After reflecting, I wanted to post some thoughts about how I feel regarding recent events in the news: One of the best aspects of basketball is the opportunity to compete with diverse people. When you play the sport long enough, you realize that anyone can play, irrespective of their background, gender or stature. When you want to win, you pick up the players who will get buckets, no matter who they are. Success on the court is earned by skill and effort, as it should be in life.
Star Trek Leadership, Part VI: Chain of Command
The simmering Federation-Cardissian tensions come to a boil in “Chain of Command.” Edward Jellico replaces Jean-Luc Picard as captain of the Enterprise and everyone feels the stress from a rocky leadership transition. In this case, leaders can learn what not to do by noting the consequences of poor choices made by Starfleet and its officers. A conflict between Captain Jellico and Commander William Riker distracts from the key objectives, endangering millions of lives. Radical Honesty As the episode navigates towards the climax, Jellico needs an expert shuttle pilot for a dangerous mission. He speaks with every shuttle pilot onboard and …
Conflict in the Stanley Cup Playoffs
A week into the playoffs, the National Hockey League has surpassed the record for suspensions for the entire Stanley Cup playoffs (nine in 2012 compared to eight in 2011). Media outlets have been complaining about lax discipline and fans have been mocking the league and the apparent lack of oversight. While this has generated a tremendous amount of coverage and interest, it will ultimately prove disastrous for the sport.
Basketball Relativism
Seeking to avoid the tendency to move players around like Stratego pieces but still recognizing that the basketball season is like a game of Labyrinth. Balancing the motivation of a group of student-athletes towards meaningful goals while encouraging them when they falter. Generating elite performance from the team on the court and inspiring personal improvement away from it. Coaching becomes much more challenging than diagramming a sideout play down two with two seconds left on the clock. As a moderate Platonist, I try to avoid moral relativism. I think that there are standards of success, of good performance, that shouldn’t …