National Collegiate Athletic Association |
CommentJuly 20, 1998
Guest editorial -- Coaches should lead in fight against drugs
By Barry R. McCaffrey
Ask the majority of adults to name the No. 1 risk facing our children, and they will answer: "Illegal drug use." Each day, more than 8,000 kids try an illegal drug for the first time. One in four 12th-graders is a current drug user; among eighth-graders, the rate is one in eight. Coaches see the effects of drug use on youth every day. The young football receiver high on marijuana has so compromised his motor skills that the winning touchdown pass sails by him as he gropes for the ball's shadow; that same night, the same impaired motor skills may make him miss a turn while driving his car on a curvy road. The basketball point guard using heroin will miss the last practice before the state championship because her craving for a hit will overcome her sense of responsibility. Later, these same dependencies may cause her to use drugs while pregnant or to lose a job for being always absent. Despite the dangers, the message the ath- letics world is sending our children about drugs is at best mixed, at worst dangerous. Not a season goes by without some player being exposed as a drug user. Far too often, the response is a slap on the wrist and a swift return to the lineup. Our young people see their sports heroes using drugs while society condones the practice. We need to change this. The athletics field, the ball court and the gym must all become drug-free zones where the ideal -- fair competition, clean in mind and body -- of sports is practiced. Coaches must be leaders in this effort. It is up to them to set an example and to watch over the young people they coach. They should keep an eye out for the danger signs. When they find indications that a young person is at risk, they should intervene. They should obtain counseling for young people who require it. Most of all, they should help us prevent drug use in the first place and should send all of their players this simple, strong message: "Users are losers, be a winner." As a young man, I received valuable lessons from my coaches, lessons that would serve me well when I became a leader of other young men during the Vietnam War. Today, the threats to our young people are different, but it still falls upon each coach, teacher or guardian to help provide young people with the values and skills they need to lead safe, happy, productive lives. Barry R. McCaffrey is director of the office of national drug control policy. Letters to the Editor -- Group provides brain-injury information
BY BARRY R. McCAFFREY There has been a recent barrage of publicity given to the rising number of concussions and other forms of brain injuries sustained by athletes. This trend was further illustrated by The NCAA News' June 22 article, which found concussions have increased both in ice hockey and wrestling. With athletes from former San Diego Charger Stan Humphries and NASCAR driver Ricky Craven to, most notably, hockey players such as Paul Kariya, Eric Lindros and Pat LaFontaine publicly acknowledging their battles with these injuries, comes the realization that concussions should not be taken lightly. For some athletes, brain injuries have caused health problems long after their return to the game. In response to this growing problem, the Brain Injury Association (BIA), the nation's only not-for-profit organization working for and with individuals with brain injuries, developed the Guidelines for the Management of Concussion in Sports. The guidelines consist of criteria for the various grades of concussion, management recommendations and when a player should return to play following the injury. They were developed with support from the American Academy of Neurology. Data from the Consumer Product Safety Commission show that more than 200,000 sports and recreation-related brain injuries occurred in 1995, and it is estimated that approximately 500 deaths occur from these injuries each year. It is BIA's fervent hope that, given the increased focus on sports-related concussions on both the collegiate and professional levels, fewer athletes will sustain these potentially career-ending and even life-threatening injuries in the future.
James S. Brady James S. Brady is former White House press secretary and assistant to President Ronald Reagan.
Limited choicesIn reference to the student-athlete's view expressed by Blake Clifton of Davidson College ("Foreign Influences Hurting College Tennis," June 22), two suggestions seem reasonable: While this was once a small-college problem, it has now spread to Divisions II and I, men and women. Soccer, track and -- more and more -- basketball, are also experiencing "international influx." Only the NCAA, the International Tennis Association and the United States Tennis Association can control this. Without these organizations' firm control, coaches have little choice but to lose consistently or join the crowd. Secondly, young American student-athletes and their parents should clearly be made aware that if their goal is to earn a college scholarship, play on a team with some American teammates, have a good chance to win their conference title or to qualify and/or win significantly at a national college tournament, they should select a sport other than tennis.
Tom Parham Opinions -- Jury out on whether college sports is at a crossroads
Gary A. Roberts, faculty athletics representative "We really don't know what's going to happen, but the pressures building in the system are so great it's hard to imagine college sports staying the same."
Graham R. Spanier, president "I wouldn't say we're in a crisis period. I would say we're in a period of transition, and the most significant aspect of the transition is the new governance structure. The NCAA is not some independent, evil empire. The NCAA is a membership organization."
