All players, from Jose Reyes and Prince Fielder, with their new multi-million dollar contracts, to Matt Harvey and Sean Gilmartin, attending their first major league spring training, will begin to forge their future in baseball. These veteran players, and the younger ones, are focused on building their bodies back into peak physical shape, hoping to build on past success, yearning again to accomplish dreams set when they were mere young boys, i.e. to play professional baseball.

This rite of spring attracts thousands of fans who get to see the players’ efforts played out on supremely green and well-manicured fields. Those fans, young and old, also yearn. For them the yearning is to catch a glimpse of their favorite players and teams.

As captured in the wonders of Spring Training, hope is eternal and confidence is abounded. Spring Training provides a unique opportunity to create strong family bonds and teach our children some of sport’s most important characteristics, its essence, “goals, effort, joy, and achievement”. The entire shared experience is designed to enrich each of us individually, as families, and as communities.

These shared experiences are not lost on Major League Baseball, as it continually promotes fan-friendly initiatives designed to positively teach and influence children and entertain adults throughout the baseball universe. We applaud those efforts and wish everyone the best of luck this season.

For further information Major League Baseball spring training events, please refer to the Florida Grape Fruit League or the Arizona Cactus League official websites.

(Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press/AP Photo)

We have been lost in a whirlwind of puns and wordplay on Jeremy’s name and background, some good (Linsanity, Lincredible), some not so good (Amasian, Criminal Lintent). We have enjoyed the good wins and great plays by Jeremy and his teammates. We have basked in the glow of the underdog’s story. When it comes down to it, we have been experiencing sports.

Jeremy’s story captures so much of what we love about sports. Its ability to galvanize the attention of all different types of people. I was watching a game recently with a United Nations-like crowd – African-Americans, Italians, half-Chinese/half-Caucasian, Korean, Indian, etc. High-fives were taking place between all of us. We were none of the nationalities at that moment. We were Knick fans and fans of a great story.

So upon this first loss – and there will be others – we acknowledge Linsanity and hope that it continues for us and that every sports fan can have a Jeremy Lin on their favorite basketball, baseball, football, soccer team.

It has been a wondrous experience to watch this low profile player - an undrafted rookie from Harvard who was way down on the bench about a week ago. Today, he has people wearing shirts in his honor, chanting MVP, and driving up ticket prices to see him play. And tomorrow night, Jeremy will not be dreaming when he lines up against NBA superstar Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers.

There are an array of stories about Jeremy Lin, some speaking to his Harvard backgroud, some to him being Asian-American, some eyeing him as the next wunderkind underdog, a la Tim Tebow, and some mentioning all three. The story is a great one for all of those reasons and so many more. As a Knick fan, I think the story is great because the team is winning. And that’s what Jeremy seems to care about…being a great teammate who helps his team win.

So when you watch Lin, yes, go ahead and bask in the shining light of our “here and gone, blink of eye” media. But when the media moves on, don’t forget Lin and all those like him who are living their dream for they represent the essence of sports, i.e. goals, effort, joy, and achievement. Go Jeremy!!

Please click here to read the story that opened up our eyes to Jeremy (SI, Feb. 2010) And for a quick look of Jeremy at work, check out this video.

(photo: H. Darr Beiser, USA TODAY)

And unfortunately the moronic in our society lobbed hateful mail, email, text, tweets, etc. at these guys. The criticism being of a personal nature, sometimes directed at their families. This is supposed to be Sports Doing Good, right? What is so good about this situation? And how does this help make Williams and Cundiff great leaders. We had the same questions.

We have always looked at sports as something someone does NOT have to be good at. Be good at school? Absolutely. Your life is often determined by how well you do in school, or at least, how well you learn a particular skill, trade, way of doing things. But sports? We play because we like it. We want to get better, sure, but will life be radically different if we weren’t? Probably not. And that is why I admire those involved in sports, especially those who are young. Each step in the progression as an athlete is a step in their progression as a person, and as a leader. In sports you challenge yourself to do better. You overcome obstacles, internal and external, to figure out how to make a certain pass, play defense, throw a ball. You learn how to work with others, share responsbility, be accountable, and strive to make others better. Those are traits not reserved to the soccer field or the baseball diamond. They are traits we see in the best people in our society, those we see as true leaders in any field or endeavor.

