23Oct14 Fake Classes for Athletes at UNC
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/10/23/sports/university-of-north-carolina-investigation-reveals-shadow-curriculum-to-help-athletes.html?referrer=
OMG.
16Oct14 Searching for Adult Supervision in Sayreville - NYTimes.com
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/10/23/sports/university-of-north-carolina-investigation-reveals-shadow-curriculum-to-help-athletes.html?referrer=
OMG.
16Oct14 Searching for Adult Supervision in Sayreville - NYTimes.com
Discussion questions:
1) do high school students always need to be supervised? Don't they know that, e.g., sexual assault, is wrong?
2) are high school boys more in need of supervision? are high school athletes? are football players? What happened here -- how could the assaults have happened? (Let's be clear -- rape and sexual assault is about power not sex. You shouldn't be any less appalled when a male rapes a female.)
3) What's the responsibility of the coaching staff here? How could you coach a team and not be clear that rape is unacceptable, immoral, unforgiveable?
4) If there were players who knew what was going on and said nothing, are they morally complicit? As guilty as those who actually committed the crimes?
5) How does hazing work? Was there a pattern here? Where there earlier incidents? Or did a group of players just wake up one morning and decide that sexually assaulting their teammates was a good idea? Who does that?
14Oct14
Sierra Leone’s Soccer Team Struggles With Stigma Over Ebola Outbreak - NYTimes.com
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/10/14/sports/soccer/sierra-leones-soccer-team-struggles-with-stigma-over-ebola-outbreak.html?referrer=
NCAA allows MSJ to reschedule a game so a terminally ill player can get in her last game.
http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2014/10/14/ncaa-terminally-ill-basketball-player-lauren-hill-mout-saint-joseph
Wow... First off it really sucks that she is diagnosed with the terminal cancer, but what was even more impressive was the fact that the NCAA allowed for the game to be moved forward so that she can play at least one game in college. It is amazing to think that she gets one game. It puts my life in perspective as I have taken for granted my opportunities of being able to compete in college athletics. Never take a day for granted. It also shows that even a big and sometimes hated organization can show some heart.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kohrs that the terminal cancer does stink but the fact that the NCAA is allowing MSJ to move their opening game up so Lauren Hill can play one college game is awesome! This is a story that reminds me life is bigger than any sports game. I think this situation can be a moral lesson for all players because Hill is not only going to be missing out on the sport she loves but also on life. Like Kohrs said it shows us not to take our opportunities to participate in college athletics or anything else in life for granted. Even though sports are just one part of life I think that it is cool that in this particular situation that the sport of basketball is bringing a player some happiness through her struggle and is bringing the sports community together for a greater cause. I think the NCAA and Hiram are showing a lot of heart in moving this game up for Hill. I also think it would be cool to attend this game since it is not to far away.
ReplyDeleteShould we try to go to the game? Go as a class (or whomever from the class can go?). I might ask my death & dying students if they would go as well.
ReplyDeleteI think our class should go! I honestly was even considering asking our volleyball coach if our entire team could go. How cool would that be? Even more, I think TMC should encourage all the athletic teams to attend. I think it would be such a life changing experience for us all. TMC coming together in unity with their "rivals" would be such a neat experience. Not only that, but I think this will be an event that no one will ever forget. It will put our lives into perspective and let us see the real value in sports. I know I'll be attending.
DeleteI am with Nicci on this one. I believe that we should go. Even though we are over the river rivals, we are all students or student-athletes and none of us would want to have to go through something like this, this young. We should become one and join with them to support someone like her, fighting for her life. Just because we are rivals and want to see them fail, doesn't mean anything when it comes down to something like this.
Deletehttp://www.msjsports.com/wbasketball/news/2014-15/3906/ticket-information-announced-for-the-mounts-womens-basketball-game-on-nov-2/
DeleteThis is the update on where the game will be held and when tickets will go on sale.
New post-related to what Coach Connor said yesterday about the change in NCAA rules. This is about more money for snacks...
