The NCAA News - News and Features

June 8, 1998

Pressures combine to influence behavior

Athletes affected by media, money, mentors

BY KAY HAWES
STAFF WRITER

Even Michael Jordan, known for his cooperative nature with the media and his polite treatment of fans, could be seen on sports highlight shows during the NBA playoffs, arguing with officials.

If even the Great One -- who is generally considered a good role model and who has built an endorsement empire on ads that ask children to "Be Like Mike" -- is jawing with officials and muttering about calls, how can we expect college student-athletes or children in Little League to have higher standards?

While plenty of well-behaved, respectful athletes can be found at all levels, those are not the ones who lead SportsCenter or show up on the front page of your local newspaper.

If a good sport truly is hard to find, how did things get this way?

Part two of this three-part series on sportsmanship examines the many factors that may contribute to unsportsmanlike behavior, both on and off the field.

'Sportsmanship is dead'

While some people argue that good sports just don't get enough press, others argue that good sports don't get press because there are not enough of them.

"As it pertains to sportsmanship right now, I'm pessimistic," said Vic Bubas, former head men's basketball coach at Duke University and former commissioner of the Sun Belt Conference.

"I think sportsmanship is dead. The state of it is pitiful, awful. I think the kids are OK. It's the adults, the parents, the pros."

And Bubas is no stranger to competitive collegiate athletics. One of his unique accomplishments is being the only person to participate in the Final Four as a player, a coach, a conference commissioner, a member of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee and then, as chair of that committee.

"I think the worst is ahead," Bubas warned. "I think an official, a coach or a player may get shot in some national catastrophic scene that would shake everyone like a plane crash. And only then would we take action. Heaven forbid it would happen, but I'm afraid it might.

"I think we're up against a changing society. I think it's a total societal thing, from the Little Leagues on up. The problems of athletes are generally the problems of our society in general. It's all kind of tied in."

Bubas lays much of the blame for the current state of sportsmanship on fans and parents. "We've had really nasty scenes, even at the Little League level, and yet the kids are fine," he said. "If nobody came to the games, we'd be fine. The rest of us are the ones who need some kind of a mental adjustment."

Dagny Scott, women's sports editor for SHAPE magazine -- the former editor of Women's Sports + Fitness magazine and a competitive runner -- says the state of sportsmanship today is a disgrace. "I think it mirrors what's going on in society," she said. "It's a 'me, me, me' society. We've lost the fundamental reason for why we're out there in the first place."

Media role

When it comes to unsportsmanlike conduct, there is certainly no lack of media coverage. If a bench-clearing brawl, a concussion-causing check or even a relatively tame shoving match occurs, it's likely to show up many times in print, on television and even on the Web.

While you might see it once on the evening news, you're likely to see it again on sports highlight shows or even at the top and bottom of every hour on CNN's Headline News.

"This fight between the Orioles and the Yankees, I must have seen it 150 times, and I wasn't even trying," said Bob Still, public relations manager for the National Association of Sports Officials (NASO).

"They showed it over and over on SportsCenter. Then they showed it again when the fines were announced. Then they showed it again while they debated the penalties."

Terence Moore, sports columnist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, acknowledged that fights get attention, but he said that it is important to remember that the media don't start them.

"The New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles shouldn't be involved in these brawls," he said.

"It's the chicken and the egg thing. Certainly the media has a responsibility not to ignore what's going on. It all starts with those individuals doing something wrong in the first place."

Moore also agrees that the problem isn't limited to the pros or even to sports. "You look at all the violence going on in society," he said. "I think sportsmanship has gotten bad at all levels."

But it's more than simple behavioral decline. The way sports are covered has changed. The media used to brush the frailties of sports figures --and politicians -- under the rug. No longer is that the case.

"It's a different era," Moore said. "Things are different for two main reasons. One, 20 years ago, it was routine for reporters to travel with teams. After Watergate, it became a taboo thing. There was separation of media at all levels. It became more of an adversarial role.

"Two, now when you've got 24-hour sports news and 24-hour online sports, you're searching for things to fill the airwaves.

