Category: ethics

Coach K on #BlackLivesMatter

Very few College Gymnastics coaches have had the guts to say Black Lives Matter #BlackLivesMatter in their recent statements.

They fear alienating students / parents / employees fearful of changing the systemic racism in their schools.

Legendary Basketball coach Coach K (Michael William Krzyzewski) calls out those cowards.  His so called peers in collegiate coaching.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

 

 

Gymnastics branded masks from TEN-O

I’ve yet to hear of any gymnasts trying to train in a mask, but many coaches are wearing them during the COVID-19 reopening. And many Gyms require athletes to wear them when arriving and departing.

$9.50.

Free shipping in the USA.

British Gymnastics wants to reopen Gyms

Those Gyms around the world that have cautiously started to open after COVID-19 are reporting that it works.

So far, so good.

Pubs, restaurants, hotels and hairdressers can open from 4 July. …

“I really think for the mental health of the young children and their physical activity, it’s something that would be so important to the government.

“They need us back. A lot of our clubs are the hubs of the community.” …

Gymnastics boss calls on government to reopen indoor facilities

Athlete A – now on Netflix

June 24th.

Netflix now has the documentary on the USA Gymnastics criminal doctor. 

Athlete A is Maggie Nichols.

First, we all need thank Maggie, Sarah Jantzi and Maggie’s parents.

And we all need thank Rachael Denhollander and Jamie Dantzscher.

Now that the criminal doctor is in prison for up to 175 years, it’s easy to forget how difficult were those early accusations.

It’s easy to forget how many very smart people were fooled by the conman. Jamie — at the time — felt he was the only nice adult associated with USA Gymnastics.

The documentary is well done.  Recommend it to your non-Gymnastics friends. We can reduce medical malpractice and abuse in future. Protect athletes.

Revisit, too, the selection process for the Rio Olympic team. Certainly Maggie should have been one of the alternates.

An August 2016 article in the Indianapolis Star about USA Gymnastics protecting coaches accused of abuse leads to the explosive revelation that the USAG women’s team doctor, Larry Nassar, had been abusing athletes for over two decades.

This film follows the IndyStar reporters as they reveal the extensive cover-up that allowed abuse to thrive within elite-level gymnastics for more than two decades, the attorney who is fighting the institutions that failed these athletes, and most importantly, the brave whistle-blowers who refuse to be silenced.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

In addition to watching the documentary, be sure to listen to an excellent interview with Jennifer Sey on Gymnastic.

Sey is the producer.

Jennifer’s 2008 book Chalked Up is available in digital format with a new forward.

speaking out for Black Lives Matter

Inside Gymnastics magazine linked to NCAA Gymnasts, coaches and programs who spoke to improving the SAFETY of Black Americans.

Check who actually uses the words Black Lives Matter #BlackLivesMatter and/or link to @Blklivesmatter.  Nastia did, for example.

Click through to see the entire post.

Florida is trying …

… but can’t quite say #BlackLivesMatter.

Savannah Shoenherr from Florida was interviewed about her coming out experiences, being an openly LGBTQ+ gymnast in college, and Florida’s statement  against police brutality in a podcast called Half in, Half out.

Savannah’s had nothing but support from the Gators.

Savannah also talks about the team working together to respond to criticism  online regarding Black Lives Matter.

Click PLAY or watch it on Twitter.

NCAA athletes taking power

Jessica O’Beirne has — for years — been pointing out that everyone in the NCAA has power, except the athletes. 

The talent.

But times they are a-Changin’.

Last year Kylin Hill won the Conerly Trophy, awarded to the top player in the state of Mississippi.

He’s not coming back for his Senior year unless the state flag is changed to remove the the banner of the Confederacy. 

Last week, the NCAA expanded its Confederate flag policy to prohibit all its championship events from being played in states that fly the flag, including regional sites in sports such as baseball, softball, lacrosse and women’s basketball. …

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey also threatened to not hold future championship events in the state …

Several state universities, including Mississippi State and Ole Miss, stopped flying the flag in 2016 …

ESPN

Let’s see if Mississippi State loves football more than their flag.

UNINTENDED consequences of Title IX

Temple alumnus Law student Jeff Shearer published a paper on Title IX and Men’s Gymnastics in the Pace Intellectual Property, Sports & Entertainment Law Forum.

Jeff:

I wrote this paper because of my passion for gymnastics and the fact that the sport has seen a numerical decline in varsity programs over the years.

I demonstrate how Title IX and the commercialization of college sports are—in my opinion—the cause of this problem.

I close with an argument that the binary application of Title IX will only cause more challenges for transgender athletes and sports programs. …

Title IX is pretty complicated and I attempt to break it down for a non-legal audience with my writing.

Please share this paper throughout the gymnastics community so that people can be educated about why the sport has lost so many programs over the years. I am hoping it can help any program that is currently struggling to survive.

You can read or download that paper here:

Good Initiative, Bad Judgement: The Unintended Consequences of Title IX’s Proportionality Standard on NCAA Men’s Gymnastics and the Transgender Athlete

Thanks Jesse.

1995 Gymnastics documentary – For The Love of the Game

The late 1990s were the bad old days in my opinion.

Little Girls in Pretty Boxes was published 1995.

A Canadian documentary includes 3 National Team members:

Lisa Simes, 1994 Commonwealth Games medalist and All-American captain for Michigan.

Jackie Bender, the best Artistic gymnast all time at 1-arm handstand work on Beam.

And Sarah Rainey who is very eloquent and outspoken about why she left the sport. Today Sarah is Head Coach of East York Gymnastics in Toronto.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. (24min)