In some professions, your progression to the top of the field comes up with great wealth but also with great attention. From CEOs to actors to singers to wide receivers to field goal kickers, people know who you are and in their own ways, are dependent on you. (another characteristic that comes with being a leader.) That might financial dependence or just their feeling about a team or life in general. That is a lot to handle since you as a leader probably don’t know 99% of these people. Another characteristic of a leader.

Who would want to be exposed to this type of responsbility? Well, turns out it is those who excel at what they do and have the courage to do it in the face of the risk of great failure. Most fans bemoan how much athletes make or are jealous of their position on a team (not just pro, even college teams). “I would play for the Yankees for free.” Really? We don’t think so. Because other than the fact it is a job and no one works for free, the responsbilities inherent in those jobs are enormous. Maybe not every moment of every day but surely when you are in overtime of the NFC Champtionship Game or with 11 seconds left in the AFC Championship Game.

Whether the person is successful or fails in that moment does not define if they are a leader. Their response to the result does. And this goes for their teammates as well. What we saw from Kyle Williams and Billy Cundiff, and from their teammates on the 49ers and Ravens, was admirable. They answered questions from the throng of media who were peppering them with the same questions over and over. Their teammates came out to talk about the team nature of the sport, how they won and lost together.

If you were a Giant or Patriots fan it was a great day. For the 49ers and Ravens, not so much. And for Kyle Williams and Billy Cundiff, maybe the worst day of their lives. However, as the saying goes, “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” These gentleman faced a great challenge and will do so again many times in their life. Though they failed once, their experience will strengthen them for the future, giving them the capacity to achieve even more in their lives. So even if they don’t feel it now, they have taken a great step toward being great leaders. We should all be so lucky.

(Cundiff photo: Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff)

The story is told by BYUtv, an initiaive of Brigham Young University in Utah. Launched in 2000, BYUtv is “committed to providing uplifting and entertaining programming that enables its viewers to see the good in the world around them.” We at Sports Doing Good obviously love that idea. What we are also impressed by is the initiative of BYU to take ownership of the message it is trying to promote in each day on its campus and in its surrounding world. We have seen in sports a proliferation of regional sports networks and single sports networks. The idea behind this growth being that we – team, league, or region – have a story to tell and we think we are best at telling it. And we think we have a financial model that makes our venture sustainable.

It was great to see this video on Street Soccer USA, another venture that involved seeing someone say, “Hey, we think we can do something better than what is currently out there.” It is the essence of entrepreneurship, whether your motive is pure profit, pure charity, or a combination. And sometimes, such entrepreneurs come together to tell a great story like this one.

The segment on Street Soccer can be found at about the 4 minute mark. http://byutv.org/watch/48ccfbdd-6a01-4247-bf83-212f961e41e5

We were thinking about how that idea and Dr. King’s messages resonate in the world of sports. There are so many ways. Sports, for the most part, is a meritocracy. The way you look, the people you know, the country you come from has no bearing on whether that shot you take on a basketball court will go in. It will depend on your skills, borne from your effort to be the best you can be.

We took it a step further and looked at Dr. King’s most famous phrase, “I have a dream.” By breaking down the elements of the transcendant statement, we can further appreciate how society, including sports, can best direct its efforts.

“I” – Dr. King did not generalize here and say “we have a dream” or “people can dream.” He was very clear. “I.” This proclamation of identification is a right possessed by me, by you, by everyone. Each person has a right to be recognized, to be respected, to have their ideas heard, their dreams be fulfilled.

“Have” – Dr. King was claiming ownership. “Have.” We each want to possess things, some material, much intangible. I would like to have a house, a car, and other wordly possessions. However, I really want to have happiness, good health, a loving family, great friends, etc. It is not enough that these ideas exist. Each of us has a right to possess or “have” these things. And with that possession comes responsibility, responsibility to cherish it, to sustain it, share it, and ideally, make it available to others.

