Joe's President's Message - October

• By UNCLLS payday loans

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Wednesday, 10 October 2012 17:18

(AYF) - If someone said to me just a few years ago that I would be in communication with thousands of friends via tweets and Facebook messages, I certainly would not have believed that. I also would not have believed that I'd be reading on my message boards about a coach boasting of his lop-sided win or a parent complaining of her son not being allowed to play quarterback. But forget tweets and comments - turn on the TV or your Mobile device and see how this notion of true sportsmanship is tested everyday. An NFL coach grabbing a referee over and over is only interrupted by political ads blasting their opposition. As the ole philosopher Elmer Pitts of WLW Radio in Cincinnati liked to say, "It makes me want to chew through a 100,000 volt wire while standing in knee deep water."
 
"Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio, our nations turns it's lonely eyes to you." Home run or strike out, "Jumpin' Joe" was a fine example of a gentleman. Always humble Rocky Marciano took many of his opponent's blows and just kept coming until he landed that knock out punch. Earl Campbell always ran hard on every play, never complaining, just running into the line again and again until he scored a touchdown. No dance, no spiking the ball, no trash talk, he just played the game with the strength he was blessed with. My old boss, George Allen, NFL Hall of Fame Coach, loved to say "To win without peril is to triumph without glory." Well my fellow football brothers and sisters, the day of peril is here. What can you do to bring back the glory?
 
Upon further review - let's begin by setting an example of SPORTSMANSHIP in your family, association, community, and of course the game of football itself.
 
Be more of a grandparent than a parent! National Youth Sports Association (NYSA) asked in a youth sport survey, who would you most like to have attended your game? The majority of the answers might surprise you. Grandparents! Grandparents, according to this survey, praise your overall effort rather than critically analyzing one or two plays. It appears grandparents have won with dignity and lost with grace a few times. Have you?
 
This is Sportsmanship.
 
Do you judge your team, coaches and associations by wins only? How many kids did your association serve by promoting academics and teamwork? What did your association do for the betterment of your community? Sure the wins are nice, but some times the battles are won and the war to "give back" is lost.
 
To me, football is simply the greatest team sport in history, but today, the scribes have a difficult time separating the games played by America's youth from the violent battles played by the high priced elite few. The difference between this and our youth competition is like comparing a Sunday driver to a NASCAR driver! The NFL's replacement referees couldn't handle huge grown men taking advantage of their inexperience. The defenseless players going up for a high pass must rely on the commissioner to levy fines to reduce injuries from cheap shots. The NFL culture must change. Is this honoring the game?
 
Each year, the torch gets passed to a new generation of youth football players, and here at American Youth Football we are taking the game back to where it belongs. Participation has never been higher. The passion has never been more intense. Let us face the peril like those legends I spoke of: Joe, Rocky, and Earl. Together we can return that glory with true dedication, true honor and true sportsmanship.