A Calamity of Celebrations

Heroes and Goads: "In their exuberance and thirst for attention, some athletes today seem to be (victory) dancing all over the unwritten rules of sports etiquette." Read more at http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/20070129-9999-lz1s29celebra.html.

The fines that the NFL hands out for blatant displays of poor sportsmanship like Reggie Bush’s taunting of Brian Urlacher in the championship game and Terrell Owens' spitting incident will do nothing to stop this type of behavior. Expect to see more finger pointing when you score, and spitting in faces during the game in youth ball in the coming future. As long as children continue to observe these types of incidents from their heroes … they will emulate them.

Our kids desperately need to learn the right way to behave while playing sports, and it is obviously not going to come from watching the pro leagues.

STAR Sportsmanship Program Named Finalist by SIAA

STAR Sportsmanship -- which is a behavioral skills education program from Learning Through Sports, Inc. (the company I founded to combat poor sportsmanship and create software to help students in school) -- has another trophy in its case with a recent announcement from the Software Industry and Information Association (SIIA).

STAR was named a finalist in the prestigious 22nd Annual Codie Awards that celebrate outstanding achievement and vision in software development, digital information and education technology. STAR Sportsmanship and its companion program, STAR Coaching, were selected as a finalist in the category for Best Instruction Solution in Other Curriculum Areas.

Read more about the Codie Awards at www.siia.net/codies/2007/.

Learn more about STAR at www.learningthroughsports.com/star.html.

25th Annual Alabama Sports Festival

The 25th Annual Alabama Sports Festival will be held in the Birmingham Metro Area June 29 - July 1. More than 8,000 athletes will compete in 22 different sporting events. My company, Learning Through Sports, is proud to be a Gold Partner this year.

To read more about the Alabama Sports Festival, go to www.alagames.com.