“A” – Dr. King did not have “the” dream. It was not one dream. It was “a” dream, one of many. While the dream he talked about was one of great importance, it is but one. And that is because life offers so many great possibilities, so many opportunities to better ourselves, to achieve things big and small, to help others, etc. Why limit ourselves to one dream? By using “a” and not “the” or any other limiting term, we can assume that Dr. King, like the rest of us, had many dreams, personal and for others. And that is the blessing of life, that we can aspire for, and achieve, so much.

“Dream” – Dr. King used one of the most uplifting words in the English language. When we dream we aspire, long for, wish; we are encouraged, motivated, driven, inspired, uplifted. We see things beyond the here and now, giving us something in which to find comfort, both in the idea and the possibilities inherent in that idea. Dreams are possible and Dr. King was making his dream known to millions for he saw its potential and the great probability that it could be achieved. It wouldn’t be easy, but it was surely possible.

When it comes to sports, each of these words, and the phrase itself, are familiar. Yes, there is no “I” in team, but there is in initative, inspiration, and victory. We claim ownership of goals, wishes, hopes, yes, dreams, from the time we are little kids to adulthood, whether that adulthood has us playing professionally or just for fun. Sports is very much about content of one’s character and not the color of one’s skin. The only color we should care about is that of our uniform or that of our favorite team. We are not so small-minded to dispossess someone of their opportunity in life to achieve whatever they have set out for themselves and for others. Much like a coach, Dr. King was setting out a vision for himself and for others. And much like players on a team, it is our job to execute.

Martin Luther King – I Have A Dream Speech – August 28, 1963 

January is National Mentoring Month. Take a moment to congratulate yourself because even if you haven’t thought about being a mentor, you have probably held that position as a family member, friend, coach, boss, professor, teammate or professional/personal advisor. Or you actually held the title of mentor. I had the honor of being a mentor for 3 years in the Fulfillment Fund in Los Angeles, an organization that identifies teens with a shortage of resources but not initiative and pairs them with someone who can provide the type of guidance essential to mine the various challenges in our modern society. Believe me, the mentor gets just as much value in enlightened perspective and fun times as the mentee.

Our industry and its array of members have a natural connection to being mentors. We can serve as coaches to players, as advisors to new employees at leagues/teams, companies, organizations, and non-profits, via our alumni associations to current and former students, as former players to current players, and industry leaders to those just finding their way. The mentor relationship can be formal – with regularly scheduled points of interaction or more informal, where giving 30 minutes of career advice ont time can provide a lifetime of value.

Mentoring has always been important. What makes now different? Why should those in sports do more? Well I think at least most of us recognize how fast life has become, how busy we all are, that taking time out to consider the plight of others gets lost in the whirlwind of activity. In a tight economy, it is natural to focus on “getting mine” instead of helping others “get theirs.” But this is precisely when an outsider’s perspective, advice, well-time words of encouragement can make the difference in a person’s life. And why sports? We are an industry built on teamwork, on seniors helping freshman, of alumni rooting for the next generation of players. And we are part of a professional environment that demands greater knowledge and skills than in the past. Many times those essential tools are best delivered not by books but rather those who have gained them through experience.

So as we make resolutions about what we will do more of, better of, or in the case of vices, less of in 2012, please keep in mind something that you are naturally capable of doing. Find time to mentor. It will make you a better person and give us a better industry.

About National Mentoring Month
Created in 2002 by the Harvard School of Public Health and MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership, National Mentoring Month focuses national attention on the need for mentors, as well as how each of us—individuals, businesses, government agencies, schools, faith communities and nonprofits—can work together to increase the number of mentors to assure brighter futures for our young people.

To learn more about National Mentoring Month, how to be a mentor, and other ways to contribute, please click here.

What regular coverage of those young and old in sports does is serve as a learning tool for others. We see and hear stories, maybe even experience them. No matter how we are touched by the stories, we are often spurred to action. ”Pay it forward” or “play it forward” when it comes to sports. No matter how you say it, acts like the ones highlighted by this top 10 list are inspiring, motivating, and items we should point to as successes when it comes to sports and society.

