Friday Night Lights Dimming

Posted on August 26, 2019 by Jim Tunney Ed.D
Friday Night Lights Dimming - TunneySide of Sports

On the TunneySide of Sports August 26, 2019, #758 Friday Night Lights Dimming

After further review… An article, actually more of a “want ad,” appeared in our local newspaper (The Monterey County Herald): “Officials Needed.” The article went on to say that our local high schools on the California Central Coast were planning to move some of their usual Friday night games to Thursdays due to lack of game officials. Although the pay is minimal, there are other reasons that some folks are avoiding this responsibility. The 2019 football season has started!

Men and women who once officiated high school sports (and youth leagues) are not stepping  forward to perform those duties, and the high school leagues are suffering. There may be several reasons for this dearth of officials, but mainly we hear that it’s verbal, and, in some cases, physical abuse of officials. It is out of control! Officials have stated they are fearful for their lives. Other reasons may be a poor pay scale, too many other duties, family needs, etc.

It certainly was different in my beginnings of officiating. I had the privilege of accompanying my dad to high school and college games he officiated (in the 1930s and 1940s). The pay was not much then. In fact, when the profession of officiating first started, coaches from one high school would officiate another’s high schools games for free and then those coaches would reciprocate. The profession soon began to pay, although with minimal amounts since schools had to budget for it. It’s still that way today.

I began officiating about age 19, while still in college doing intramural games  – for free, just for experience. Then moved onto what was called “industrial leagues,” guys who were playing after work just for the exercise. My pay at that time was .90 cents per game. It was that same pay (90 cents) for summer league school games. Graduating from college in 1951, I joined our local football and basketball officials association and was assigned high school games with the pay at $12.50 per game. Many weeks I would work three games – Thursday night, Friday afternoon and another Friday night. That $37.50 per week sure helped.  I loved it!

Moving onto college level the pay got better. Then, in 1960 I was recruited to officiate in the National Football League with, of course, an increase in game fees. I was honored to be included. My first year’s salary was $1800 for the season with travel and per diem paid.

However, it was my love of the game that retained me. Did I have to endure fans and coaches verbal abuse? Of course! One simply has to ignore that and enjoy the opportunity to work with young athletes. It’s the love of the game and a strong self-confidence that matters.

Will you log-in your concerns about the lack – and need – of school game officials today?

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BOOK SIGNING
“Yet Another 101 Best of TunneySide of Sports” is available at River House Books at 208 Crossroads Blvd, Carmel. Dr. Tunney will be there on Sunday, September 8th from 2-4 PM to meet and greet and book signing.

Jim’s thirteenth book and the third in a series ‘Yet Another 101 Best of TunneySide of Sports’ was published July 1st. To order a personally autographed copy with free shipping, please send a check for $20 to Jim Tunney Youth Foundation P.O. Box 1440 Pebble Beach, CA. 93953 or use PayPal.

This offer is available to the continental United States only.

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Another 101 Best of TunneySide of Sports

 To contact Jim, go to JimTunney.com or email Jim@JimTunney.com. Jim’s books are full of inspiration and interesting stories. Please visit his online store to learn more. Be sure to get Jim’s book ‘Another 101 Best of TunneySide of Sports’ by clicking this link or using the email above to contact Jim directly. These TunneySides take issues from real-life situations and relate them as inspiration for the betterment of others. Jim is available for speaking engagements on leadership and T*E*A*M Building. His books are available for $20 which includes shipping and tax. The Tunney Bobblehead is available for $30. Please visit JimTunney.com. Thank you!

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Will play by my rules!

Posted on August 19, 2019 by Jim Tunney Ed.D

On the TunneySide of Sports August 19, 2019 #757 Up next...”Will play by my rules!”On the TunneySide of Sports August 19, 2019, #757 “Will play by my rules!”

After further review… If the NFL preseason hasn’t stimulated your interest perhaps the antics of wide-receiver Antonio Brown #84, now employed by the Oakland Raiders for $30 million will. Fans want their favorites to do well and emerge as the season progresses. Of course, the standard approach is for players to immerse themselves in training camp and pre-season workouts. Some star players are held out of the pre-season games to avoid injury and thus be in their best shape in November and December when games are important. Then there’s “AB.”

AB is what his teammates call him when he’s there. Problem is that AB didn’t show-up for Raiders’ workouts or practices, until last week. You may recall that Brown was traded from the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for a third and fifth-round selection in the 2019 draft. The Steelers had signed Brown in 2010 with a signing bonus of $73 million, but he became a disciplinary problem that culminated in an argument with Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. After the Raiders signed him, Brown had burnt his feet by not wearing the proper footwear when he entered cryotherapy. His feet became frostbitten. Kinda like the last time you climbed Mount Everest in flip-flops, Hey, it could happen to any of us!

Then, Brown refused to wear the league-approved helmet. He wanted to wear his helmet, called a Schutt Air Advantage, which he had been wearing the last few years. Trouble is, the NFL is adamant about player safety, especially head injuries and thus revised the rule this year that helmets must be approved by the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOSCAE). Brown refused to comply by saying “I don’t even have to play football. If they want me to play, they’re going to play by my rules. Ooops!

