forget that there were over 400 arrests during the NBA All-Star weekend in Las Vegas.

Is “3 strikes and you’re out” the answer? Maybe, but I would like us to consider why we are having this problem in the first place. As we look around, the number of role models in professional sports has not diminished. They are still everywhere.

There are still many professional athletes that demonstrate greatness in values, incredible kindness and care. There are still professional athletes that are hard working and dedicated to thinking and acting in a manner that is considered a good example for others.vv Perhaps a better solution is to attack the issue at the root. Growing role model athletes takes nurturing from the beginning. As parents it is important to be there for our children. We need to take them to practice, not just send them to practice. We need to be there when they win… and when they lose. We should be the narrator of life’s lessons to be learned as they are so often played-out through sports.

When we are not there….someone or something else will be.

Season Ending

When your season is over, you feel like you need to be doing something - something game related. We are usually still in the mode of dwelling on what we could have done better - or what should have been easier - instead of what we did well. It's a wonderful time to look ahead at what we can do next time to improve. Our children learn from us and there's great learning in having a conversation with them. When the season is over there is a void to fill. Make use of this time to reflect... and to set goals for the next season.

Cheers to the Superbowl Teams!

As the President of a National organization called the Professional Football Players Mothers Association (PFPMA), I send cheers to the men on the field. We are the concerned moms who established ourselves 10 years ago to support the sons and their families in the transition from college football into the NFL and throughout their NFL career. We as moms are a very diverse group of women who include doctors, teachers, businesswomen, nurses and homemakers of every walk of life. PFPMA share a common bound - a love and concern for our sons and for all the young men who have chosen the NFL as a career. So I look forward to Super Bowl XLl as many sons I know will be playing and I send my cheers out to all the Moms too. GO TEAMS!

SPORTSMANSHIP

As a sports mom, I think it’s my responsibility to be a good sport, and not embarrass my sons or my family with poor behavior. But sportsmanship goes beyond the field, and applies to all aspects of life, to people in all sorts of jobs. Acting professionally in the workplace, and being a cooperative co-worker is just like being a good teammate on a sports team. So even if I don’t agree with a ref’s call - or you don’t agree with your boss’s decision – I always try to be supportive and professional when I’m on the sidelines cheering on my son. I think it’s important to be a good sport in everyday life.

SACRIFICE

As a sports mom, I get to experience the excitement of my sons’ achievements, but I also have to make sacrifices along the way. For example, with both of my sons participating in sports when they were in high school, the holidays had to take a back seat during their sports seasons. We had to schedule our Thanksgiving and Christmas plans around their practices and games. When Donovan was at Syracuse, they always played at home around Thanksgiving, so we would cook the food and take it with us to his dorm, then invite over the team to eat with us. With his NFL career, it’s similar. We figure out what time we’re going to eat Christmas dinner based on when he would get home from the game. This year the Eagles play on Christmas Day, but it’s an away game, so it’s going to be more challenging to sit down as a family and share in a holiday meal. So yes, there is some sacrifice involved, but as a sports mom, it’s a sacrifice I’m happy to make.

Accountability/Responsibility

Accountability/responsibility are two fold. First, we are accountable for the things we do within our sphere of influence. Second, we are accountable to one another. No man is an island. We must show compassion for each other. Promote trust, teamwork and mutual reliance among the athletes. You are your brothers keepers.

Sports

If you're going to play sports or participate as a spectator, you know that on any given day, anything can happen. There are so many wonderful aspects of ssports, but disappointments as well and one of those disappointments is the injury.

Dislocated shoulders, inflamed biceps, torn ligaments, turf toe whatever the injury each deserves the attention it commands. It is really important to remember:

• Heed the advice of doctors
• Do not rush back from the injury-listen to your body
• Ask for a second (or even third) opinion if you feel you need it
• Remember to keep your mind healthy while your body heals
• Stay focused during rehab don't give up
• When in doubt...call your mom