Have a read. And then let’s all do something just as worthy of recognition, whether we actually get it or not.

(From PR Newswire)

Liberty Mutual Insurance and Positive Coaching Alliance Announce “Top 10 Responsible Sports Moments” for 2011

The “Top 10 Responsible Sports Moments” campaign is the latest initiative from Responsible Sports™, a community-based thought leadership program developed by Liberty Mutual, PCA and several national youth sports organizations to spark
dialogue about responsibility through sports and to provide resources, tools, tips and advice to youth sports coaches and parents.

“People have the opportunity to do responsible things every day.  Liberty Mutual recognizes those actions in both our day-to-day business as well as through the community programs we organize and support,” added Greg Gordon, Liberty Mutual senior vice president, Consumer Marketing.  “We are delighted so many shining moments that reflect the values and mission of Responsible Sports were nominated and we hope the ‘Top 10 Responsible Sports Moments’ will help to spotlight and encourage the positive
values that sports can instill in our children.”

The public can learn more about the “Top 10 Moments” on www.ResponsibleSports.com and the program’s Facebook page, www.Facebook.com/ResponsibleSports.

About Responsible Sports

Liberty Mutual founded the Responsible Sports program as a means to celebrate the positive impact that every day, responsible actions can have on our youth. As a responsible insurance company, Liberty Mutual believes that youth sport coaching and youth sport parenting are clear examples of how people can unite to promote the fundamental ideals of community.

Presented in partnership with PCA , the American Softball Association, US Youth Soccer, USA Hockey, USA Wrestling and the American Youth Soccer Organization, Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports is a community-based program providing resources, tools, tips and advice for volunteer youth sport coaches and sport parents.  The Responsible Sports program offers parents and coaches constructive tips, expert advice and practical examples to help create a positive sports environment for children.  Liberty Mutual also has provided more than $400,000 in grants to youth sports teams, organizations and schools for community participation in the online Responsible Sports curriculum.  To access the Responsible Sports resources, see previous Responsible Sports grant winners, and register your league or school for the Responsible Sports grant program, visit www.ResponsibleSports.com.

Teams or organizations representing any youth sport are eligible for a Responsible Sports grant.

About Liberty Mutual Insurance

“Helping people live safer, more secure lives” since 1912, Boston-based Liberty Mutual Group is a diversified global insurer and the third largest property and casualty insurer in the U.S. based on A.M. Best Company’s report of 2010 net written premium.  The Group also ranks 82nd on the Fortune 500 list of largest U.S. corporations, based on 2010 revenue.  The company has over 45,000 employees located in more than 900 offices throughout the world.

The eighth-largest auto and home insurer in the U.S., Liberty Mutual Insurance (libertymutual.com) sells full lines of coverage for automobile, homeowners, valuable possessions, personal liability, and individual life insurance.  The company is an industry leader in affinity partnerships, offering car and home insurance to employees and members of more than 13,500 companies, credit unions, professional associations and alumni groups.

About Positive Coaching Alliance

Founded as a non-profit within the Stanford University Athletic Department in 1998, Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) is committed to providing all youth and high school athletes a positive, character-building youth sports experience.  To that end, PCA has conducted more than 10,000 live group workshops nationwide for more than 475,000 youth and high school sports coaches, parent, student-athletes and school/organizational leaders.  Through workshops and companion online courses, PCA has impacted more than 4 million youth.

PCA’s partnership network includes more than 1,700 youth sports organizations, cities and schools.  In 2011, PCA will conduct roughly 1,200 live group workshops across the U.S., while assisting tens of thousands of other individuals via online courses at www.PositiveCoach.org.

Web Site: http://www.ResponsibleSports.com

Bryan Smith for New York Daily News

We have seen more and more stories over the past few years in sports addressing the issue of brain health, whether the physical – concussions – and the mental – our health, mood, thinking, memory. These stories have often followed the work done by the researchers at Boston University’s Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy and by others around the country who are studying brain injury, concussions, player safety, and preventative measures. In addition, the cases of athletes such as baseball players Zach Greinke, Khalil Greene and Joey Votto; football player Ricky Williams, and several other elite and amateur athletes have shined a light on the issue of depression, social anxiety order, and mental illness in general, generating even more stories.

