All-Star Owners, Coaches And Athletes. Whose Accountable?!

[SL&AM]

And I can obviously recognize that. However, I was wondering about who again is accountable and what actions get taken. Obviously teenagers say stupid things, we have all been there. However, when you are in uniform representing a company who has an extremely successful special needs program, what actions are taken? Should coaches get involved? Also, I personally believe that as athletes representing a program, you do need to hold yourselves to a higher standard than just the average joe. On my college team, we spend every summer jamming into rookies heads that even when they aren't wearing anything from the school or program, people know who they are and that they are responsible for every action and its impacts.

I would be disappointed if CA doesn't, at the very least, speak to their athletes. Every gym we've ever been at has a social media policy and that video would have violated it. I do think it should be handled in gym---because again, it's things like this that can jeopardize their future ie. colleges and future employers. Teenagers are stupid---we've all been there, but guess what? Our society is a lot different, not just in tolerance but also in how invasive social media can become. At the end of the day, you can't stop teenagers from saying stupid stuff, but you can guide them away from posting videos of their stupidity.

 

[Hmack]

Who cares?

I care because I was a special needs junior coach only a few years ago. Ive seen first hand how excited an athlete can be walking into a warmup room until an older girl gives them an odd look and makes a comment to a teammate. It can shut them down instantly and Ive had situations where the athletes will refuse to go on stage because of it. Teenagers can say stupid things. I get it. However, social media unfortunately gives these athletes a platform that kids look up to, just like the rockstar kids. When you post it, you are showing everyone that it is okay.

 

[UCFKnights07]

I'm just over living in a such a sensitive susan world. If you don't like the video stop watching it..... Problem solved

 

[OldskoolKYcheercoach]

I care because I was a special needs junior coach only a few years ago. Ive seen first hand how excited an athlete can be walking into a warmup room until an older girl gives them an odd look and makes a comment to a teammate. It can shut them down instantly and Ive had situations where the athletes will refuse to go on stage because of it. Teenagers can say stupid things. I get it. However, social media unfortunately gives these athletes a platform that kids look up to, just like the rockstar kids. When you post it, you are showing everyone that it is okay.

My heart is bleeding for you. I hope you never encounter something truly harmful in your lifetime. This politically correct bullshit society has softened you like a roll of charmin.

 

[Hmack]

My heart is bleeding for you. I hope you never encounter something truly harmful in your lifetime. This politically correct bullshit society has softened you like a roll of charmin.

After this I am not going to respond to your immaturity. However, I hope you realize how incorrect you are and that we do need to stick up for children who cannot speak up for themselves.

 

[mamabear]

My heart is bleeding for you. I hope you never encounter something truly harmful in your lifetime. This politically correct bullshit society has softened you like a roll of charmin.

This reply seems odd from you. You are usually so no nonsense in your stances, but now you are saying that it is "political bullshit" to expect an athlete to be sensitive to other athlete's physical or mental challenges? I have also worked with a team with athletes who have special needs, and my daughter helps with one right now. Under no circumstance, would I be comfortable not speaking up if someone was acting like that or if I saw an athlete upset because of comments like @Hmack stated.

 

[OldskoolKYcheercoach]

This reply seems odd from you. You are usually so no nonsense in your stances, but now you are saying that it is "political bullshit" to expect an athlete to be sensitive to other athlete's physical or mental challenges? I have also worked with a team with athletes who have special needs, and my daughter helps with one right now. Under no circumstance, would I be comfortable not speaking up if someone was acting like that or if I saw an athlete upset because of comments like @Hmack stated.

It was more of a post about the nature of our society. I 100% expect my athletes to be respectful of all others. We even go out of our way to take stunt groups and work with teams who do not have those mental or physical challenges, but are struggling because of a history of poor coaching and poor culture. We do this stuff for nothing because we enjoy seeing other teams improve, and we are confident enough in ourselves to know we can stay a step ahead of their game.

I’m completely fed up with this society where everyone is walking around looking for something by which they can be offended. If you want to defend the defenseless, have the guts to do it at the point of the offending. Then have self confidence to do it silently. If you do it and then talk about it all over social media, you’re no better than the person who did the offending. It’s sort of like people who give money to a homeless person than tell the story 500 times to anyone who will listen. If you were doing that to be a good person, you would just do it. Otherwise, you’re doing it because you have a histrionic need to bathe yourself in the attention of all the people who will fall into your warped line of thinking and tell you what a good person you are....that’s not selfless, that’s selfISH

 

[dat.jpp]

After this I am not going to respond to your immaturity. However, I hope you realize how incorrect you are and that we do need to stick up for children who cannot speak up for themselves.

*sigh* if only I can shimmy and like this an infinity amount of times...

 

[SL&AM]

It was more of a post about the nature of our society. I 100% expect my athletes to be respectful of all others. We even go out of our way to take stunt groups and work with teams who do not have those mental or physical challenges, but are struggling because of a history of poor coaching and poor culture. We do this stuff for nothing because we enjoy seeing other teams improve, and we are confident enough in ourselves to know we can stay a step ahead of their game.

