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Experts Available to Discuss Whether Good Sportsmanship is on Decline

Posted on: Thursday, 7 September 2006, 12:00 CDT

ExpertSource:

TOPIC: A survey conducted by the Awards and Recognition Association (ARA), shows 63 percent of respondents think there is less good sportsmanship than when they were growing up, according to an article by USA TODAY. Experts say factors that may be associated with the perception that good sportsmanship is declining is the fact that youth sports programs are more competitive, especially when college scholarships are involved. Experts also say that perception is strengthened by some professional athletes' televised actions in which they boast after making a successful play. The ARA recommended that parents and coaches recognize and reward good sportsmanship in addition to talent.

EXPERTS: ExpertSource can offer several highly qualified experts to comment on this story:

Brian Shulman founded Learning Through Sports, a company that specifically addresses the issues of poor sportsmanship. He created STAR Sportsmanship and STAR Coaching to train youth and coaches how to think and act like good sports. This program was developed in conjunction with the Mountain West Conference (representing 9 Division 1-A colleges). Mr. Shulman is available for comments and expert background on sportsmanship education and initiatives around the country.

Dan Butterly is associate commissioner of the Mountain West Conference (MWC), which is one of the top collegiate athletic conferences in the country and is comprised of nine Division I-A institutions. Mr. Butterly is the primary MWC liaison with Learning Through Sports and develops the MWC sportsmanship and education initiatives along with other marketing, policy and development responsibilities for the MWC. Mr. Butterly's primary role is to serve as the point-person for all CSTV-MWC partnership items and is responsible for branding and marketing the Mountain West Conference. He also directs marketing, promotions, merchandising, licensing, advertising, the MWC Radio Network and works daily with sponsorship rights holder CSTV on the MWC corporate partnership program. He serves as the tournament manager for the Mountain West Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Championships and the 2008 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championships. Mr. Butterly came to the Mountain West Conference following six years with the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), where he served most recently as assistant commissioner. Before joining the MWC and as assistant commissioner of the MVC, he managed the league's corporate sponsorship efforts, merchandising and licensing program and administered marketing and promotions for all conference championships.

Addie Swartz is the founder and CEO of B*tween Productions, Inc, home of the Beacon Street Girls award-winning book series and website for preteen girls. Addie created the Beacon Street Girls in 2002 to provide positive role models and healthy messages for tween girls. These messages include healthy body image, self esteem, good sportsmanship and understanding the consequences of lying. Today, there are nine Beacon Street Girls books with more than 350,000 copies in print, "super-fans" in 46 countries and are available through leading book stores and online. Related BSG products are sold at more than 750 independent gift shops and through the COPPA-compliant Beacon Street Girl website (www.beaconstreetgirls.com) BSG Books and gifts provide positive role models for preteen girls through modeling appropriate behaviors. Also, the company has access to a "Tween Advisory Board" for input and feedback from girls around the world, and surveys them regularly.

Daniel Waintrup is the former teaching Tennis Professional at one of New England's most exclusive country clubs. He was a nationally ranked tennis player at Temple University, a ranked New England Men's Singles player in the 1980's and 90's, and the 2005 Men's Singles Champion at the Palm Beach Country Club. A featured media personality and professional speaker, Dan provides humorous commentary on the topics of tennis, business, networking, self-promotion, and the art of winning - both in life and on the court. In between speaking, writing, and providing tennis analysis on sports talk programs, he is presently working on the screen adaptation of his book "It's Not My Fault - Can A Rabbi's Son Find Happiness as a Tennis Pro?"

ExpertSource cannot guarantee the immediate availability of these experts or their familiarity with this specific issue.

Journalists seeking to interview any of these experts can obtain contact information by visiting http://www.businesswire.com/.

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Source: Business Wire

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