ReplyDeletehttp://m.chronicle.com/article/In-Taste-of-Autonomy-Sports/149385/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
When I saw that the NCAA agreed to move MJSU's first game up, I was ecstatic! I had been following this story for a friend of mine that goes there from the day everyone found out. I kind of forget about the whole ordeal until Monday night, when I saw my Facebook page covered in news reports about this story. I must say, this is one incredible strong woman. Her dream is amazing and I so pleased with the NCAA's allowance of them playing on November 1st. Their compliance shows the real meaning and value in sports. It also provides a moral lesson to athletes across the board. It portrays the message, in my opinion, that sports and life shouldn't be taken for granted. We never know when they will be taken away from us, therefore we should play every game like our last.
ReplyDeleteIt's like the background quote on my phone..."Athletes, don't take the sport you play for granted. Every time you play, you better be thankful that you get to do something you love. Don't show up to practice complaining about not wanting to be there; you're there because hopefully you love it. Work hard every moment. If you're not working hard, you don't deserve to play. Play every practice or game like it’s your last because it very well could be. When you finally reach the day that you can't play, then you will know how much you love something that you once took for granted."
If that quote doesn't sum up this situation, I don't know what will. We all need to keep this in the back of our heads whenever we play. So often we take everything for granted. I know personally that there are days I show up to practice complaining about not wanting to be there. But I can look back to the past 2 years, when I was physically unable to play, and realize that I have no reason to complain. I am playing now because I can and because I love my sport. My situation is much less serious than Lauren's, but it gets the point across.
I have a lot of respect for Lauren and her dream. I think by her playing in this game will provide meaning to her life and the life of others. I think that other people will see how much they take sports for granted. I also think that people will begin to realize how blessed they are and how much they actually value sports.
I think it is truly awesome that the NCAA is allowing this to occur. I also think it’s incredible the support that MSJU is providing Lauren. I can only imagine how hard this situation is for all of them. Its also important to thank Hiram, who has agreed to play MSJU early and travel to their gym. This event truly shows the beauty in sports and what values truly matter in life!
I agree with Holly, we should go to this game. I think the more support, the better. This girl deserves to play one final game. And I think the whole community needs to be there to support her, her team, and her family.
Most of us take life for granted. We don't know when we're going to die, let alone what's going to happen the next time we walk out the door. We just keep living our life, because to us, nothing is wrong. Lauren lives every single day knowing that she is going to die at any point of time because of this incurable cancer. I have mass respect for her that the cancer doesn't slow her down one bit. I absolutely love that fact that when she first found out last October that her first question was if she would still be able to play basketball. She is one of those people that makes me want to be a better person. I am honestly shocked that NCAA moved the opening game date, but I am really glad that they did. They changed the rules for one person and just like Kohrs said, it shows some heart. The fact that the NCAA even took this into consideration for a small DIII university that doesn't have a high recognition, shows a lot for every other team out there. The NCAA does care about its participants. Lauren showed athletes everywhere to fight for what you want, because even though it may be a long shot, it might also be worth fighting for.
ReplyDeleteIt is very sad to see Lauren suffering from her terminal illness but the fact she will get to play in her first college game is amazing. As many of us being athletes, we can connect to her and understand her love for the game. I was once hurt and sidelined my senior year with a knee injury and the thought of never playing again killed me. My situation, obviously no where near the seriousness of Lauren's, taught me to take every opportunity and chance to play like it was my last and never for granted. I feel terribly sorry that Lauren will be leaving the game she loves to battle her illness. Its times like these that you realize and evaluate how you treated your time as an athlete and how much the game actually meant to you. I hope Lauren has a great day in her first college game and relishes in the moment. I am extremely happy to see the NCAA move the date of the game forward in order for her to play. It is finally great too see such a mysterious and questioned industry do something great. Looking back on it they know they made the right decision and would feel morally wrong if they didnt change the date of the game. I think it would be incredible if some of our student body attended the game to support Lauren in what may be one of her last games. In this time rivalries are set aside and teams unify to support one another in the obstacles they face. It is moments like these that can strengthen the community and make you have a sense of well-being.
