Bagger Vance and the Application of Ethical Toughness

Last Tuesday in class you saw two short clips from the movie--Bagger Vance. If you are fortunate, you have seen the whole movie! Nonetheless, for our purposes here, the discussion on this blog will center around the ethical dilemma faced by Capt. Junah and the application of mental toughness that he chose to employ. In both clips, Junah was discouraged, and on the verge of quitting. His caddie; Bagger Vance, was responsible for providing him with the inspiration necessary to continue on. Reference our discussion and the slides that you have regarding mental toughness--particularly the 'six rooms in the house of mental toughness' and describe how Bagger was able to help Junah. Further, link the discussion to ethics--what prime moral values did Bagger appeal to when he helped Junah. How was this shown in the clips? Check out your email--important news regarding how we intend to finsih the semester!

Mental Toughness in Sport

Hello all---i will attach the power point slides for mental toughness with the email that announces this posting---use those slides to help you complete this blog opportunity. In your writing, be sure to 1.) define mental toughness in your own words, 2.) give an example from your personal history as a player or a coach when you (or your Team), a teammate, or an opponent, displayed mental toughness during competition. 3.) Explain how you might develop mental toughness in a team or a player (if we are talking about an individual sport), 4.) How mental toughness is related to ethics---that is link some of the prime moral values to your response from #3---this post and the post on sport and entertainment shold be completed by midnight on thursday may 1---blog # 8 will post that day---blog # 9 will post next weekend

Sport as Entertainment

Hello all---as a follow up to our class of this am---blog away after reading from the following link---www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/JSH/JSH2000/JSH2703/JSH2703i.pdf---it's a piece written by a sport philosopher from the University of Central Florida---speaking to the issues that were raised in class regarding the development of what I referred to as the Age of the Consumer---blog your thoughts regarding the nature of sport as entertainment---has it truly become an entertainment based proposition or do those who participate and spectate continue to do so for the 'love of the game'---and---what are the future implications for sport if this trend is to continue---see you thursday---coach brunner

Neuroplasticity

Hello all! Dr. Stoll was scheduled to cover the topic of neuroplasticity with you all. Check out the link to another blog---miketnelson.blogspot.com/2009/01/neuroplasticity-and-human-athletic.html---post your thoughts on the topic of neuroplasticity and its relationship to sport and sport performance---be sure to 1.) define what neuroplasticity is, 2.) describe how and when this can happen to the brain, 3.) discuss the topic of survival and performance as it relates to neuroplasticity, finally...4.) speculate on how the use of neuroplasticity might effect the ethical practice of sport---post due before class next week on the 21st---see you then!---i will be back next week

Bad link!

Sorry guys!---the link to the abstract should be http://www.jstor.org/pss/3561718---thanks!

Performance Enhancing Drugs

Hello all---sorry that i have not posted this sooner---have been fighting through some health issues while attempting to slog through the beginning of spring practice here in south carolina---nonetheless---have graded your mid-term writing assignements---they are on their way to dr. stoll today via fast mail---you will have them in your possession next tuesday---for the most part---well well done---this blog (#4) will be followed by another early next week---keeping us on track to finish the 10 blog assignements due this semester---check out the following link---http://www.jstor.org/pss/356178---this willconnect you to a one page abstract written by Thomas H. Murphy in 1983---more than 25 years ago about 'The Coercive Power of Drugs in Sport'---Murphy was certainly ahead of his time!---he raises some interesting questions---Is this kind of drug use unethical?---Should we think of it (drug use---performance enhancing and recreational) as an expression of liberty?---Or, do the special circumstances of sport affect our moral analysis?---In particular, should liberty give way when other important values are threatened and the good of all is in peril?---blog on about these topics---make sure you hit them all---10 points for this one---please submit by midnight on monday april 6---the day the university of north carolina should lose the national championship game!

Intimidation and Motivation

Last Tuesday, Dr. Stoll spoke to you all about intimidation and motivation in sport. She discussed Bob Knight and John Wooden, among others, and the difference in their styles of motivation---and---the use of intimidation as a motivational tactic for coaches. Do a little research---either from your text or on-line---to distinguish between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Further, explain the link between intimidation and both forms (intrinsic and extrinsic) of motivation---your opinion here. Lastly, describe how you might have experienced being coached through fear and intimidation or through positive reinforcement and how it effected your performance relative to intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.

This week Dr. Barnes spoke with you all regarding the nature of competition---the theoretical frameworks associated with the idealistic perspective on competition and the realistic perspective on competition. David Light Shields has written a paper investigating the practical applications of these theories---"Opponents or Enemies: Rethinking the Nature of Competition". You may access this paper on-line at www.characterandcitizenship.org/research/keynote.htm. Please read the paper thoroughly and discuss in a minimum four paragraph post the following: 1.) What is Alfie Kohn's argument against competition? What is MEGA? Do you agree with Kohn's position? Why/Why not? What ethical reasoning supports your argument? 2.) What is decompetition? Can you provide a personal example of when you might have participated in sport and the concept of decompetition was applied? 3.) How does decompetition affect motivation in the participant? 4.) What is an outcome oriented perspective regarding competition? What is a 'process oriented perspective' regarding competition? Which orientation matches best with the participant who is a 'decompetitor' ? 5.)What is 'bracketed morality'? How does this relate to our competitive orientations? 6.) Are you a competitor or a decompetitor?
Grades for last weeks blog will be done this weekend. Posts for this blog should be done by 930am PST on Wednesday February 24---My Birthday! Looking forward to seeing you all in two weeks---Go Vandals!!

sportsmanship, fair play and gamesmanship

In class today we discussed sportsmanship, fair play, and gamesmanship. Further I presented some examples of each in practice. Paul Brown and the sowing of the footballs on the jerseys, my buddy Coach Nick and the kicking tee, and the West Point football player who 'told on himself' after he ran out of bounds, nullifying a touchdown for Army. Cite two examples of sportsmanship, fair play, and gamesmanship from your own personal experience with sport or from sport experiences that you have observed as a spectator/fan.