Brown filed suit against the NFL. However, as of this writing, the helmet issue has been resolved. That decision said players cannot practice or play with equipment that’s not NFL approved. Brown responded with, “While I disagree with the arbitrator’s decision, I’m working on getting back to full health and rejoining my teammates on the field.” Stay tuned.

Football, as well as the real-world, doesn’t work very well if the employees will only play/work under their rules. While NFL teams are not required to operate under the “Shared Governance” model, most T*E*A*M’s management work in a cooperative environment with players when establishing rules, regulations, and policies. Some are league-imposed and thus are mandatory.

Will you comment on whether AB and the Raiders can survive together?

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Jim’s thirteenth book and the third in a series ‘Yet Another 101 Best of TunneySide of Sports’ was published July 1st. To order a personally autographed copy with free shipping, please send a check for $20 to Jim Tunney Youth Foundation P.O. Box 1440 Pebble Beach, CA. 93953 or use PayPal.

This offer is available to the continental United States only.

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 To contact Jim, go to JimTunney.com or email Jim@JimTunney.com. Jim’s books are full of inspiration and interesting stories. Please visit his online store to learn more. Another 101 Best of TunneySide of Sports Be sure to get Jim’s book ‘Another 101 Best of TunneySide of Sports’ by clicking this link or using the email above to contact Jim directly. These TunneySides take issues from real-life situations and relate them as inspiration for the betterment of others. Jim is available for speaking engagements on leadership and T*E*A*M Building. His books are available for $20 which includes shipping and tax. The Tunney Bobblehead is available for $30. Please visit JimTunney.com. Thank you!

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Blindsided!

Posted on August 12, 2019 by Jim Tunney Ed.D

brian banks movieOn the TunneySide of Sports August 12, 2019, #756 Blindsided!!

After further review… For 31 years on the NFL field, my responsibility was to ensure that justice was done with integrity. It was never important to me which T*E*A*M won, only that the game was played fairly within the rules. That same principle held true on the campus in my role as teacher, coach or principal. Being in the school environment for more than 30 years, it was important for me to support, guide and encourage students to do the right thing. Yet, young people find ways to manipulate the facts to “cover their tracks.” Mostly learned.

The story of Brian Banks surfaced in 2002 when he was arrested and charged with rape. Allegedly Banks, a promising southern California high school football star, dragged a classmate, Wanetta Gibson, into their school stairwell and had forcible sex with her. Faced with the possibility of a 40 years-to-life sentence, Banks’ lawyer persuaded him to accept a plea deal that put him behind bars for 62 months, to be followed by 5 years’ probation. The remainder of his life would be lived as a registered sex offender and branded with an electronic monitor. Banks dream of playing college football (the University of Southern California, with Pete Carroll as head coach, had offered him a scholarship) and hopefully in the NFL, was shattered.

The Gibson family sued the school district and won a $1.5 million settlement. However, once Banks had served his prison sentence and was released, he was “friended” on Facebook by Wanetta who said she made up the rape charge and admitted that what happened was consensual! (Note: The school district has recouped the money.) The NFL has removed “blindsided blocks” from its game. Evidently, society has yet to follow.

However, the proliferation of child molestation, domestic violence and sexual assaults today is beyond anything expected in a civilized society. The damage done to victims is tragic and lifelong. Given the nature of sexual assaults, we tend to side with the victim. Justice must serve both sides.

Banks has moved on. His dream of playing in the NFL was unsuccessful, even though, after his exoneration, six NFL teams offered him tryouts including the Seattle Seahawks under the leadership of Carroll. The NFL did step-up and employed Banks in their operations department. Banks responded, “I am honored to say I have taken an amazing position with the NFL.”

He has since moved on with his life. The movie Brian Banks was released in theatres last Friday, August 9th, 2019. It’s a movie that will inform and inspire you!

Will you ensure that justice is served for all involved?

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Jim’s thirteenth book and the third in a series ‘Yet Another 101 Best of TunneySide of Sports’ was published July 1st. To order a personally autographed copy with free shipping, please send a check for $20 to Jim Tunney Youth Foundation P.O. Box 1440 Pebble Beach, CA. 93953 or use PayPal.

This offer is available to the continental United States only.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

 To contact Jim, go to JimTunney.com or email Jim@JimTunney.com. Jim’s books are full of inspiration and interesting stories. Please visit his online store to learn more. Another 101 Best of TunneySide of Sports Be sure to get Jim’s book ‘Another 101 Best of TunneySide of Sports’ by clicking this link or using the email above to contact Jim directly. These TunneySides take issues from real-life situations and relate them as inspiration for the betterment of others. Jim is available for speaking engagements on leadership and T*E*A*M Building. His books are available for $20 which includes shipping and tax. The Tunney Bobblehead is available for $30. Please visit JimTunney.com. Thank you!

Posted in Sports, Tunney Side of Sports Columns | Tagged | Leave a comment