"And the advent of the tabloid magazine is not only putting pressure on CBS News, but it's also putting pressure on sports news. And it goes beyond that and spills over into newspapers. Newspapers are trying to stay competitive and come up with that different angle.

"Then there's sports talk radio. Sports talk radio and tabloids have no morals and no scruples, in my opinion. There are no rules for those people. They're putting everything on the air. Then you see newspapers and television relaxing their standards and putting more things in the news that they wouldn't have before."

Moore said that more media means more people scrutinizing the lives of athletes. "That's why it's important for student-athletes to realize, rightly or wrongly, that there are more of us looking, and you need to mind your 'Ps' and 'Qs.' "

The media also are paying attention to what is going on in high-school and youth sports. Several incidents -- including assaults on officials -- have received extensive local coverage.

"Clearly the media is focusing more on sportsmanship, perhaps because of some outrageous incidents we've had," said John Heeney, director of educational services for the National Federation of State High School Associations.

Heeney said one of the incidents involved a young football player whose father helped him sharpen the chin-strap clip on his helmet until it was sharp enough to cut flesh.

"They figured it out when kids kept coming off the field with cuts on their hands. His father was a dentist, and not only did he know the kid had done it, he actually helped him do it because he thought too many kids were grabbing his helmet," Heeney said.

Does sportsmanship just need an agent?

Indeed, it seems that almost everybody agrees that behavior in sports is a problem. But is the media making matters worse by focusing on the bad? Kerry McCoy, an assistant wrestling coach and former wrestler for Pennsylvania State University, believes it is.

"The image that is portrayed is that of a greedy, selfish, dumb jock," McCoy said. "For every one athlete who's out there wrecking a car, there are 10 who are helping children in the community. For every one athlete who's failing, there are 10 on the dean's list."

McCoy doesn't think the media should hide the failures, but he believes it has an obligation to promote the successes. "If you are out there doing bad things, that should be publicized, not covered up," he said. "But let's give five (column) inches to good and five inches to bad," McCoy said.

"For example, everyone talks about how awful the new NCAA work rule is, but no one has mentioned the student-athlete who's going to be able to go work for Arthur Andersen."

McCoy said part of the fault lies with athletes and part with the media. "Kids see athletes in the NBA doing it, so now you see 5- and 6-year-olds talking trash and the media glorify it," McCoy said.

"I was watching SportsCenter the other day and the announcer said, 'We'll be back for the next fight, uh, game.' We're losing respect for the game and we're losing respect for the athletes.

"The media say the positive news isn't their job. Well, the negative news isn't their job either. Why is the negative news and the positive is not?"

Jonell McFadden Priddle, a news editor at ESPN, said it is the athlete's responsibility to worry about image, not the media's.

"Sportsmanship mainly deals with what happens on the field, and we don't influence that," Priddle said. "Athletes and organizations are directly responsible. If an athlete decides to slap a referee, that's going to be reported. It happened."

Priddle also said she doesn't think it is up to the media to worry about whether young children emulate a professional athlete's behavior.

"I do think kids are impressionable," she said. "And, somebody like Dennis Rodman has made a lot of money out of being outrageous. But just because an athlete slaps someone or spits on someone, I don't think there's a direct correlation between that and a kid doing it."

Betsy Emerson, head women's cross country and track and field coach at Luther College, said she thinks that the negative actions get too much coverage.

"I think there is still a lot of respect out there," Emerson said. "The actions of the few tend to put a real negative slant on it. It's not so much that there's less respect everywhere now but that the negatives get more attention."

Robin Roberts, commentator for ESPN and ABC Sports, said that members of the media who are former student-athletes tend to see coverage differently.

"Personally, I know I'm more sensitive because I was a student-athlete," she said. "The Nykesha Sales incident was a good example. I talked to some of my colleagues about that and I know I saw it differently."

Roberts was a basketball player at Southeastern Louisiana University, where she finished her career as the school's all-time leading scorer and rebounder.

Roberts said that there is an easy way to avoid media coverage of negative incidents. "Don't do it! That settles it," she said. "I realize that you're going to have some bad seeds, but if you don't do anything wrong, it's not going to be an issue."