ReplyDeleteLooking into the case on the football team forfeiting the rest of the season, I am absolutely appalled and disgusted. Taking a utilitarian approach to this story we see that this was the correct ethical decision by the school to forfeit the rest of the season. It was for the best of the current students and possible new freshmen as they need to get this situation under control and punish the students who committed these obscene acts. From Kant's view I would also want this action to stand because I know that I would never want what happened to those kids to happen to my children or myself. It is ashame that there are stories like these out there and as sad as this sounds makes me have less faith in our future generations.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kohrs that terminal cancer sucks. It's really sad to know your dying so young. Yet, for the NCAA to allow MSJ to move their game up for her to play her first college game is short of being amazing. As once being a college athlete myself i was so excited for my first game and i know she will be too. She helps put my life in perceptive, because you never know when something bad can happen, Be fine one minute and be gone the next. The NCAA has so many rules to follow it nice to know that they do have a heart. I think we should go to the game to support Lauren even if she is a rival. As i learned there's more to life than just a game.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteCommenting on this football situation, I really do not like the perspective that the article comes from. In my opinion, it is not the coaches fault. Legally, yes, the players are under 18 therefore some sort of supervision should be there. But during my high school years, in both sports, I was never once supervised in the locker rooms. For the most part, coaches were not even allowed in the locker rooms. If that's the case here, how could the coach be responsible? Why is the article blaming him for what the players did? Personally, I would never even think about or ever engage in such actions! How could anyone do such a terrible thing to their teammates? I just don't understand. I would hope the coach had no idea what was going on. It would be sick and disturbing if he did...but I would guess he's only clueless. To answer the questions:
ReplyDelete1. I do not think high school students need to be supervised. Honestly, high school is that age where they start wanting respect. If they want respect, give it to them. They should want to earn that trust and be able to make smart decisions on there own. But then again, some teenagers are really immature and incapable of such decisions. So maybe they shouldn't be left alone. I guess it would depend on the nature of the team, the gender, and age range.
2. I don't want to sound feminist here, but yes, I think high school boys need more supervision. I don't necessarily think it really connects with sports, but overall just the fact that teenage boys usually want more control and power than girls.
3. If a coach thinks what happened is okay, there is definitely a problem. Morally, such behavior is clearly unacceptable. How is rape or any kind of sexual assault okay? It's not! Coaches should make that clear. If they don't understand the effects of rape and such, then they need to take a course or something on it. It's not fun and games, it's a seriously life changing event that should never happen to anyone. Even if it's "just" sexual assault, it's not "just' a sexual assault, it's still very serious. All assaults need to be taken seriously and handle appropriately by all coaches.
4. I wouldn't say they are just as guilty as the people who committed the crimes..but yes, they are still guilty. It's like guilty by association. Just because you didn't commit the crime, you are still morally responsible because you knew about it and didn't do anything. For example, I may not have shot and killed the person, but I was there and watched and didn't tell the cops. I'm still guilty, but no to the degree of the actual murderer.
This case with the Sayreville football team is appaling and disturbing. What the heck were they thinking and how messed up that team is in general is another. The fact that such acts were going on in the locker room means there is no leadership on the team and no one want s to speak up and say something to the coach about it. How could you want to do that to another teammate. Sickening and disgusting. I do not believe there needs to coaching supervision in the locker room. Upper classmen need to regulate what goes on in the locker room themselves so they are looked up to as leaders. How not one of the players on the team disagreed and stood up to stop the sexual assault is beyond me and quite disturbing I bet the upperclassmen on this team just scared other younger players to not say anything in this case. Looking at it from Kant's point of view, I'm sure none of the ones that assaulted the underclassmen would want this to happen to them. It is so wrong and morally unacceptable. The coaches need to address what is right and wrong and maybe check on the well-being of his players now and then to prevent this. I do believe those who watched are just at wrong as those who did this because they could have prevented it. How could you just sit back and what this unravel without feeling in your heart that it is sexual assault and rape but just incredibly wrong. People need to step up more for what is right instead of playing along with what is wrong. I believe there was a terrible pattern that occurred for whoever knows how long. My guess it was going on the whole season. That's how those kids are, they don't just wake up and decide to do that one day out of nowhere.
