Comments on Billy Rubin's Blog: Mike Leach Debacle Wrap-Up

There's a very interesting story line developi...

2010-01-12T20:14:18.480-05:00

There's a very interesting story line developing about boys' sports anxiety in the new TNT show, "Men of a Certain Age," with Ray Romano. Romano's son is on various sports teams, yet is unable to go through with the tournament, at bat, etc., due to what seems to be some kind of performance anxiety. Romano's character, while not a sports writer as in his prior show, is clearly a sports nut and it makes the viewer wonder how much the son is just on the teams to please his dad or what's going on there. I suspect they are building up these incidents to tacklet the issue -- sorry for the pun -- head on in a later episode.

From what I gather, it's much harder for boys not to be good at sports (at least team sports) than for girls (maybe that changes in high school, when they can be cool based on something else, like being in a band?) and I'll bet the pushiness of coaches and parents that seems to have increased since our childhood just makes it worse.

Thanks for your thorough reply. Reflecting on wha...

2010-01-12T10:06:55.494-05:00

Thanks for your thorough reply. Reflecting on what you wrote, what comes to mind is the effect of competition in the young women I see with eating disorders. While accessibility to many sports has helped girls to develop self-esteem, the intense competition in some "women's sports" has led to problems. I have had girls in gymnastics, dance, and running describe the pressure to be thin in order to compete, and how coaches put pressure on them.

True, not all coaches are doing this, and there is more awareness now that women actually perform better, at least in running, if they are eating well. But I pulled my daughters out of their high school dance team because of the pressure to perform even if injured for the good of the team. And the parents felt this was good for character. It was sick. (I've practiced martial arts for 30 years and am a physician, so my concerns about long term health were based on experience, but that didn't seem to matter to that group.)

I have read a little about the PE program in Naperville?? Illinois, and it seems to do an excellent job at building self-esteem by using physical activity to increase body awarness and skill. They seem to avoid competition. Also, in my kung fu training we did not compete. There were no "belts" and the instructor was clear that we were there to learn and have fun.

So I agree with you about athletics being very important. I think that the competitive emphasis poisons what is otherwise healthy.

My motto to my patients is that "If you are really playing, then you are not keeping score."

Thanks Joseph. I agree about the win-at-all-costs ...

2010-01-11T13:06:45.947-05:00

Thanks Joseph. I agree about the win-at-all-costs mentality, although I wonder about whether it starts in the pee-wee ranks or it filters down from the pro ranks given how much attention it now receives. I mean, when I was a kid, it wasn't like we were ignorant of the Browns/Indians/Cavs/+/-Buckeyes. But that was well before ESPN where round-the-clock coverage has had such a major impact on how Americans think about the meaning of sports and winning. I'm not sure, though: I quit playing organized football--despite the fact that I loved playing it--in 5th grade because the new coach seemed to me to be a win-win!-WIN! proto-fascist type (and there didn't seem to be an abundance of those types in baseball, which I played well into high school). So maybe the situation hasn't really changed, although my gut tells me it has, for the worse, and you may well be right that too many parents have just become too warped about the real value of amateurs playing team sports.

For boys, that is. I was trying to figure out a way to include a discussion of women's athletics, which really has been a boon to girls across the country since the institution of Title IX in 1972 (bravo, Ms. Patsy Mink!). Multiple studies on girls from elementary school through college have shown that participation in sports increases girls' sense of self-esteem, has a positive impact on their academic performance, etc. It could be a bias issue (i.e. the girls more likely to succeed and have higher self-esteem naturally tend toward participating in sports) but I suspect that the data describe a real-world effect. For boys, my guess is that sports can have a positive impact (especially in regard to self-discipline and goal-setting, e.g.) but just as often can be the source of anxiety and insecurity.

Excellent post. The problem starts with the attitu...

2010-01-10T20:51:31.245-05:00

Excellent post. The problem starts with the attitude of parents whose grade school children are in competitive sports. The rabid win-at-all costs mentality is supposed to justify harsh and abusive treatment at all levels.

I can't believe how parents will allow or even encourage a coach to treat their kids with abuse. Perhaps they get vicarious pleasure out of it.

And please don't take crass anonmyous comments seriously.

Liddy! You're still my friend! I think I am fo...

