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 / Sports Doc Ramblings: Football Safety, Sport Specialization, EA Sports, & Stats in Sports

Sports Doc Ramblings: Football Safety, Sport Specialization, EA Sports, & Stats in Sports

By: Dr. Chris Stankovich | @DrStankovich | Jan 22, 2016

No Comments

nfl_g_pollardb_600

FOOTBALL SAFETY

Former Pittsburgh Steeler wide receiver Antwaan Randle El is the latest former football player to question the safety of football, saying that if he has a do-over to play the sport again, he wouldn’t.  Randle El adds his name to a growing list of former players with serious memory and/or other brain related injury and trauma, elevating the need for more longitudinal research studies to follow players into retirement to accurately asses how much cognitive loss is due to football.  While equipment companies continue to develop the safest helmets and pads possible, and rule committees tighten up the safety of the game, will this be enough to offset today’s players who are faster, stronger, and capable of delivering bigger hits than ever witnessed before?  Personally, I’m not sure equipment and rule changes can ever keep up, and I’m deeply concerned for the research that will emerge in the coming years regarding head injuries from contact sports like football.

SPORT SPECIALIZATION

Sport specialization occurs when an athlete chooses to play one sport exclusively, with these decisions being made (usually by mom and dad) as early as 6-7 years old.  Rather than sampling multiple sports, the specialist only plays one sport, and usually plays the sport year-round.  Youth sports burnout is an almost certainty at some point for athletes who specialize, and now increasingly more medical research is finding that the risks for overuse physical injuries spikes dramatically for specialists versus other kids who sample multiple sports.

The view here is that the vast majority of families should choose sport sampling over sport specialization.  Interestingly, while it is true that some families choose to pursue sport specialization for their child for increased odds of a future professional or college athletic opportunity, most actually do it simply to “keep up” with what appears to be what everyone else is doing.  Take time to examine your child’s unique interests, abilities, and motivations, and then make a decision best for you — not one that simply keeps your kid up with others.

ea-sports-ncaa-football-14

EA SPORTS VIDEO GAMES

EA Sports hasn’t made a college football game in several years because of some former NCAA athletes speaking out about missed royalties for their likeness in the game.  The stoppage of the EA series has college commentator Kirk Herbstreit talking, as he recently called out athletes who looked for compensation as undeserving and greedy, and claimed the vast majority would be thrilled to simply receive a free copy of the game.   It seems to me that any former college athlete who would agree to accept a $50 game in exchange for his likeness in a game that makes millions of dollars is leaving money on the table.  I wonder if Kirk Herbstreit received a mere free game for his participation in the series?  I highly doubt it, and I don’t think it’s any of our places to suggest that student athletes simply be happy they are in a video game while others profit heavily from their likeness.

cover225x225

STATS IN SPORTS

It seems like just about every time you turn around these days you hear about another sports GM looking to beef up his staff with more statistical gurus.  The thinking is that behaviors can be accurately measured, and then those measurements can be used for greater predictability in the future.  The basic premise to this model is essentially what science is built upon, so no argument there — but there are still several big questions that remain and that dramatically impact the importance of sport stats.  For example, there will always be variables that are nearly impossible to measure (i.e. motivation, resiliency, and how quickly an athlete copes with stress), and then there are extraneous variables that confound findings (like when personal family problems of an athlete impact on-field performance).  And then there’s the question of who is actually reading and interpreting the stats, and in many cases those individuals simply don’t have the background and qualifications to fully understand all the moving parts when it comes to taking these kinds of measurements.  The final verdict here?  Stats can be fine for part of the picture, but teams who over-rely on them will eventually find out that measuring human behavior is really tough stuff.

www.drstankovich.com

burnout, EA, football, marketing, psychology, sampling, specialization, sport, sports

  • 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.

Latest Blog Posts

  • May 23, 2023 Breaking Down the Stages of Youth Sports
  • May 16, 2023 Mental Health Tips to Help Kids Avoid Sport Burnout
  • May 10, 2023 Watch for these Issues with Kids Playing Multiple Sports During Same Season
  • May 4, 2023 Understanding the Importance of a Balanced Athletic Identity for Kids
  • April 27, 2023 Turning Hope into Belief: The Psychology of Success

Comments are closed.

PREVIOUS POST

Have Today’s On-Field Sport Celebrations Gone Too Far?

NEXT POST

How to Overcome Cuts & Demotions by Developing Mental Toughness

Category

Amateur , Athletes , Athletic Counseling , Coaching , College , Leadership , Leadership and Role Modeling , League Operator , NCAA , Parent Training , Performance Enhancement , Prep , Pro , Pro and College Sports , Social Responsibility , Sport Psychology , Sport Sociology , Sport Specialization , Sports Administrators , Sports Leadership , Sports Marketing , Sports Parenting , Sports Performance Science , Training and Development , Uncategorized , Youth and Interscholastic Sports , Youth Sport Burnout , Youth Sports

Tags

burnout, EA, football, marketing, psychology, sampling, specialization, sport, sports

  • Recent Posts
  • Most Read
  • Breaking Down the Stages of Youth Sports
  • Mental Health Tips to Help Kids Avoid Sport Burnout
  • Watch for these Issues with Kids Playing Multiple Sports During Same Season
  • Understanding the Importance of a Balanced Athletic Identity for Kids
  • Turning Hope into Belief: The Psychology of Success
  • Morning Sports Practice Before School is Becoming the Norm, but is this Healthy for Kids?
  • Nature or Nurture? Exploring the Psychology of Sport Success
  • 3 Important Tips for Today's Multi-Sport, Youth Sport Athlete
  • Understanding Intelligence: Putting Knowledge into ACTION!
  • Breaking Down the Stages of Youth Sports
  • 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 © 2023 Advanced Human Performance Systems™

↓ ↓