-Aristotle

Chelsea Rayne Herman, Ph.D.

Sharon Kay Stoll, Ph.D.

Center for ETHICS*

(Ethical Theory and Honor in Competition and Sport)

Room 500, Memorial Gym

University of Idaho 83844

With additional suggestions from Conrad Breitbach.

Copyright 2002. All Right Reserved.

Winning in Life©

Philosophy Supporting the Curriculum

The Design: A 45-minute session on task with lecturers and invited speakers, divided into 3 fifteen minute modules per week, supplemented with two 15 minute computer aided interactive lessons per week.

Introduction: The project is a two-part program based on consistent, theoretical, and applied research in character education and moral development for over 30 years. Researchers (Kohlberg, et.al, 1970 - 1992, Lickona, 1991) have maintained that character development is a two-part process. First, individuals must have a specific, reasoning skill (Part I) to formulate strategies to answer such questions as: “what is right and why is it right?” These reasoning skills build on personal and social values to lay down a strong cognitive base. Reasoning skills, however, are only skills unless the reasoning process can be placed into behavioral action. Part II of this project focuses on using the cognitive skills of Part I to help develop behavioral strategies toward solving pressing personal and social issues. As reasoning is only a skill unless it can function to change behavior, behavior strategies without reasoning are lifeless. Therefore, the purpose of this project is a two part approach: Part I is the introduction to important personal and social issues that the athlete will encounter through life, while Part II is the practical application of personal values and social issues into. Part I focuses on the development of a strong, personal value base, while Part II places the value base into action to resolve pressing social and personal issues.

Part I: Critical Examination of Personal and Social Values

Critical Examination of Personal and Social Values is based in critical examination and reasoning relative to character and social development such as respect, honor, and responsibility. This model will focus on two questions of right choice: “Is it [the action] honorable?” AND, “Is it responsible?” These two questions will be the theme that follows through the development of a personal and social value system that should bring honor to individual as well as in developing leaders of character.

Part II: Examining and Developing a Plan for Winning in Life - Practicing Character On and Off the Field

Examining and Developing a Plan for Winning in Life - Practicing Character On and Off the Field is a practical, hands-on laboratory approach to pressing social issues that impinge on the student athlete. The project is a cooperative model between student and instructor to enhance personal development. It is individually designed to assist the student athlete in determining, “Is it honorable” and “Is it responsible?” Topics to be covered through six main topics with ten different laboratory sessions are: (1) Interpersonal Skills, (2) Emotional, Psychological, and Sociological Parameters of Winning And Losing, (3) Sexual Behavior, (3a) Rape Intervention, (3b) Justice, Citizenship, the Law and Sexual Harassment, (4) Substance Abuse, (4a) Alcohol And Drug Abuse, (4b) Performance Enhancing Drug Abuse, (5) Personal Health, (5a) Anger, Stress Management, (5b) Nutrition and Eating Disorders, and (6) Personal Management Skills, (6a) Time Management/ Goal Setting. The laboratory relies heavily on university resource personnel to give support to the social and

personal ramifications of these issues. Laboratory sessions will be ten in number and will begin approximately the fourth week into the term.

