Be Kind

 

Life is a difficult thing sometimes. You lose that job you really wanted. Your spouse isn't meeting your needs. Your parent is facing a terminal disease. You are at your wit's end. And at that moment you need kindness. We are all dealing with different challenges in our lives and sometimes it's more than one. You just need someone to listen to you or offer encouraging words. You need kindness. 

One of the easiest things for you to do for others is to be kind. It costs nothing. It takes minimal effort. If you can't be kind, just be supportive and listen. Sometimes a kind word can do so much for a person having a bad day. You always have the opportunity to make someone's day better. Don't add to someone's stress. Don't be an ass for the sake of being an ass. It's easy in this day and age to be a cynic and be discouraged. But if we all took a moment to help others by being kind, listening, or just giving a hug if a person is down for a hug, this world would be better. There are great examples of people helping others for no reason. The pay-it-forward lines at drive-thrus, (I know some people think you should just tip the people working the drive-thru but why not do both?), the list of 50 ways to be kind, or just giving someone a smile down the street. Not only will it make someone else's day, but it actually helps you too! 

I know this is brief but I just wanted to write to everyone, please be kind! And in the words of Mick Foley, "Have A Nice Day!"

It's Time To Make Revenue Sports In College Professional

 

December 5th, 2023, will go down as the day that NCAA President Charlie Baker finally realized what so many people have known since the early 2000s, student-athletes are more athletes than students. 

FBS Football and Division I Men's College Basketball players should be paid for the revenue they bring into their respective colleges. Men's football revenues for the Power 5 conferences far outpace the second-leading sport men's basketball. According to financial data from the 2022 fiscal year, the average college football program generated 31.9 million dollars of revenue while men's college basketball brought in 8.1 million dollars. Thirty-five non-revenue sports combined average to bring in 31.7 million dollars that year, two hundred thousand dollars less than football alone. 

Baker's proposal would create a new subdivision in college athletics that would be allowed to set its own rules for recruiting, roster sizes, transfers, and other policies. This would let the Power 5 secede from the rest of the FBS and create a feeder league to the pros for football and men's basketball. To be a part of this division schools would have to put millions of dollars a year into an educational trust for the athletes to use either during the summer or after their playing careers are over. The schools would be required to pay athletes a minimum of 30 thousand dollars a semester per athlete for at least half of their athletes. Schools could provide more athletes money and more than the minimum if they want to. It would also not require athletes to graduate to receive the money.   That's all and great but another part of the proposal is where a lot of trouble will come from.

Due to Title IX regulations, women's sports would have to be compensated at the same rate as men's sports including money from NIL according to Baker's proposal. Women's sports do not generate the money that men's sports do especially the sports of football and men's basketball. Should sports that fail to generate ticket sales or TV deals of the big two sports still be allowed to get an equal share of the money? 

This murky area is where the NCAA will have to work on this proposal with Congress and federal regulators. A 15-year study by the NCAA showed that most schools' athletics departments are operating on losses. This model is not sustainable for all the schools especially schools in the Group of 5 conferences. (The Group of 5 conferences are the American, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, and Sun Belt.) The new Power 4 (ACC, Big Ten, Big XII, and SEC) can afford these new payments because of the revenue they generate with conference TV deals and bowl payouts. 

The lines are being drawn that will forever change college athletics. The model we grew up with will be on the trash heap of history. Student-athletes will receive thousands if not millions of dollars before they even go pro. The model proposed by Baker is only the beginning. It is not the end of the journey of financial compensation for athletes. A long road is ahead of everyone to work out a model that will officially make parts of college athletics professional. 

Why Ted Lasso Is Right About Anxiety and Sports

 

****Season 2 Spoilers Ahead For Ted Lasso****

The show Ted Lasso is a critical and fan-favorite because it works on so many levels. It's a fish-out-of-water story mixed with a plucky underdog story, a splash of social commentary, and mental health. The main characters all deal with their mental health in different ways and it isn't until Dr. Sharon Fieldstone appears in season two that a lot of the mental health of the team is addressed. 

The season starts with star Dani Rojas killing the team mascot on a penalty kick causing him to go into a downward spiral ending in the yips. His guilt over the death radically affects the play of one of Richmond FCs best players. It isn't until he goes to Dr. Fieldstone that he finally gets the help he needs. All the players start talking to Dr. Fieldstone and eventually, Ted ends up in her office after a panic attack during a critical game. His distrust of therapy is eventually worn down by the persistent doctor who also realizes things about her life during therapy. This is monumental for Ted.

Ted's character is absolutely lovable. He's an Andy Griffith in London who happens to be a soccer coach. His great speeches throughout the series are memorable and heartfelt. He seems to have it all together. But his father's death has an effect he does not want to acknowledge and pushes him to a breaking point. He has his first attack during a party and then the aforementioned panic attack during a critical match. It's not until he confronts his issues that he moves forward. The finale of season 2 has Ted acknowledging that the media needs to do a better job of covering mental health and anxiety in sports. 

Mental health and anxiety treatments are essential today and it's new ground that athletes today are treading. An Ole Miss player named DeSanto Rollins filed a lawsuit against Ole Miss and Lane Kiffin this year due to treatment over mental health.  Simone Biles famously suffered mental health issues during the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo which led to a new conversation about mental health in athletes.  Studies are coming out showing that college athletes are experiencing higher levels of mental health issues and more articles are coming out about this sensitive topic. College Athletes are committing suicide. And this is very troubling.

Athletes today are exposed more to fans than at any time in the history of organized sports. Social media brings out the worst in fans including death threats. Read any popular athlete's comments on their tweets, Instagram pics, TikToks, or Facebook posts and you'll see vile comments. They are exposed to an endless news cycle. The only escape they seem to have is by escaping their devices. There are several stories of phone numbers getting leaked for prominent coaches and athletes. They have no escape. They live in a bubble on campus. They cannot have a normal life. They are going to need someone to talk to and not judge them. Someone who will allow them to vent. That is why more colleges are setting up programs for the athletes.

Ted Lasso's approach to this difficult subject is to be commended. Athletes on all levels need help and therapy options. They need people they can trust who are professionally trained. Athletes need help in dealing with a difficult time of their life when their brains are still forming and they essentially live in a bubble. It's a different day and age. I know a lot of the old-school athletes want to say, "Toughen up, Buttercup." But the days of running around on your wife and no one saying anything about it are over. Athletes today have to deal with smartphones with cameras. They are one viral social media post away from infamy. It's a new day and age and we need to approach it as such. Ted Lasso is just opening the door to this conversation. Thank you, Ted. 

If you or someone you know needs mental health, please call 988 for the suicide and crisis helpline. They have great mental health professionals available 24/7. There is no shame in needing help.