Athletes are role models, like it or not

Many athletes -- on all levels -- don't realize how important they are to those who are watching, said NASO's Still.

"Professional athletes have a strong impression on college and high-school athletes. Professional athletes are the key," he said.

"And college and high-school athletes have a strong impression on kids playing at a lower level. We need to make sure those athletes understand that little eyes are watching."

Moore says being a role model comes with the territory. He is infuriated by Charles Barkley's statements -- and advertisements -- stating that he does not intend to be anyone's role model.

"Charles Barkley bothers me because I think all of us have people looking up to us, some more than others," Moore said. "That role applies to ministers, politicians and athletes. I believe athletes in general do not understand that."

Moore said a collegiate athlete can have the role-model status of a professional, perhaps without realizing it.

"Some student-athletes have had a misconception that they could do what other students do and no one should care," he said. "If you are the quarterback for the University of Georgia, you have arguably the most visible position at Georgia outside of being the coach or the president of the university.

"Is it unfair? Yes. Is that the way it is? Yes. If this is too much pressure on you, then you should quit the team."

Robert Covington, a student-athlete at the University of Florida who competes in track and field, agrees that athletes are role models and that they have a responsibility to act in a sportsmanlike manner.

"We're role models who represent our team, our school and our community," he said. "When we compete, we are ambassadors. It's like if we send one of our politicians overseas, they are an ambassador for our country. As such we have to conduct ourselves -- on and off the court -- in a positive way."

"People are going to expect you to have higher standards," said Molly Carr, a basketball and softball player for Indiana University of Pennsylvania. "You need to accept that or do something else."

Athletes who don't understand how important that role-model image is may find themselves kicked off the team, traded because the front office got tired of their antics, or without endorsements.

Kathryn Reith, senior manager of corporate communications for NIKE, acknowledges that the company looks for athletes who are irreverent. "But we don't want somebody who's breaking the law," she said. "We do feel it's important for athletes to give back and to be role models."

SHAPE magazine's Scott said that athletes are role models, whether they like it or not. "A role model is not something you choose to be," she said. "Athletes are today's heroes."

Coaches set the standard

Of course, athletes have role models, too.

Coaches can create an atmosphere conducive to good sportsmanship, set a good example with their behavior, or contribute to the problem.

"A lot of times, authority figures do a lot to perpetuate unsportsmanlike behavior," Moore said. "I covered Indiana basketball, and it was one of the modern miracles of mankind that you didn't see Indiana players doing what their coach does."

"I really believe that if you have a coach who's out of control, it's going to carry over. Coaches, administrators, parents -- all of them make a difference. Parents have always been out of control, but it seems like it's getting a lot worse."

Coaches make a tremendous difference, said Penn State football player Chad Kroell.

"A lot of what I believe comes from being around coach (Joe) Paterno," Kroell said. "I think sportsmanship is about respect. I think it's important to respect your opponent -- they're working as hard as you are -- and play a good, fair game.

Teaching a team to have a winning attitude is different from teaching it that winning is the only thing, Kroell said.

"To make it better, don't have a win-at-all-costs mentality," he said. "You win because you worked hard. You work hard and you have integrity; you have good character. Sportsmanship goes hand-in-hand with that. When you win like that, you represent yourself and your team well."

Kroell said the coach sets the standard.

"It's like we always talk about, 'death by inches,' " he said. "If you let that one guy get away with one little thing, there goes your program. Little things definitely make a difference."

Covington agreed. "For starters, coaches shouldn't tolerate (poor sportsmanship). At the University of Florida, we know it's not tolerated. We are to act as ladies and gentlemen," he said.

"Coaches need to let athletes know that they're not going to tolerate it, even if you are the quarterback or the leading scorer. You need to have a win-win attitude. Poor sportsmanship is not win-win. You're hurting yourself and you're hurting your team."

Christina Ervin, a basketball player at East Tennessee State University, said she thinks sportsmanship is a "trickle-down" phenomenon.

"If a coach has a win-at-all-costs attitude, that's going to trickle down to the student-athletes," she said. "I think promoting good sportsmanship starts with the coaches."

Ryk Neethling, a native of South Africa and a swimmer at the University of Arizona, agrees that coaches make a difference.

