Write your search in the input below and press enter.
Esc to close.

The Sports Doc Chalk Talk with Dr. Chris Stankovich

Peak Performance:
Not Just for Sports, for Life

  • Products
    • Toolkits
    • Audio
    • Videos
    • Books
    • Apps
  • Services
  • Chalk Talk
    • Recent
    • Athletes
    • Coaching
    • Sports Parenting
    • Sports Administrators
    • Life
    • Administrators
  • About Dr. Stankovich
  • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • Products
    • Toolkits
    • Audio
    • Books
    • Videos
    • Apps
  • Services
  • Chalk Talk
  • About Dr. Stankovich
  • Testimonials
  • Contact

Hello. Sign In

My Account
  • Login
  • Register
0
The Sports Doc Chalk Talk
Subscribe
The Sports Doc Chalk Talk with Dr. Chris Stankovich
  • Recent
  • Athletes
  • Coaching
  • Sports Parenting
  • Life
  • Administrators
Home / Blog / Mike Rice Firing at Rutgers as Much a Result of Viral Media and Not Just His Actions

Mike Rice Firing at Rutgers as Much a Result of Viral Media and Not Just His Actions

By: Dr. Chris Stankovich | @DrStankovich | Apr 08, 2013

No Comments

mike-rice_1364999053604_395895_ver1.0_320_240

Now that both Rutgers mens basketball coach Mike Rice and Athletic Director Tim Pernetti have been removed from their respective positions, their dismissals provide the sports-world an interesting story on many different levels. The most obvious might be how harshly people have responded toward Rice after watching him belittle and throw basketballs at his players in order to improve mental toughness.  In the past, coaches using Rice’s authoritarian, bully-style have been tolerated — if not revered (see Bob Knight).  Today things are very different as seen in the case of Rice, where sports writers and the like immediately called for his head – and he was fired a day later.

New coaching standards?

There are apparently new norms the media has set with respect to proper, pro-social behavior expected from coaches.  Don’t get me wrong, I also agree that swift action needed to be taken, but I am surprised at how many writers have not only aggressively gone after Rice, but also his AD and even the Rutgers school president.  In fact, I would not be shocked if somebody out there has already blogged about shutting down all of Rutgers because of this incident.  Some in the media would probably like to see Rice on death row, or at least that’s the way it feels reading many of these columns.

Viral media impact

But there is an even more interesting sport sociology angle to what is happening, and that is the impact of social media and speed-of-light “viral” communication.  Just a few years ago you would have probably not only missed the video, but likely wouldn’t have even heard about Rice’s practices.   If this were the year 2003, Rice and Pernetti would still be employees at Rutgers.

Today’s sports media is a lot about sensationalism and “clicks,” and I know this to be true from personal experience writing for publications who have so much as told me how to create a title/headline flashy enough to garner tons of clicks on the story.  You see, more clicks = greater advertising revenue, and the thinking by some media outlets is to push the envelope as far as humanly possible, because the more dramatic stories get the attention.  Yes, this is a troubling media communication model, as it tears away at the integrity of stories and leads to countless consequences based almost entirely on public opinion, and not necessarily the crime itself.  Just think, would you have clicked on a story that was titled “Basketball coach at Rutgers goes too far – needs better coach education”?  Pretty “vanilla,” and probably wouldn’t get nearly the clicks as a more angry headline.

Again, to be clear, I felt Mike Rice should have been removed from his job, and that his actions at Rutgers were reprehensible.  But I also feel like the sports media and independent bloggers out there (of which I am a part) often go for the strongest, most vivid, most dramatic, and most damaging angles when constructing their opinion pieces.  Thus far, I haven’t come across any mild, objective, inquisitive articles about Mike Rice and his coaching style short of this one.  Rather than going for the jugular of Mike Rice, it would be nice if more attention were paid to coaching styles and helping better train coaches to lead their athletes in more appropriate, safer, and effective ways.  Unfortunately, that type of angle isn’t very sensational, and therefore unlikely to sell magazines and newspapers — which is exactly why you won’t see many of those types of stories in the future, unfortunately.

www.drstankovich.com

 

 

 

Coaching, media, mike, psychology, rice, rutgers, sociology, sport

  • Author
  • Comments
  • Details
Get to Know the Author

Dr. Chris Stankovich

Dr. Stankovich has written/co-written five books, including Positive Transitions for Student Athletes, The ParentsPlaybook, Mind of Steel.

