For as many wonderful things come out of sports, there is, sadly, a darker side of the game that can easily emerge as well. Many past blog posts have focused on the positive aspects of sports and the positive aspects of you, both within the athletic arena as well as within life. Today’s blog however, will discuss the importance of keeping your head on straight no matter the circumstances whether they are completely novel, negative or fantastic.
Since 2000, 791 NFL players have been arrested. 791! That would be the equivalent to if every person in my high school were to be put behind bars and then some! That would make for a pretty abysmal prom night if you ask me. While the NFL seems to get the brunt of media coverage when it comes to illegal acts and inappropriate behavior, this issue doesn’t remain solely within the confines of football.
Sports have become such an integral part of our society in the past few decades that it’s no wonder some athletes have become overwhelmed by their enhanced levels of success and fame and have acted out irrationally or with little regard to the world around them. Although this might be a unique problem to certain individuals, in the grand scheme of things, this issue isn’t all that surprising. And it stems from the community and environment a person grows up in.
Anyone has the ability to go from nothing to something by being extremely dedicated, passionate and motivated to become great. It doesn’t matter your race, ethnicity, social standing or place on the socioeconomic ladder, if you have a deep, unwavering love of a sport and a desire to have it take you anywhere, it’s possible. Unfortunately however, while the onus might be on you to become a successful athlete, it takes an entire community to help you become a successful person.
You’ve probably heard many times that Koa’s mission is, “Shaping kids lives through sports”. This motto has never been more relevant than now. Our aim is to develop phenomenal athletes, of course, though we know this can’t be mastered without crafting strong and sensible people who can function effectively off the field as well.
Many of the athletes we see repeatedly in the news being scorned for their public and private offenses most likely didn’t receive the same support and care that us, at Koa, pride ourselves on for providing for our sports community.
These criminal transgressions are inexcusable, we are not trying to explain otherwise, however, we want to assert that these acts aren’t necessarily shocking. In order to adequately decrease these numbers, we need to start acting within our communities. By constructing a positive environment that surrounds each athlete dreaming of making it big, or any athlete that just wants to play and have fun, we can help stave off a lifetime of tough decisions and erratic behavior.
-Tony Korson, CEO 04/08/15
