The Aspen Institute Sports & Society Program and National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development have forged a partnership with the goal of exploring the role youth sports can play in developing young people's social and emotional skills. With funding from the Susan Crown Exchange (SCE) and guidance from a strategic advisory…

Whether spectators or active participants, students are regularly affected by the world of sports. For many of them, athletic competition is the most energized part of their high school experience. The intensity that sports engender is one of their primary attractions, and teachers can build on this emotional focus to engage students and, more…

A role model is a person or challenge that inspires an individual to go beyond what is expected of him or her and to reach a specific goal. Role models can exemplify motivation, passion, and a genuine love of their life's work. All students need role models, and Paralympic sport athletes can be just that, especially for students with disabilities.…

In a time of scandalous actions and me-first behaviors, teachers and coaches as leaders of character and competence are needed. Leaders have integrity and demonstrate their character by adhering to moral principles and displaying moral values. The competence of leaders is based on knowledge, skills, and abilities and enhanced by exploring varying…

This article profiles teacher Leroy Silva (Laguna), 27, a.k.a. "Buster". Silva describes himself as an active guy who stays busy working out, playing basketball, softball, and more recently golf, soccer, and lacrosse. He teaches personal wellness and sports (not physical education), a job he began in 2006. Before that he was a trainer at…

The problems physical educators have encountered in values development in a sports setting are discussed, and a model of a more productive approach is presented. The model suggests educators must make a stronger commitment to values education by being better role models and by teaching values. (Author/MT)

This speech discusses the failure to educate America's athletes. The speech covered the extent of the national scandal of the exploitation of athletes as well as the work of Northeastern University's Center for the Study of Sport in Society. The Center is the first university-based program to address the issue of the education of athletes with…

Before, a coach was considered as the gray-haired legend who packed the display cases with trophies or the soft-spoken father figure who always had time to listen. A coach may even be loved, or at least respected from a distance. When their teenagers take the plunge into high school sports, parents often expect the coach to be a surrogate parent…

In a series of interviews, Rick Turner, Dean Smith, Jack and Barbara Nicklaus, and Orel Hershiser discuss their experiences in school athletics, the relationship between athletics and academic education, and the role of athletics in the process of learning about life. (BC)

Some of the barriers to athletic participation by disabled people, particularly girls and women, are examined in this article. Ways the situation may be improved by physical educators, program directors, and participants are suggested. (MT)

The ways in which values are learned in youth sport activities are discussed and the development of positive attitudes and behaviors are examined. Values are learned through modeling or imitating behavior. Three types of reinforcement can furnish incentives to achieve desired behaviors. (JN)

Research and numerous model programs suggest that sport plays an important social role. Particularly among youth, sports and professional athlete role models help deter juvenile delinquency. An overview is presented of current efforts to involve young people, particularly inner-city black youths, in athletic activities. A majority of sociological…

The academic accomplishments of minorities are not as well known as their athletic accomplishments. In the new millennium, the barriers that limit the expression of true academic acumen of women, African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans must be minimized. This paper deals with ways minorities in the athletic and academic areas can…

Research and numerous model programs suggest that sports play an important social role. Particularly among youth, sports and professional athlete role models help deter juvenile delinquency. Several athlete organizations have been established to aid youth. (SI)

Socialization can take place through participation in sports since sports provide a microcosm for living and society. The structure of social relations in sports influences the participants' development of social skills. Researchers have strived to answer whether sports provides a positive outlet for, or teaches and reinforces, aggression. This…