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THE SOFTENING OF AMERICAN PRO & COLLEGE ATHLETES INFLUENCES THE SOFTENING OF ALL AMERICANS


LESSON: Stop permitting Baseball All-Star vote-getters to decline playing, NBA Load Management to occur, and College Football Bowl Game opt-outs – players and teams.


Last week it was nice to see the American League finally win the Major League Baseball All-Star game for a change, but it was disappointing so many stars did not participate, many due to real injuries but many due to “rest and preparation of the second half of the season.” Can you imagine Pete Rose sitting out an All-Star game? More likely, he would still run over the catcher to score the final run leaving the fans in shock of his insane commitment to the game.


The NBA now fully implements load management to rest its stars to hopefully perform better later in the season. It’s so bad, the league had to implement rules and fines for violations. Can you imagine Michael Jordan saying, “Coach I’m not playing tonight because I want to rest?” What Michael did say is, “Every night there is a kid and his dad in the stands who has never seen me play” and he’s going to give it everything he has to respect them, not to mention the ridiculous ticket prices!


Now college football players skip their bowl games so they don’t get hurt for the NFL draft, instead of committing to playing to the end with their brothers who blocked for them, and who practiced hard against them, so they would have the opportunity to be a star. Last year Penn State had four starters opt out of the Pinstripe Bowl against Clemson. Terrible.


Finally, entire college football programs are refusing to allow their players to accept a bowl bid because the school wants to begin recruiting earlier or manipulate the coaching positions. Last year, Iowa State determined it would forgo its bowl bid because of a coaching change and “a belief that a bowl game would distract from long-term rebuilding efforts under new leadership.” Horrible. They didn’t think about the kid, not a star, who just gave his entire four years of incredible work and discipline to earn his brothers the opportunity to enjoy the rewards of a bowl game.


The Softening of American pro and college athletes and programs bleeds down into the fabric of our citizens. 14-year-old kids with shoe contracts, Mom & Dad feeling they must shell out thousands for the travel team and hiring the attorneys and agents to make sure the kid’s interests are properly represented. Tragic.


There’s a great Martinovich Family story told over and over about how I had a 104-degree before the junior-high basketball championships and it looked like I wouldn’t be able to play. But, my mother, Charlene, would hear nothing of that! She created her own large ice bath, and I did the submersion while crying and in shock. When she thought the timing was sufficient, I emerged, and she forgot to check the temperature again. We won the game and to this day we constantly all laugh about that story when someone in the family begins to express an ounce of self-pity or wimpyness. “Get Charlene to give you an ice bath!” At 85, Charlene still roars.


This week make sure the kids watch Rudy, Hoosiers, and a little Miracle. Have a great week!


Speaking Engagements: www.jeffmartinovich.com





 
 
 

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