Things You Don’t Want to
Know About Sports
(but they happen to be true anyway)
Rick Albrecht, Ph.D.
Grand Valley State University
Rick Albrecht (age 6)
Watertown Cubs (1959)
These Slide Are Available On
My Website...
http://faculty.gvsu.edu/albrechr/recentpresentations.html
Things You Don’t Want to
Know About Sports
(but they happen to be true anyway)
I’ll Probably Be Making Some
Points That May Be New To You...

You May Feel Uncomfortable

You May Disagree

You May Think I’m Crazy
Please Try To Keep One Thing In
Mind...
“Repetition does not transform a
lie into a truth.”
--Franklin D. Roosevelt
Here’s the First Thing You
Don’t Want to Know...
Parents and Coaches…
It is not YOUR team
It Never Was Your Team!
It Is Not Now Your Team!
It Never Will Be Your Team!
Don’t Take My Word For It…
Check It Out For Yourself
Go Back and Locate The
Original Documents That
Established The Team,
League, or Organization
Don’t Take My Word For It…
Check It Out For Yourself


Do you think it will say that
the team exists so we parents
have a place to go and yell?
Do you think it will say that the
team exists so we coaches
have a place to coach?
You’ll Probably Find That The Team
Exists Solely FOR THE KIDS!


For The Kids’ “Physical,
Emotional, and Social
Development”
For The Kids’ “Moral and
Character Development”
You’ll Probably Find That The Team
Exists Solely FOR THE KIDS!
And perhaps most importantly...
For The Kids’
“Fun and Enjoyment”
Parents and Coaches: Here’s
The Painful Truth...
YOUR TEAM hasn’t existed for
10, 20, maybe even 30 years.
THIS TEAM belongs to these
athletes
YOUR JOB is to make sure the
kids have a positive experience
What if our kids pressured us the way we
pressure them?
Again, what if our kids pressured us the
way we pressure them?
One final time, what if our kids pressured
us the way we pressure them?
If it’s wrong here, what makes it right in
sports?
Again, if it’s wrong here, what makes it
right in sports?
One final time, if it’s wrong here, what
makes it right in sports?
Here’s Another Thing You
Don’t Want to Know...
Winning and Losing is Not
Really As Important As You
Might Think
Here’s An Interesting
Way To Think About It...
We probably wouldn’t
worry nearly as much
about what others thought
of us…if we recognized
how seldom they did.
Football: The Four Years I Attended
Sandusky High School...
1966:
1967:
1968:
1969
Wins
0
1
0
3
Losses
8
3
8
5
Ties
0
3
0
0
We Don’t Even Remember the Most
Important Events in All of Sport
6 Touchdowns were scored in
the 2005 Superbowl (6 months
ago). Who scored them?
The 6 Touchdowns in the 2005
Superbowl Were Scored By...
L.J. Smith (Eagles)
David Givins (Patriots)
Mike Vrabel (Patriots)
Brian Westbrook (Eagles)
Cory Dillen (Patriots)
Greg Lewis (Eagles)
Who Were The Teams That Made It To
The (2005) NCAA Basketball “Final
Four” (Men and Women)?
MEN
North Carolina
Illinois
M.S.U.
Louisville
WOMEN
Baylor
M.S.U.
Tennessee
L.S.U.
2004 Olympics (Athens):
Who Won The Gold Medal in The
DECATHLON -- Often Thought To
Indicate The “World’s Best Athlete”
Roman Sebrle (Czech Republic)
2004 Olympics (Athens):
Okay, Maybe You Only Think It
Counts If “WE” (Americans) Win.
Who won the 100m (Men):
Justin Gatlin
Who won the 200m (Men):
Shawn Crawford
Always Remember...
People Won’t Usually Remember
Whether You’ve Won Or Lost -But They Will Remember “How
You Played The Game.”
A Personal Example...
Let Me Tell You Tell You a Couple
Things I Remember From Playing
“Little League” Baseball Here in
Sandusky -- Over 40 Years Ago...
Sandusky Little League: 1964
Two of the best teams were:
V.F.W.
S.E. Michigan Gas Company
What I Don’t Remember -- Who Won
Those Games
What I Do Remember Are The Adults -Coaches and Parents
As Adults We Have To
Remember...
Long after an official’s ‘bad call’
is forgotten…
People (especially your kids) will
remember our reaction to it
What Our Kids Say About
Winning...
Question:
Would you rather play
regularly on a losing team
or “sit on the bench” of a
championship team?
What Our Kids Say About
Winning...
Between 78-90% of kids say
they would rather play
regularly on a poor team
than “sit the bench” on a
championship team.
Be Honest, Wouldn’t You?
Always Remember...
Since You’re The Only One
Who Will Actually Remember...
You Have To Be Proud Of Your
Performance
Honor, Character and Sportsmanship
Are What Are Truly Important
Be more concerned with your
character than your reputation.
Your character is what you really
are, your reputation is merely
what others think you are.
-Coach John Wooden
Honor, Character, and
Sportsmanship Are What Count
Story of the “Red Shirt” Band
of Lakota (Sioux Nation)
Warriors
I Can Tell You That Research Says
We Should Not Focus On Winning
But You Shouldn’t Believe Me…
Here’s What Some of The
Winningest Coaches Have To
Say...
De La Salle High School
(Concord, California)
151
Consecutive Wins
An Overall Record of 287-14-1
More Perfect Seasons (17) than
losses (14)
ESPN’s #1 High School Team in
the Country 5 of the Last 6 Years
How Do You Win 151
Football Games in a Row?
By NOT Setting a Goal to Win!
“Everyone asks me how I’ve won 151
straight games… my answer is always the
same… BY NOT CONCENTRATING ON
WINNING. If you work hard enough, the
wins will come.
-- Bob Ladouceur, Head Coach
John Wooden, Coach
ESPN’s “Coach of the Century”
 10
6
NCAA Championships in 12 years
Times Voted “College Coach of the Year”
 88
Consecutive Victories
 38
Consecutive NCAA Tournament Wins
4
Undefeated Seasons
How Do You Become
the Most Successful
Basketball Coach of All Time?
By NOT Setting a Goal to Win!
“I never mentioned winning or victory to my
players. I never referred to beating an
opponent. Instead I constantly urged them
to strive for the self-satisfaction that comes
with knowing you did your best.”
-- John Wooden, Head Coach
How Do You Become
the Most Successful
Basketball Coach of All Time?
By NOT Setting a Goal to Win!
“Did I win? Did I lose?” Those are the
wrong questions. The correct question is:
“Did I make my best effort?” That’s what
matters. The rest of it just gets in the way”
-- John Wooden, Head Coach
Bill Parcells’ Favorite Poem
“The Man in the Glass”...
When you get what you want in
your struggle for self
And the world makes you king
for a day
Just go to the mirror and look
at yourself
And see what that man has to
say
Some people may think you're a
straight-shootin' chum
And call you a wonderful guy
But the man in the glass
says you're only a bum
If you can't look him
straight in the eye
He's the fellow to please,
never mind all the rest
For he's with you clear up
to the end
And you've passed your most
dangerous, difficult test
If the man in the glass is your
friend
You may fool the whole world
down the pathway of life
And get pats on the back as
you pass
But your final reward will be
the heartaches and tears
If you've cheated the man in
the glass
Thank You For Having Me
Back…
Go Redskins!
Please contact me if you think
I might be of assistance in the
future:
Rick Albrecht
albrechr@gvsu.edu