Dr. Chris Stankovich

Latest Blog Posts

  • February 16, 2021 Help Kids Overcome Pandemic Anxiety as they Head Back to School
  • February 10, 2021 Is Mark Cuban’s Remedy for National Anthem Protests the Right Move?
  • February 4, 2021 Former NFL Star Warns of Potential Problems Dealing with Sport Retirement
  • February 1, 2021 Lacking Social Interaction is Hitting Kids Hard through Pandemic
  • December 22, 2020 Parent Sports Pressure Can Leave Kids with Overwhelming Expectations

Comments are closed.

PREVIOUS POST

Fun Team Traditions – or Dangerous Hazing?

NEXT POST

Does Better Sports Equipment Lead to Riskier On-Field Play?

Category

Athletic Department , Coach , Coaching , Leadership , Leadership and Role Modeling , NCAA , Off Field Issues , Pro and College Sports , Social Responsibility , Sport Psychology , Sport Sociology , Sports Administrators , Sports Culture and Society , Sports Leadership , Sports Marketing , Sports Media , Sports Performance Science , Uncategorized , Violations

Tags

Coaching, media, mike, psychology, rice, rutgers, sociology, sport

  • Recent Posts
  • Most Read
  • Help Kids Overcome Pandemic Anxiety as they Head Back to School
  • Is Mark Cuban's Remedy for National Anthem Protests the Right Move?
  • Former NFL Star Warns of Potential Problems Dealing with Sport Retirement
  • Lacking Social Interaction is Hitting Kids Hard through Pandemic
  • Parent Sports Pressure Can Leave Kids with Overwhelming Expectations
  • Parent Sports Pressure Can Leave Kids with Overwhelming Expectations
  • Success is Achieved by Striving for Excellence, Not Perfection
  • Overcome Adversity by Using this Important Mental Toughness Strategy
  • Challenges Endure for Student Athletes Managing Pandemic Stress & Related Concerns
  • Maximize the Strength of Your Team through Care, Concern, & Compassion
  • The Sports Doc on TV

    Catch Dr. Stankovich’s tv, radio, and print interviews and columns here!

    Dr. Chris Stankovich Watch Videos
  • Sport Performance Assessment

    Dr. Chris Stankovich Quickly and accurately test your level of mental toughness in just a few minutes using the Sport Performance Assessment.

    (SPA), an easy-to-use sport psychology system specially designed to help you REACH YOUR FULL ATHLETIC POTENTIAL.

    learn more
  • SportsSuccess360

    Life strategies for performance and character development for coaches, parents, and student athletes competing in youth and interscholastic sports.

    Life Strategies learn more
  • Contact Dr. Stankovich

    1395 Grandview Avenue Suite 6, Columbus OH 43212

    (614) 561-4482
    Media & General Inquiries
    information@drstankovich.com
    Sales & Product Support
    sales@drstankovich.com
  • About Dr. Stankovich

    • Media
    • Blog
    • Testimonials
  • Products

    • Toolkits
    • Videos
    • Books
    • Audio
    • iPhone Apps
  • Services

    • Athlete Performance Training
    • Parent Community Forum
    • Coach Education & Development
    • Athletic Crisis Response and Intervention
    • Drug & Alcohol Assessment
    • Life Success Programs
    • Counseling & Consulting Services
  • Blog
  • YouTube
  • twitter
  • facebook

All rights reserved © 2021 Advanced Human Performance Systems™

↓ ↓