I’m completely fed up with this society where everyone is walking around looking for something by which they can be offended. If you want to defend the defenseless, have the guts to do it at the point of the offending. Then have self confidence to do it silently, if you do it and then talk about it all over social media, you’re no better than the person who did the offending. It’s sort of like people who give money to a homeless person than tell the story 500 times to anyone who will listen. If you were doing that to be a good person, you would just do it. Otherwise, you’re doing it because you have a histrionic need to bathe yourself in the attention of all the people who will fall into your warped line of thinking and tell you what a good person you are....that’s not selfless, that’s selfISH

I can relate to being fed up with martyr-like attention within our society, but nothing @Hmack wrote even alluded to that type of behavior. She was giving her story about why this mattered to her---frankly, the fact that you so flippantly shrugged your shoulders at her original comment is sad in and of itself. If we continue to allow our children/teenagers to get away with this type of behavior because "it's not a big deal," or "We used to do it," then we are no better than they are. You may consider that to be hypersensitive, and I wouldn't argue against that point; but at a certain point I'd rather be hypersensitive to the feelings of others than hiding behind the excuse that it doesn't effect me so it doesn't matter.

And fwiw, my youngest daughter used to be one of those SN athletes and I would have screamed the loudest if I watched another athlete treat her inferior because of it. It's not okay to put others down for being 'different', period. Any affirmation of that isn't cool.

 

[OldskoolKYcheercoach]

I can relate to being fed up with martyr-like attention within our society, but nothing @Hmack wrote even alluded to that type of behavior. She was giving her story about why this mattered to her---frankly, the fact that you so flippantly shrugged your shoulders at her original comment is sad in and of itself. If we continue to allow our children/teenagers to get away with this type of behavior because "it's not a big deal," or "We used to do it," then we are no better than they are. You may consider that to be hypersensitive, and I wouldn't argue against that point; but at a certain point I'd rather be hypersensitive to the feelings of others than hiding behind the excuse that it doesn't effect me so it doesn't matter.

And fwiw, my youngest daughter used to be one of those SN athletes and I would have screamed the loudest if I watched another athlete treat her inferior because of it. It's not okay to put others down for being 'different', period. Any affirmation of that isn't cool.

Well, let’s flip it around another way.

Where does it start and where does it stop?

Who gets to decide what’s offensive and what’s not?

Where’s the rules of engagement, so to speak?

Another person in the exact same situation may not be offended by the word or phrase which you find offensive.

Where’s the list of words I can no longer use? More importantly, is it still ok to use the “R word” when I’m at work and looking at a patient who has that as a diagnosis on their medical record?

What adjectives are still acceptable? Fat? Calorically sufficient?

How many letters are there now in alternative lifestyles? LGBTQABCDEFHIJKMNOPRSUVWXYZ???

I’m just looking for a general guide because God knows you don’t want to offend ANYONE in today’s world.

Oops, I said “God” I’m sure that offended someone too.

 

[njallday]

Where’s the list of words I can no longer use? More importantly, is it still ok to use the “R word” when I’m at work and looking at a patient who has that as a diagnosis on their medical record?

No, actually, it's not. It's an outdated and hurtful term that is no longer used in medicine. You would diagnose the patient with an actual specific diagnosis (such as Down Syndrome, CP, or Autism), or at the very least, "intellectual or developmental (or both) disability."

I don't disagree with your argument about being too sensitive, but you sound like a jerk.

 

[OldskoolKYcheercoach]

No, actually, it's not. It's an outdated and hurtful term that is no longer used in medicine. You would diagnose the patient with an actual specific diagnosis (such as Down Syndrome, CP, or Autism), or at the very least, "intellectual or developmental (or both) disability."

I don't disagree with your argument about being too sensitive, but you sound like a jerk.

I find it in a medical record weekly, it’s not too outdated.

Is jerk acceptable?

 

[njallday]

I find it in a medical record weekly, it’s not too outdated.

Is jerk acceptable?

There's a reason why there is no longer an ICD-10 code for that... it is no longer used as a diagnosis because it is outdated and we have far better criteria to make far better diagnoses rather than lumping every individual into one category.

And yes, jerk is perfectly acceptable :p

 

[UCFKnights07]

bottom line we are turning a 5 second video into something more than it is. It was an off color remark, yes. But thats all that it was. I dont think we need 5 pages of scolding the athletes....

im sure the athlete who tweeted the video or whatever, didnt expect some cheer anon to drag them through the mud. Its just overkill.

 

[SL&AM]

I find it in a medical record weekly, it’s not too outdated.

Is jerk acceptable?

Spontaneous abortion is also a medical term, but would you actually say that to a woman who just miscarried her baby? Probably not, because the word abortion has an entirely different meaning in society and even hearing that word would likely reduce her to tears.

And, I'm not saying that I have a guide or even every answer. At the end of the day equality is unattainable outside of a utopia and I accept that. In every situation there will always be people on each side and no matter how much we change wording or actions, there will always be someone offended. Utopia's are impossible, but your extreme is no better. Why do we have to live in a black and white world? I mean, grey is totally a color and where most of us live. I am no where near perfect, but at least I try to be mindful of my audience. And at the end of the day, trying is better than throwing my hands up in the air and saying, "Oh well, it's always been this way."

We won't see the same side of this conversation, probably a generational difference, so I wish you well and bow out of this debate.