Our most valuable asset as a human being, i.e. our brain, allows us to take in information, process, and react. This is truly a remarkable thing. It is what separates as human being from all others. However, when that asset is damaged, our short term and long-term health is compromised. In some cases the cause of the damage may be non-sports related (biology may be the cause) and sports is but the environment which exacerbates the problem (often it can be a source of comfort and recovery). However, we have seen clearly in some cases that sports is at least a contributing factor to the damage done to the human brain. And after some hand-wringing some sports entities, e.g. the NFL, are coming around. And with their new found enlightenment we see others follow suit, e.g. at the college, high school and grassroots levels, when it comes to changing rules and policies to better serve the athlete.

It seems, though, that we will have to wait for some more evidence – does that mean deaths? – before we see significant action in the NHL and by significant, we mean a ban on fighting. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was quoted in the article saying when it came to fighting in hockey, “If you polled our fans, probably more would say they think it’s part of the game and should be retained.”

There are a couple of problems with that statement. First, commissioners and other executives in sports are not ones to put so much value into what fans think when it comes to league policy. They do what is best for the owners and the players. How do I know? Because they say all the time at conferences I have been to and where the average fan is nowhere to be seen. Sure they care about what fans think, but are not moved so much to enact policies they don’t agree with. Second, is the word “if”. This implies that the League has NOT done that survey. Thankfully, others have. Earlier this year, in an Angus Reid Public Opinion poll, there was agreement that head shots should be taken out of the game but when it came to fighting there was disagreement betweens fans of the sport and the general public. And there is the rub. Who should the League listen to, if it listens to anyone?

This is certainly not an easy problem to solve. But what the story of Derek Boogaard and others tell us is that we must do what is right when it comes to the brain health of our pro, college, HS and youth athletes. The NFL has come around. When will the NHL?

(New York Times video on brain trauma and other risks of violent sports – http://video.nytimes.com/video/2011/12/03/sports/hockey/100000001191908/blood-on-the-ice.html)

You know, that all may be true. But we should not be dissuaded from trying to achieve that wondrous goal. Peace in every community, state, or region all over the world? Maybe not. But our efforts can find success on a smaller scale and those victories are definitely worth celebrating.

One of the organizations we have long-admited is the Peres Center for Peace. The Peres Center is “Israel’s leading non-profit organization promoting peacebuilding between Israel and its Arab neighbors, and in particular between Israelis and Palestinians. Founded in 1996 by the President of Israel and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shimon Peres, the Peres Center conducts dozens of projects, involving thousands of Israelis and Palestinians, fostering socio-economic cooperation and people-to-people interaction.”

One of its great programs is the Twinned Peace Sports Schools. We include below an announcement regarding the commencement of its 9th year. Peace on earth? Just maybe.

The longest running coexistence youth sport project in the Middle East has begun its 9th year of activities. Muslim, Christian and Jewish boys and girls throughout Israel and the West Bank have begun practicing in different sporting fields (football, basketball and wheelchair basketball) and joining together for activities that include peace education, language games in Arabic/Hebrew, and sport activities in mixed groups. One of the first joint activities this year was the wheelchair basketball team which marked the opening of its third year of  joint activities. Coming from different backgrounds and having a very different range of abilities, this unique group is overcoming not only incredible physical and mental challenges, but also the barriers that are a result of the conflict. Over the past two years, this group has created their own oasis of peace and the results can be seen in the strong bonds between team members, demonstrated by Chani, an Israeli participant, who was worried about her Palestinian friend Wafa who could not make it to the activity. Another grand opening was the second year of activities for the football team from Ein Karem (Jewish) and Ein Rafa (Arab). The girls were honored by the presence of Israeli team and Premier League player Sarit Shna’ar, who inspired them with her story and challenged them with her high level practice drills – proving to the girls that “the sky is the limit” – in football and in life! The Peres Center staff looks forward to another fruitful year of new friendships, great team work, and a lot of fun!