2010-01-08T14:49:33.492-05:00

Liddy! You're still my friend! I think I am four or five months in arrears on a personal note to you. Sincere apologies; you will hear from me informally sometime soon.

I made it halfway through Michael Lewis's book and enjoyed it (but kind-of quit because the heartwarming story wasn't what I was looking for; I thought the book was going to be a "football version" of his excellent book Moneyball). The movie has been recommended by friends of mine from all parts of the cultural spectrum, which I think speaks well of it. Plus, while Sandra Bullock isn't exactly Julia Roberts, likewise she isn't hard on the eyes. (The Cro-Magnon will now pipe down.)

There has been a discussion of this post amongst some friends in Facebook and one person pointed out quite rightly that had Leach was fired for insubordination to the University President rather than what he did to Adam James; had he kept quiet and laid low he still would probably be working there (which to me only indicates the extent of his megalomania). Another friend touched on the topic of NFL players, which by my reckoning is much, much worse than what college or high school kids endure--particularly when their "careers" are over, usually after only a few years for most linemen. And for me that's even more depressing because I'm really a fan of the pro game rather than the amateur version.

To possibly improve your mood when it comes to th...

2010-01-08T10:34:37.352-05:00

To possibly improve your mood when it comes to things football-related, I highly recommend the movie "The Blind Side." It's one of those movies that you would say is too corny but is true, so you let it off the hook, and are glad that there are real, heartwarming stories out there in the world (to be turned into books and movies....). And this is coming from someone who'd rank football as fourth among the major sports she'd choose to watch. (And fifth, if you add soccer.)

You know, it's funny. Every night I pray to th...

2010-01-07T14:44:42.390-05:00

You know, it's funny. Every night I pray to the Gods of the Blog that I will get some relatively intelligent internet traffic my way if I continue to write what I hope are reasonably thoughtful pieces either loosely or directly connected to the themes of medicine and health. And, indeed, sometimes I am pleasantly surprised, as in the case of Anonymous #1 above, who for all I know is a mother of 3 kids and lives in Iowa. With time, as I build up a readership brick by electronic brick, so to speak, I am heartened by such replies.

But alas, on a post like this the other half is represented by Anonymous #2, who wants to drip condescension with his/her/its three consecutive question marks. I can only continue to hope.

"What facts ???" Anon#2 asks in total shock, talking to me as if I am an idiot, demanding that I "show one statement where he was locked up". Well, here it is:

"Texas Tech has released a signed, sworn affidavit from an athletic trainer who says former coach Mike Leach instructed him to 'lock' receiver Adam James in a dark place and that he disagreed with Leach's treatment of James after the player was diagnosed with a concussion."

This wasn't posted on some out-of-the-way news organization, but rather on ESPN.com with a readership of millions of people. The link is here: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4790586
It's worth reading because the actual act of locking the kid away is only half the outrage, as Leach had apparently clearly instructed the assistant to put Adam James in the "coldest, darkest place possible."

Now Anon#2 might regard the statements of the assistant, Steve Pincock, as untrue, since Pincock substantially changed his original story several days earlier. I have two thoughts about this. First is that I am much more likely to believe the second explanation, not only because it was a sworn affidavit, but also because the first version screams of damage control from a guy who still thinks Leach might remain his boss. Second is that, regardless of which version you believe, -I- have clearly demonstrated that my facts were in order when I initially posted this. It's up to you, Anon, but I think a mea culpa is in order.

What facts ??? How about he was never locked anywh...

2010-01-06T23:20:32.193-05:00

What facts ??? How about he was never locked anywhere, Show one statement where he was Locked up.

Which facts? I'm an amateur operation but I ta...

2010-01-06T21:16:09.814-05:00

Which facts? I'm an amateur operation but I take great care to get my facts correct. Please let me know what I wrote that's suspect, and you will have a retraction and correction forthwith.

might help to get your facts checked.

2010-01-06T21:00:17.079-05:00

might help to get your facts checked.

Finally some common sense! It has been absolutely ...

2010-01-06T19:37:44.121-05:00

Finally some common sense! It has been absolutely absurd to read on and on and on about what the James boy was like or what his father did. the entire issue is what Coach Leach did, and what he did was punish an injured player. No excuse, and Leach should never coach kids again...ever.