ReplyDeleteI agree 100% with Jake. Coming from any of the views/perspectives, I do not think anyone could say it is morally okay.
DeleteI think high school students are absolutely old enough to be left without supervision and that they do know sexual assault is wrong. You start driving a vehicle, by yourself without supervision, when you are 16 years old and in high school. If you can be trusted alone in an automobile, taking the lives of all those you pass on the road in your hands, you should be able to be trusted alone in a locker room and held accountable for your actions. You also begin taking your first health class as a freshman in high school, where you are taught all about sex, protection, attack prevention, and what sexual attacks/assaults are. These kids know what they are doing is wrong, I just believe they do not think they will ever be caught. High school is the prime age for thinking nothing bad could ever happen to you.
ReplyDeleteI think that high school boys are generally more into exploring sex in high school than girls are, particularly in their underclassmen years. There are of course exceptions to this but in general I believe this to be the case. In high school I also believe that boys are always trying to prove how tough or masculine they are, which ties into the power they could feel by sexually assaulting someone, high school girls do not generally crave this kind of power. This could lead to reasoning that maybe boys do need the supervision more than the females do. One tactic I believe could be beneficial to avoiding assaults would be to have the coach’s office in the locker room. If players know a coach could walk in at any time they are less likely to attack another athlete. I think this could have been beneficial in the Sayreville case. If the coaches make an occasional appearance in the locker room this incident may have never taken place. This being said, the coaching staff needs to take responsibility for their team and not protect them just because they are athletes. A coach covering up an assault is just as much at fault as the actual attacker.
Sports at the high school level are just as much about learning life lessons and learning right from wrong as they are about achieving in the actual sport. If these athletes huge mistakes are constantly being covered up and they are never being punished they will grow up thinking they can get away with the same things in the real world, which could end up in jail time. Part of the coaching staff’s job at the high school level is to make sure their players develop into young men and woman that will benefit our society, not disrupt it. If a coach has been found to ignore such crimes I believe they should not only be removed from their position but also no longer be able to work around or with children. This leads into the Incognito scenario, He probably grew up with coaches and maybe even parents and teachers who let him get away with more than He should have, which then carried onto his later life.
Just as the players who commit the crimes and coaches who brush it under the table are at fault I also believe other team members who stand by and let it happen are also partially to blame.
I do not think that most people wake up randomly one morning and make the decision to assault someone. I think it is an idea that brews over time and grows of off other occurrences. This is why it is so important to teach the athletes at a young age what appropriate behavior is, to stop the trend from ever beginning. I think it is definitely a trend and can also relate back to professional athletes being role models. When young athletes see their favorite athletes committing these crimes and getting away with it, it may fuel their incentive towards also partaking in these illegal assaults. So if coaches start making sure their athletes are punished and do not partake in these actions it could lower the number of incidents in the NFL which could ultimately end the trend of not only sexual assault but all other crimes athletes have been able to get away with.
1- I think high school students still need to be supervised, when I was in high school centuries ago we were so immature and I don't think much has changed since then, in fact I think it has gotten worse from my experience from help coaching high schoolers. I think they are more into drugs, trying new things, etc. so I think they need more supervision then kindergarteners. I think they know that what they do is wrong but most high schools do it for attention. They are old enough to know that do stuff like that in a locker-room isn't right but yet they still do it. I think it is all for attention.