"A coach has so much to do not just with sportsmanship but with how an athlete acts in all walks of life, including academics and in the community," Neethling said.

"My coach really emphasizes love of sport, love of racing. And they can emphasize winning and being competitive in the right way. It can be small things, like after you're done swimming, you congratulate the other guys. You wait for everyone to finish before getting out of the pool."

Neethling said his coach sets the standard for the entire team.

"Once a week, he talks to us about life, he reads us something--like out of the 'Chicken Soup' books--and he talks about how those things apply to our lives," Neethling said. "We really look up to him. We watch how he acts. He's in good shape and he doesn't drink or cuss in front of us. He is our role model."

Emerson, the coach from Luther, agreed that many of her peers are not aware of the power they hold.

"A lot of coaches don't realize how much of an impact they have," she said. "These college students are impressionable, and there are times when you really need to be a good role model.

"One of the things I've learned at Luther is how to be respectful of other programs. You can still compete against these programs and compete to win. But it's a much better experience when you get to know those other teams and those other athletes.

"As I've grown as a coach, I show more respect for those individuals and those other teams, and my athletes do, too. Many of the most successful coaches in the country take respect seriously. On my level, I can make that difference."

Big business, more pressure

Bubas says the sorry state of sportsmanship has a lot to do with the circumstances that surround sports now.

"I think it has been a totality of circumstances," he said. "The money is too big, the exposure is too great, the egos of the fans are unreasonable, and the leaders are afraid to lose their jobs."

While those circumstances don't excuse the behavior, they may be behind the reasons poor sportsmanship is tolerated or excused by those in leadership positions.

"Leaders are afraid to risk strong positions," Bubas said. "Those who advocate sportsmanship are called 'prudes' or 'out of touch' or 'spoilers of our good time.'

"It's hard to put your finger on it (the reasons behind poor sportsmanship). But big money inevitably leads to bigger excesses in other things. And people are watching; kids are watching."

Scott agrees that the atmosphere surrounding sports is much more serious than it used to be. "The stakes are higher, the money is bigger than ever, there's tremendous pressure and competition," he said.

The National Federation of State High School Association's Heeney said the rising expectations of parents, coaches and fans may have something to do with creating an atmosphere in which poor sportsmanship is tolerated.

"We're raising the expectations at a lower level. We have to be careful as organizations to watch that," Heeney said.

"I think the drive to achieve and the drive to win have increased tremendously. I'm not against any of those things, but you have to balance that. The pressures that parents and communities are putting on younger and younger athletes are just not realistic. There are just so many spots out there (for scholarships). I think we're sometimes unrealistic about what our sports programs can achieve."

Sports columnist Moore said that money has changed the way many members of the media cover "big-time" college athletics and perhaps has heightened the media's expectations of college athletes.

"With all the money that's involved now in intercollegiate athletics, it's like the gloves are off," he said.

"Because of all the money, that line between professional sports and college sports has gotten blurred from our standpoint. It's not like it was 10 or 15 years ago. Because of the money involved, we view them more like professional athletes."

Neethling said he also thinks money can be a factor. "It's a lot more competitive when sponsorships are at stake, and for that reason I think it's more cutthroat," he said. "I think when you get higher up, it's all about money and that's really sad. If you don't play for the love of the sport, that's sad."

'Enough is enough'

While the current state of sportsmanship may look hopeless, it doesn't have to be that way. Perhaps now is a good time to make things different.

Part three of this series will look how sportsmanship can be improved.

"There is a sense of less tolerance toward poor sportsmanship now," Heeney said. "There is a sense of 'enough is enough.' We've seen the outrageous and we're tired of it. It's not funny anymore."

Even Bubas, who fears that sportsmanship is dead, might agree that it is simply on life-support.

"We must educate, we must try to make it better. You can't be such a pessimist that you don't try," Bubas said. "And maybe, just maybe, we'll wake up before the plane crash."

Highlights from the 1997 National Sportsmanship

Questionnaire Final Report

Nationwide survey of sports editors, writers and sports broadcasters conducted by the Institute for International Sport at the University of Rhode Island