NCAA image
Cedric W. Dempsey, NCAA president "A large number of people see the NCAA either as a regulatory body making rules or enforcing rules, or as championships and in most of those cases they're talking about the Final Four. Most people have no idea that we run 81 championships. Most people have no idea about the other education services and programs. They have no idea of the kinds of events and programs we run for student-athletes. "People raise questions like, if a student-athlete needs a jacket, why can't you do that? We can do that. We provide a $10 million annual fund for needy students for emergency purposes. So when a student-athlete has a need, it can be met today. "But we're having a hard time getting that across to people. And certainly the student-athlete work program is another piece of that, trying to provide need to student-athletes. Our whole goal has been to make sure the student-athlete has access financially to cover their needs up to the cost of attendance. . . . I suspect there will be some interest in looking at whether we should consider increasing our grant-in-aid to the point of the cost of attendance."
Dietary supplements
Gary Wadler, associate professor of clinical medicine "Unlike drug manufacturers, supplement makers do not have to prove safety and efficacy. You go into these supplement stores and the salesmen make outrageous claims. The reality is that young kids are taking them and people often take many different kinds. There's a lot of poly-supplement abuse going on in an industry that is loosely regulated, and I see this as a big problem."
Football recruiting
Justin Faust, high-school football player "That's really what you are, a stock. Your value rises when a coach watches or talks to you. Your value falls if you ignore a school, and you miss out on a chance to find what they're all about. These schools are making an investment. They want a return."
Bobby Burton, managing editor "The summer is becoming increasingly important time for programs and recruits. It used to be that coaches would not even know who they were scouting until May. Nowadays, they know everything about the kid they're recruiting when May rolls around."
Student-athlete employment
Editorial "What do these gloomy scenarios (about NCAA Division I legislation permitting student-athletes to work) have in common? Each assumes that the student/athlete/employee will prove corruptible. The theory goes something like this: (1) Fat-cat booster offers big bucks to scholarship athlete through phony-baloney job. Like getting $75 an hour for watching grass grow or paint dry. (2) Greedy, lazy, easily influenced scholarship athlete happily accepts -- without a smidgen of guilt. "Note to the Gloomy Gus Society: There's not an NCAA or university rule that can save a student or student-athlete from himself if he's determined to beat the system. Nor is there a rule that can corrupt a student if he's not willing to be corrupted. Not even that 11th Commandment numbered Proposition 62. "Maybe the worriers should talk to Marvin Caston. He's a running back for the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, and he has the right idea about the new rule. 'I'm hoping to take advantage of it, get a job at some point during next year, get a few dollars here and there, get some spending money,' he told the Democrat-Gazette. 'It's a legal way for us to help ourselves out.' "Marvin Caston sounds grateful for the chance. Does he realize that he's refuting the conventional wisdom of the athletics establishment? Or does he just want to work? Surely he can find the time. The NCAA limits practices, games, and meetings to 20 hours a week with at least one day off. "Time was when an energetic and enterprising student could find enough hours in the week for classes, a part-time job, a stint on the campus paper, dating and goofing off. Spare time? Who needed spare time? These guys were young. Maybe the delicate system of the finely tuned athlete no longer allows for youth. But we doubt it. Especially after hearing from athletes like Marvin Caston. Should he be deprived of a chance to help himself just because somebody else might take advantage of the new rule? Or because Proposition 62 will be an administrative 'nightmare' for athletics departments? Is his work ethic just too big a problem for institutions supposedly dedicated to education, to character, to excellence? "And what happens to all those high-school students who manage to study, play three different sports, and work at the mall? Do they unlearn time management when they become tomorrow's big-time college recruits?" "Why do we suspect that this rule will be overturned soon enough? ... We can hear the jockocracy now: 'Today's College Athlete hasn't time for work. Today's College Athlete generates millions for his university. Today's College Athlete should be compensated for what he does in the stadium or arena. Today's College Athlete shouldn't be expected to get by on a full scholarship and three squares a day when he needs walking around money, too, just like your average student. But unlike your average student, he has to be protected against the evil cunning of boosters who don't care about the kid, and Today's College Athlete yadda, yadda, yadda ...' "OK, maybe it's naive to think that a student-athlete, when presented with a choice to do right or cheat, will do the right thing. Maybe you've got to be a Lou Holtz to believe anything as old-fashioned as the do-right rule. But the alternative depresses no end. And some of us aren't quite ready to concede the character of young people despite the arguments of those who -- remember? -- are supposed to be helping them build it. "For folks who live in the real world and not the locker room, the only thing flawed about this new rule is that it hasn't been in place all along. The NCAA's version of right-to-work takes effect with the coming fall semester. And it's about time. Let's go to work."
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At every level of sport, nurturing true winners is about helping develop character, confidence and life skills. Coaches play vital roles as mentors, instilling in our children the values, abilities and understanding needed down the road when the field of play is far larger than 100 yards of fresh-cut grass with boundaries clearly marked in white chalk. This role requires coaches to be aware of the obstacles young people face and to steer them clear of these risks.