Table of contents

UGA Mission 2

Winning in Life Philosophy of Curriculum 3

Table of Contents 5

Part I: Foundations of Character 7

Lesson1: Introduction to Winning in Life 8

Lesson 2: The Meaning of Character 10

Lesson 3: Moral Character 12

Lesson 4: Moral Character: Winning in Gamesmanship 14

Lesson 5: Being Honorable 16

Lesson 6: What is Expected of an Honorable Role Model? 18

Part II: Character in the Classroom 21

Lesson 7: Cheating in the Classroom 22

Lesson 8: Punctuality 24

Part III: Character and the Law 26

Lesson 9: Rape, Sexual Assault, Sexual Battery, & Sodomy 27

Lesson 10: Date Rape 29

Lesson 11: Assault & Battery 30

Lesson 12: Theft 33

Lesson 13: Illegal Drugs: Marijuana, Cocaine, & Heroin 36

Lesson 14: Drinking & Driving 40

Lesson 15: Club & Designer Drugs 43

Lesson 16: Alcohol & Binge Drinking 45

Part IV: Being a Good Teammate 48

Lesson 17: Leadership 49

Lesson 18: What is Class? A Lesson in Sportsmanship 51

Lesson 19: Loyalty 52

Lesson 20: Hazing 54

Part V: Performance Enhancing Drugs 56

Lesson 21: Anabolic Steroids 57

Lesson 22: Creatine, hGh, & “Andro” 61

Lesson 23: Stimulants 63

Part VI: Peak Performance 65

Lesson 24: Goal Setting 66

Lesson 25: Nutrition 70

Lesson 26: Injury Prevention 72

Lesson 27: Injury Rehabilitation 74

Part VII: NCAA Rules & Eligibility 76

Lesson 28: Boosters 77

Lesson 29: Making the Grade 79

Part VIII: Making the Grade 82

Lesson 30: Time Management 83

Lesson 31: Class Preparation 85

Lesson 32: Class Scheduling 87

Lesson 33: Choosing a Major 90

Part IX: Life Beyond the Playing Field 93

Lesson 34: Athletic Identity & Transitional Loss 94

Lesson 35: Career Building Blocks 96

Part X: Fiscal Responsibility 98

Lesson 36: Budgeting for Success 99

Lesson 37: Establishing Good Credit 103

Part XI: Community Responsibility 105

Lesson 38: Being a Role Model 106

Lesson 39: Media Interviews 107

Lesson 40: Table Manners & Travel Etiquette 109

Lesson 41: Community Outreach 110

Part I:

Foundations of character

Lesson 1: Introduction to Winning in Life

Purpose: Discussion with predominantly first order questions. Questioning or probing, which is open ended, is focused on moral dimensions and invites respondents to explore their reasoning. Logic is at the core, though in this case we will be attempting to foster some structure to where we intend to embark throughout the term: heightened moral awareness and social responsibility. Good and effective questions should help stretch student thinking. These first order or initial questions introduce teachers and students to the discussion of moral issues and continue to develop moral awareness.

Ask, “What is a winner?”

Let the athletes respond. Give them a few minutes to explain. They will most likely respond with very concrete answers. Call on at least four or five different guys.

Ask, “Can winning be applied to all of life, outside of athletics?”

A. How?

B. When?

Again their responses will probably be concrete but the brighter guys will be getting the drift of where you want to go. Don’t spend too much time here, approximately 5 minutes.

Ask, “How would you define being a winner in life?”

Let them respond without commentary, call on several...even if they don’t have their hand up to be called upon. Make sure that different personalities are called upon.

Is winning related to success? Or money? Could a man be winner without making big bucks or without having “lots of things”?

Don’t let them respond to this question but give the following example or one of your own.

I’m reminded of my uncle Ed, who never made more than minimum wage. He never owned a new car, and the house he lived in was small. He never traveled very far from home. He didn’t marry until he was 47, and he never had any children. However, Uncle Ed was loved by his wife and his extended family, and when he died he left no monetary legacy...but his funeral was attended by the scores of Boy Scouts that he lead. He was a winner in life.

Ask, “So what do you think? Was my uncle Ed just a dufus who missed out on the real things in life?” Try to remember what they said earlier about being a winner and use their own words here to play on what is being said.

Let them talk a little before asking the following questions:

1. Is it possible to be a winner without making big bucks?

2. How would a man be a loser in life? Give me an example of a loser in life.

This is a reverse of the question above. Let them dwell on what it means to be a loser.

3. Can a man be a loser and be successful?

Unfortunately, there is social commentary that football guys like you can never be successful in life, a winner in life, because of the demands of football. There is also the perception that you are too narrow-minded, don’t value your education, and are here just to get a ticket to play pro ball. However, such is not true... It is a fact that there is a low positive correlation between athletic skill and intellect...that means...You have the smarts to make a “big difference”. Consider the life of UGA Bob McWhorter....

Ask, Does anyone know who Bob McWhorter was?”

Here’s the scoop on Bob McWhorter.

HB at the University of Georgia

Lexington, Ga.

1913 All American as selected by Parke Davis of the New York Herald.

Georgia’s first All-American was a four-time All-Southern halfback and the first person to captain both the football and baseball teams at UGA. McWhorter earned Phi Beta Kappa honors while attending the university.

Ask, “What is a Phi Beta Kappa? What does it mean to be selected as a Phi Beta Kappa?”

Phi Beta Kappa is an honorary fraternity for the liberal arts based on academic merit in specific courses. In order to become Phi Beta Kappa one must excel at languages, Latin, French or Greek as well as science and mathematics.

It has been argued that the demands of football today would not permit a young man in Division I football to ever be a Phi Beta Kappa again. Ask, “Is this sort of a statement discriminatory against men like you? Do you think there is any merit in this statement, that because you play football you could not excel to be a Phi Beta Kappa?”