ReplyDelete2- I think high school boys are need more supervision then girls, boys are more immature then girls, for example, in high school boys thought it was funny to draw wieners all over everything and girls didn't do anything like that and I'm sure today boys still think it is funny to do that. All students at a high school should be supervised the same, athletes should be the same as students until you go into the locker-room then it is the coaches jobs to supervise. boy sports should be supervised more than girls in my opinion. assault happened because the coaches expected the boys not to do something that stupid in the locker-room and most people would expect that to not happen. I think whatever they did to the kids in the locker-room must of happened to them and they thought it was ok to do it to someone else.
3- I don't think the coach is responsibly at all. sexual assault and sex should be covered by a parent or guardian. right and wrong should also be cover by parents but in todays world most parents don't cover so they should cover it in sex ed class. a coach should just have to coach and take care of the kids when they are in their hands not teach them about morals.
4- if there were students that knew about it and didn't say anything I'm sure they were scared to say anything, just like most witnesses in crimes.
5- hazing is banned at most schools but some still goes on. I think that the group of kids woke up and said hey, lets do this as a joke and someone took it to far as to assault someone else. If they all woke up and said hey lets sexual assault this guy then they need some serious help
Commenting on the discussion questions in regards to what's going on in Sayreville:
ReplyDelete1) High school students are, for the most part, still minors but also young adults, so the line is blurred on if there should be supervision. They do because they're still kids, they don't because they're almost adults. Personally, I do believe they should be supervised because I know high school students; they're immature and will break the rules if you let them, especially if they're held to a higher standard or adored for, in this case, their athletic abilities. In my experience, male athletes in high school are fairly immature and are guilty of this whenever possible. Again, that's my experience and doesn't necessarily hold true universally. And yes, they should know that rape--let's not pretend that sodomizing is anything less than that--is wrong because they are not stupid; morally inept maybe, but not stupid.
2) As stated above, high school male athletes need supervision. The assaults/rapes may have happened to show the underclassmen who has the most power, to keep them from thinking they could overpower the upperclassmen who have been there longer, and to humiliate them.
3) The responsibility of the coaching staff is to keep the students/athletes safe from any dangers including sexual assault/rape. You cannot be a coach and not ensure rape doesn't happen on your team, whether it's to fellow teammates or someone else. If you don't set the groundwork for what is not acceptable, people will take advantage of that and then it becomes your problem as well.
4) If you are aware of sexual assault/rape and don't report it, you're just as guilty evne though you were not involved because you could have helped but you didn't.
5) Hazing doesn't work, but it's meant to force someone to go through an event to prove they're worthy of being a part of the team or group. It usually is a cycle and starts sometime in the past and becomes a tradition. No one just decides to rape someone unless they're messed up in the head. Usually it starts as something smaller and builds up to it. It doesn't make it any less wrong, though. These boys need some serious help and teaching to reprimand this behavior.
The article on UNC and the academic fraud in which athletes were able to engage there is a great segue into the next chapter in our textbook. In fact, Simon actually praised UNC (as well as Duke and Emory) for being able to maintain a strong academic reputation while competing against other athletic powerhouses. The problems at UNC are actually far more systemic and span almost two decades, as explained by this link.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cnn.com/2014/10/22/us/unc-report-academic-fraud/index.html
This is not the first time that evidence has surfaced called into question the nature of how the education of athletes playing high visibility Division I sports is handled at competitive institutions, though UNC has had many problems over the past few years. Here is a link to article about the nature of work that was written to receive credit for one of the so-called “paper” classes.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2014/03/27/the_unc_fake_class_scandal_athlete_got_an_a_for_a_one_paragraph_paper.html
Here is a link to one of the examples that Simon provides involving Florida State. I appreciate that the NCAA takes measures to penalize schools that engage in the fraud, but I am surprised by how long such fraud continues before it is noticed and handled.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/07/sports/ncaafootball/07ncaa.html
These cases, in addition to the many others mentioned in our textbook and on the news, highlight the tension between intercollegiate athletics and higher education. So long as athletes, particularly those in high visibility Division I sports like Men’s Football and Men’s Basketball, are treated like means to the end of promoting the school and bringing in revenue, this problem will not stop. This to me is also a central issue with providing athletes stipends, which could potentially exacerbate the problem. Athletes may be even more motivated to attend an institution not for the education but for the athletics and now the stipend that comes with it. I am not necessarily advocating for or against paying college athletes, but I think that this is an important consideration to take into account.
