Mentoring Program

 >>>... is all too familiar whether studying active or post-athletic career endeavors.  Too many of the athletes who entertained the fans, promoted their sport and the agenda of the governing establishments, are unprepared for the next level of competition in the areas of media interaction, financial prosperity and interaction with society - their past and current social environments.  The political fallout that follows the aforementioned imbalance is further exacerbated by participants who prior to athletics, were unable to participate fully in the social and economic life of their community.  In the face of prosperous athletic programs with large athletic budgets, these discussions routinely raise ethical questions.

Nevertheless, I believe the problem goes far deeper than generally recognized, especially when we consider the chasm between the knowledge held by athletes compared to the broad understanding of the institutions, sponsors and the public. I contend that most institutions, athletic staffs, fans and casual observers are unaware of the fundamental relationships between today’s athlete and their environment – escalation of our craving for sports and player access, media exposure, financial sponsorships and player salaries. The result is that most of the populace - including most policy makers - is presently unprepared to confront the significant challenges facing the athlete. I am further driven by a sense of urgency; that continuation of current trends in such areas as constant media exposure, capital and sponsorship growth, and the lack of a structured athlete mentoring program will lead to a global athletic disaster within my lifetime. If we are to avert this end we must change our course, and our course can be changed only through education. My personal mission is to strive toward the goal of a mandatory national education program with emphasis on promoting understanding of the relationship between the athlete and the real world. The challenge of educating the masses of athletes at several levels of competition is daunting, but I have great faith in the human spirit. I imagine the process of education becoming one of a chain reaction, with each small effort multiplied as individuals share their newly gained understanding with others. As we learn to understand the athlete’s world, I believe that we also will develop the tools that will enable us to secure spirited competition of the highest level, good sportsmanship and fair play for centuries to come – on and off the playing surface. It is from this framework that I have developed approaches and programs to be implemented through
 “Total Preparation for Opportunities via Sports”.