During McWhorter’s day, professional sport was a possibility but McWhorter declined pro baseball offers to study law at the University of Virginia.

What has McWhorter got to do with you? Because of his ability to excel in life, on the field, and in the classroom, you are directly benefited.

When you sit down to eat today at McWhorter Hall, remember what it is to be a winner in life, to make a difference, to excel on the field, to excel in the classroom, to excel in life.

Assignment for next time: Ask 5 other athletes what it is to be a winner? Ask them if they know who Bob McWhorter was?

Lesson 2: The Meaning of Character

Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is to explore the meaning of character. Questions will be first order or initial, but will begin to move into strategies that focus on elements of moral reasoning. Effective questions should invite students to explore the reasons behind their opinions and to “interact” with their teammates in a way that challenges their own pattern of thinking. This task will begin in lesson 2, and will build through the curriculum.

Ask, “What is character?”

Instructor: Call on three different guys and listen to their responses. Ask if they agree or disagree with each other? But don’t give them the answer. Aristotle called character the ability to know the right and do the right. Thomas Lickona said that character is the ability to value the right, know the right and do the right, even when no one is watching. Let them think about it.

Ask, “What is the difference between having character and being a character?”

Instructor: You may use any example of an individual who has a charming social character, but who also possesses great moral character. The idea here is to cause the athletes to think about the differences between social character and moral character. Social character traits are the worth that society places on such attributes as hard work, dedication, sacrifice, intensity, and so forth. Social Values are really focused on individual accomplishments: the athlete is a hard worker, the athlete is intense, the athlete is a good team member, and so forth. Moral character has to do with how the athlete relates to other human beings and the relative worth placed on such attributes as honesty, justice, responsibility, civility, and decency. These attributes are focused toward others: The athlete is responsible, the athlete is civil, the athlete plays fair, and so forth.

Having Character or Being a Character: There is a story about Reggie White, the great defensive end for the Green Bay Packers who has been called by his former Defensive Coordinator, “the greatest who ever played the game at that position.” He was “beating” his opponent consistently on every play, and as White did so, he was practicing his “vocation” as a Baptist minister. He would pick up his opponent and say, “God Bless You.” The more his opponent got beat, the angrier the opponent became. Finally, he got into Reggie’s face and spewed out obscenities as he verbally trashed White. Reggie calmly listened and then responded, “Jesus the Christ is coming back, and so am I. You’re not ready for either one of us!”

Ask, “Is White a character or does he have character? What is the difference between these two qualities, having character and being a character?”

Call on two or three different athletes. Let them answer. If any of them hit upon the concept of character use it in giving them more information such as: Being a character is usually related to some personality characteristics, being charming, witty, funny, clever and so forth. However, having character is saying something very specific and important about how that individual treats others. White’s Defensive Coordinator, as well as most individuals who have spoken of White, note his moral character.

Ask the athletes to define moral character.

Pause...let them think about it. If anyone suggests an answer listen, and then weave the responses they have given you into your definition. Character is knowing the right and doing the right – Aristotle. Character is knowing, valuing and doing the right-Lickona.

Ask, “If character is about knowing, valuing, and doing the right? What is the “right”? How do you know what is the right?”

Look at a player, call them by name and ask them...

_____, how do you know what is the right thing to do?

They may respond with something like, their parents, perhaps the Bible...maybe some other source.

They may answer that “right” is flexible...no one knows what is the right. If you get that answer, ask another player, “Do you agree with _________? Is right something that is relative?”

Knowing what is right means that there are absolutes, that there are certain things that are always right and certain things that are always wrong. If there is no such thing as “always right” or “always wrong” then the idea of character is flexible.

Ask, “Can you think of anything that is always wrong?”

Let them think...

Ask, “What actions are always wrong?”

Hopefully they will say, “Rape is always wrong. “ Hopefully they will say that child abuse is always wrong. If they say lying is always wrong...or murder is always wrong...be careful...don’t go there because there are instances where lying to save a human life would not be wrong. Save this difficult concept for another day but the rape issue is one that is “always wrong” as well as “abusing children” is always wrong.

Ask, “What is always right?”

Hopefully they will say something like, being a good Christian is always right or being a decent human being is always right. If they don’t say these sort of things you say that such absolutes do exist.

Assignment for next time: Answer for yourself, “Why is both social and moral character important to having a “winning” team?”