In Need of a Moral Compass!

Posted on March 5, 2018 by Jim Tunney Ed.D

In need of a moral compass by Jim TunneyOn The TunneySide of Sports March 5,  2018 #682Up next…In Need of a Moral Compass!

After further review…As we enter what is known as “March Madness” we find an odd meaning to the word madness. With Rick Pitino out as the University of Louisville basketball coach due to an alleged recruiting scandal along and some 20 Division I colleges mentioned in an FBI investigation, will the madness make it through the month of March? Division I basketball has been operating under suspicious recruiting for many years. How will it get turned around?

While Pitino seems to capture the college basketball headlines, one can’t help but wonder who’s next?  This comes at a time when college basketball programs, their students, alumni, and fans look forward to an exciting March Madness. It certainly casts a shadow on college basketball. These investigations are not new. I’m sure Dr. Jim Naismith didn’t have to deal with this after he hung that peach basket on the barn door; but I know that during the time that I officiated college basketball at the Division I level, accusations and convictions took place. Remember the Coach Clair Bee scandal at Long Island University in the 1950s?

Incentives in recruiting college players in all sports have been in existence for decades, and undoubtedly will continue. And for what reason? The obvious answer can perhaps be found in the words pride and greed. Winning at all costs is the most plausible answer to those two deadly sins. Pride: “I want to be a winning coach no matter what the price.” Pride goeth before the fall sayeth the good book. Now I don’t want to get too biblical here, but the character of those involved in recruiting is vital to developing character in the athlete, which ought to be fundamental in a college education. The athlete will be in college for only a short time, but his life will be “forever.”

The greed in creating a winning T*E*A*M or a winning record can be a coach’s downfall. It is often said “There can be no success without fulfillment.” Maybe Bum Philips, former Houston Oilers head football coach, put it best, when he said about who’s a good coach: “He’s one who can take hisn and beat yourn; then take yourn and beat hisn!” I’ve worked with a lot of coaches in the sports world and admired those whose character I respected, whatever their record.

Will you log-in on coaches and/or athletes you stood for their character?

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To contact Jim, go to JimTunney.com or email Jim@JimTunney.com.

NEW: Jim’s new Podcast ‘TunneySide of Sports’ will be up and running shortly. Stay tuned. Meanwhile, he is available for speaking engagements. His bobblehead and books are listed on his website.

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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Old School

Posted on February 26, 2018 by Jim Tunney Ed.D

George-22Meadowlark22-LemonOn The TunneySide of Sports February 26,  2018 #681 Up next…”Old School”

After further review…A recent news story reported that a rookie NBA player is charging $199 for an autograph. It caught my attention. This player is less than one year from playing at the college level yet is drawing attention. We will allow him some anonymity since he is personally unknown to this writer. The article also contained information that he will not allow “selfies” or signing other memorabilia that an autograph seeker might request.

There are promoters who bring established athletes together for autograph sessions. Promoters charge a fee for those seeking autographs, and the athletes receive remuneration for their time, signatures and/or photos with the fans. Most always these athletes are well-known and retired from their playing days. But a rookie? Granted, in today’s sport’s world anybody with any kind of notoriety – good or bad – seems to draw a fan’s attention.

Some athletes disdain, avoid and are even rude to autograph seekers. Too bad. And yet, taking the side of those athletes, one must admit that they are often interrupted from their daily routines; e.g., shopping in a store or eating in a restaurant and the like. Let athletes be reminded that avoiding or ignoring autograph seekers, especially the young, is the wrong way to go. But, perhaps, that’s just “old school.”

Probably as well-known as the best of athletes was Harlem Globetrotter, Meadowlark Lemon. He tells the story on himself of a man carrying his young daughter, age 6. The Globetrotters had just finished a game and were at a black-only diner getting something to eat, when this fan approached Meadowlark and said, “My daughter wanted to meet you and give you a hug and a kiss. She loves you.” Granting her wish Meadowlark said, “Well, thank you, sweetheart. That’s nice.” The father said, “No, thank you Meadowlark. She has an illness and is dying.”

Maybe it’s “old school,” but we remind teachers, who may have a disruptive student in their classroom: how do we know that one day that student might just be the doctor who saves that teacher’s life? The kindness shown to others has its rewards. For athletes their fame is fleeting. And while their life in the limelight may last only a little while, they have a duty to be kind – even to those who are not mindful of their privacy.

Will you respect the value of another even though they may ignore yours?

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To contact Jim, go to JimTunney.com or email Jim@JimTunney.com.

NEW: Jim’s new Podcast ‘TunneySide of Sports’ will be up and running shortly. Stay tuned. Meanwhile, he is available for speaking engagements. His bobblehead and books are listed on his website.

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 | Leave a comment

The Philosophy of Kerr!

Posted on February 19, 2018 by Jim Tunney Ed.D

On the TunneySide of Sports February 19, 2018 # 680 Up Next…The Philosophy of Kerr!On The TunneySide of Sports February 19,  2018 #680 Up next…The Philosophy of Kerr!

After further review…Steve Kerr is the head basketball coach of the Golden State Warriors playing in the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association. I guess you knew that. He is 65, married to Margot and has three kids. He played basketball at Pali (Pacific Palisades) High in the Los Angeles School District and was recruited by the University of Arizona, where he played four years helping the Wildcats reach the Final Four In 1988. He was selected in the NBA second round by the Phoenix Suns and played for the Suns, Cavaliers, Magic, Bulls, and Spurs before becoming an analyst for TNT; then worked in the Suns front office. He is in his fourth year as Warriors head coach and has won two NBA championships.

Kerr is currently being criticized for delegating his time-out coaching responsibilities to his players on the Warriors T*E*A*M. This writer thinks that’s a brilliant move. First and foremost, by doing so he involves ownership of his on-court system to the players themselves. It doesn’t mean Kerr takes a seat in “nose-bleed” section of Oracle Arena. Far from that, he is sitting on the bench alongside his assistant coaches and within earshot of that designated player. We all learn better by doing (vs just listening) and understand better when we teach!

Some critics, particularly opponents, said it is disrespectful to them by allowing a player to discuss and explain on-court strategy to the five who are in-the-game. Nonsense! How much coaching do NBA players need anyway? These are the most gifted athletes playing the game. They have played since they were kids, all-through school games, with most playing in college and now in the NBA. They know how to play the game! Further, some say anybody can coach an NBA T*E*A*M. Hmm! Wonder why head coaches are fired so often?

Moreover, as Coach John Wooden of the U.C.L.A. Bruins (whose games I refereed for 11 years) would often say “Coaching takes place primarily in practice, in the meeting room, and on the court before the game. If you haven’t prepared your T*E*A*M well before the game, trying to do so during the game often becomes futile.” In this writer’s opinion, coaches ought to be seated on the bench and enjoy their preparatory efforts.

Will you log-in your opinion on Kerr’s coaching strategy?

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To contact Jim, go to JimTunney.com or email Jim@JimTunney.com.

NEW: Jim’s new Podcast ‘TunneySide of Sports’ will be up and running shortly. Stay tuned. Meanwhile, he is available for speaking engagements. His bobblehead and books are listed on his website.

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 Tunney Side of Sports Columns | Tagged | Leave a comment