If 18 year old high school male students cannot be trusted to be left alone without supervision anymore, how on Earth can you justify 16 year olds getting their licenses? or 18 year olds going into the armed forces? If hazing is a problem, the coach must be on top of it, not letting it slide until something like this happens. Hazing at my high school was always just a part of the culture, especially with wrestling. There was never any serious incidents, but the freshman definitely knew their place on the team. I wouldn't even consider what happened to that kid to be hazing, thats assault. If the other teammates knew about this, they should be in just as much trouble as the kids who did it. The school and team sounds like it has a lot of problems if the students would let something like this happen to their teammate and classmate.
ReplyDeletePhil brings up an excellent point about the Sayerville hazing. By the time these students reached eighteen-years-old, society had already invested considerable responsibility in these individuals (including voting!) and so it really does not follow that the coaches need to supervise their athletes in the locker room.
DeleteI have issues with a culture of hazing—I understand that there may be a hierarchy on an athletic team or some other kind of organization, but I do not understand how embarrassing (or in this case criminal) initiation rituals create solidarity or in any way contribute to the group. That is really just my $0.02, but hazing seems to perpetuate a dominance kind of environment which can easily slip down a slippery slope to this kind of behavior.
In my opinion though, I have a difficult time totally faulting the coaches for what occurred here. Obviously, they should be in tune with what is going on with their athletes and look out for every player, regardless of whether they are a freshman or senior. Should they have had any idea about what was taking place, then they are reprehensible for not stepping in. The bottom line though is that these athletes are really responsible for their own behavior and so blame for their criminal actions lies only upon themselves. They are adults or near-adults and so should be prepared to accept consequences for what they do.
Commenting on the UNC situation, I might be the only one that isn't that surprised a school could get away with something like this for so long. In my high school it wasn't uncommon for athletes to get boosted grades, and let's face it, sports are something generally everyone loves so society says let them play, and so we let them play no matter what the cost. If these fake classes were created for all students to have an easy ride (which my tired student side wouldn't mind right about now) it would not have lasted for as long as it has, but because it was in the name of sports it seems to be much easier to overlook. It wouldn't surprise me if other college had this--to a lesser extent, maybe--to also keep their athletes eligible for play. It doesn't justify what happened in the slightest, but again, it's something I kind of expect of those in charge of athletes who came to college for sports and education. The worst part is not that these fake classes existed, but they were cheating students out of the opportunity to get an education--or at least attempt it. Not saying anything against athletes with that--I'm speaking from the experience that college is hard and is more about memorization than actual learning in most classes. The point being, college is hard and if you deny all students the chance to experience that it's unfair and should never be going on no matter how unsurprising it is.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely am amazed by how much attention the media is paying to Lauren Hill and her basketball game. Locally, I have seen billboards around town and overheard a few conversations about her, but even nationally she is being interviewed on CNN and ESPN and broadcasted all over the country. She is valiantly using this newfound pedestal to promote cancer research and the quest to find a cure—which I find exceptionally admirable. She is really is quite an incredible individual and I am sure everyone was thrilled when she made that layup and when MSJ went on to win their match.
ReplyDeleteShe actually has started an equivalent to the “Ice Bucket Challenge” titled “Layups for Lauren” where one has to film him or herself trying to do a layup with his or her non-dominant hand after spinning around. The idea is that the tumor has affected her dexterity and coordination—so much so that she feels like she is playing under those handicaps. I do not know if the trend has caught on as much, but it did enough for me to hear about it on the radio.
Just an addendum to this post with another article that I found detailing the game from the perspective of the other team. I do not want to give it away, but it is a great (and moving) read.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-other-team/