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Academy Faculty Member Reviews eSports Chapter in Upcoming Sports Ethics Book

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Academy Faculty Member Reviews eSports Chapter in Upcoming Sports Ethics Book
Photo: Gabriel Gagne via Wikimedia Commons

United States Sports Academy Director of Sports Management Dr. Brandon Spradley has reviewed a chapter evaluating the possibility of eSports being integrated into the Olympics that is part of an upcoming book that touches on ethics, law and trends in the sports industry.

Spradley reviewed a chapter on the development of eSports – also known as competitive video gaming – for the book “Law, Ethics and Integrity in the Sports Industry,” currently under development by Hershey, Pa., based publisher IGI Global, a leading international academic publisher of reference books, journals, encyclopedias, teaching cases and more. Spradley reviewed the chapter called “ESports at the Olympic Games: From Physicality to Virtuality.”

Spradley is sought for his expertise on eSports and recently was featured internationally on Learning English, Voice of America’s multimedia source of news and information for English learners worldwide. He has conducted scholarly research on the growth of eSports, including co-authoring a piece on the subject for The Sport Journal, the Academy’s peer-reviewed online journal of sports. The piece can be read here: http://thesportjournal.org/article/recognizing-esports-as-a-sport/.

“The book chapter I reviewed provides an examination of the impact of including eSports in the Olympics and whether that impact is perceived as positive or negative in regards to the sports profession,” Spradley said. “In a way, it addresses one of the main questions about eSports: Should eSports be considered a sport?”

United States Sports Academy Director of Sports Management Dr. Brandon Spradley

ESports include any video game that can be played by multiple people – sports games, war games, fighting games, etc. – in a competitive, tournament-style setting. Some of the popular sports games played in eSports tournaments are the Madden series of NFL games and the NBA 2K series.  The tournaments have become highly popular among players and viewers around the world.

While eSports are not currently included in the Olympic program, competitive gaming enthusiasts have pushed for their inclusion in international competition.

The Intel Corporation and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) are currently partnering to develop a major competitive gaming exhibition and competition in PyeongChang as part of  the lead-up to the 2018 Olympic Winter Games.

Intel will deliver two distinct gaming experiences to South Korea: the Intel Extreme Masters PyeongChang eSports tournament, featuring one of the most celebrated eSports titles of all time, Blizzard Entertainment’s “StarCraft II,” and a separate exhibition featuring Ubisoft’s action-sports title “Steep Road to the Olympics,” the official licensed game of the Olympic Winter Games.

The Intel Extreme Masters PyeongChang tournament is open to any player, at any level, via global online qualifiers, with the winner moving on to compete in PyeongChang. Fans around the world will be able follow the action and watch the competition unfold on the Olympic Channel global digital platform, as well as additional broadcast and digital partners to be announced in the near future.

Intel will also deliver interactive gaming experiences throughout the Olympic Village for attendees and athletes.

Timo Lumme, managing director of IOC television and marketing services, said, “We are proud to have our worldwide partner Intel bring this competition to PyeongChang in the lead-up to the Olympic Winter Games 2018.  The IOC will now explore eSports’ relationship with the Olympic Movement further. This is just the start of an exciting future and we’re interested to see how this experience will play out.”

Spradley says that the momentum of eSports seems to be here to stay.

“My opinion is that eSports will continue to gain popularity among the young adult population regardless of whether it is perceived as a sport or not,” Spradley said.

“I believe eSports is a topic that is worth studying in the sports profession, although I do not view it in the same manner that I do traditional sports.”

A former track and field athlete at the University of Alabama, Spradley said he is personally “on the fence” about calling eSports a true sport. But as an academic, he said he finds rise of eSports fascinating. He takes an objective and academic view of the subject.

“Being a former collegiate track and field athlete, I understand the importance and use of the human body in sport, which has always been one of the primary focuses in the Olympic Games,” Spradley said. “eSports competitors put in hours of practice and must be mentally and strategically prepared for competitions just as any other sport, but in eSports, the focus is not so much on the human body but more on the virtual screen and how players interact with a machine. The physical activity is not the same when comparing eSports to traditional sports. Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see the progression of eSports in the sports profession.”

The United States Sports Academy is an independent, non-profit, accredited, special mission sports university created to serve the nation and world with programs in instruction, research and service. The role of the Academy is to prepare men and women for careers in the profession of sports.

The Academy is based in Daphne, Ala.  For more information, call (251) 626-3303 or visit www.ussa.edu.

By Eric Mann

Eric Mann is the communications assistant at the United States Sports Academy. 

Think Tank Predicts North Korea will Avoid Hostility at Pyeongchang 2018

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Think Tank Predicts North Korea will Avoid Hostility at Pyeongchang 2018
Photo: IOC/CHUNG SUNG-JUN

A Seoul-based Think Tank has predicted that North Korea will refrain from making provocative acts around the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games and will instead prioritize dialogue with its southern neighbor.

The Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU) claimed that North is most likely seek to “manage” the security situation in the first half of next year before ramping up rhetoric later in the year.

They also mooted that a reported leadership change at the National Sports Guidance Committee is a further sign of a more conciliatory approach towards the Winter Olympics.

“The atmosphere for dialogue over inter-Korean ties and North Korea’s nuclear weapons may start from May if the North suspends its nuclear and missile provocations during the Olympics, and Seoul and Washington’s military drills are delayed or scaled down,” the KINU told the Yonhap news agency.

South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in told NBC News yesterday that joint military exercises with the United States planned in February and March could be postponed if Pyongyang halted its nuclear and missile tests before Pyeongchang 2018.

The exercises, held every year, would otherwise be expected to clash with the Olympic Truce due to last from before the start of the Olympic Games on February 9 until after the end of the Paralympics on March 18.

“North Korea may accept Seoul’s proposed military talks to prevent accidental military clashes on the occasion of the Olympics,” the KINU said.

They speculated that the appointment of Choe Hwi to replace Choe Ryong-hae – considered the de facto number two in the country behind President Kim Jong-un – as chairman of the National Sports Guidance Committee.

This was also reported by Yonhap.

“Choe Ryong-hae is a heavyweight in the North,” said KINU research fellow Hong Min.

“But [Seoul] could seek contacts over the Olympics with Choe Hwi, without big political burdens.”

Concerns over regional security have escalated this year following a series of North Korean missile tests and increasingly hostile rhetoric by United States President Donald Trump.

It also remains unclear whether North Korean athletes will participate.

North Korean pairs figure skaters Ryom Tae-Ok and Kim Ju-Sik have qualified for Pyeongchang 2018 but missed a deadline to accept their spot, although they could still be allowed to participate.

By Nick Butler

Republished with permission from insidethegames.biz

Nashville Municipal Money Wins MLS Owners’ Hearts

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Nashville Municipal Money Wins MLS Owners’ Hearts
Leaders of Nashville's Major League Soccer bid and Mayor Megan Barry pose with team with MLS President Mark Abbott at the league’s offices. From left to right: Nashville MLS Organizing Committee Co-Founder Will Alexander, Nashville MLS Organizing Committee Co-Founder Bill Hagerty, MLS President Mark Abbott, Nashville Mayor Megan Barry, Nashville ownership group lead investor John R. Ingram. Photo: Submitted by Nashville MLS Steering Committee

Major League Soccer is no different than any other United States sports group. Show the owners expansion money and chances are they will take your city. After all, sports leagues are about money first and foremost.

Major League Soccer is welcoming Nashville into the fold after the city came up with the money that pleased the MLS owners. Nashville was one of 12 cities that bid for an expansion team after the league decided to add more teams earlier this year. In October, Nashville Mayor Megan Barry proposed throwing a quarter of a billion dollars into a project that would include a 27,500-seat stadium for a Major League Soccer Nashville expansion team.

In November, the Nashville City Council said Mayor Barry’s plan made sense to them and approved the proposal. All of a sudden Nashville had the best proposal for a soccer stadium and leaped to the top of MLS’s expansion list. Barry and the Nashville city government won over the MLS owners and in doing so may have created a situation where the stadium is a loss leader for the city. But there are no concerns because a soccer team adds to Nashville’s diversity.

Major League Soccer has Nashville and will soon add a second city with Cincinnati, Detroit and Sacramento on the list as ownership groups in those cities made the final cut for consideration. The league wants to add four teams, so why not take all of them if they qualified to be in the final four cities in the running. Charlotte, Cincinnati, Detroit, Indianapolis, Nashville, Phoenix, Raleigh, Sacramento, St. Louis, San Antonio, San Diego and Tampa Bay were on the MLS’s expansion list. St. Louis dropped out after voters said no to funding a stadium. Charlotte and San Diego had financial problems. If they improve their proposals, they could re-enter the sweepstakes. Just show the MLS money.

By Evan Weiner For The Politics Of Sports Business

This article was republished with permission from the original publisher, Evan Weiner.

Salt Lake City Targets 2030 Winter Olympics Bid

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Salt Lake City Targets 2030 Winter Olympics Bid
In this Feb. 9, 2002, file photo, Georg Hackl, of Germany, speeds past an Olympic logo during a practice run for the men's singles luge at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics in Park City, Utah. Photo: AP Photo / Elise Amendola

Salt Lake City will target a bid for the 2030 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, it has been reported.

Utah’s capital hosted the Games in 2002, when Norway finished top of the medals table, and the belief is that the city would be a good economic choice as previous venues could be revamped and utilized.

Speaking to Fox 13, co-chair of the city’s Exploratory Committee Fraser Bullock, who was the chief operating officer of the 2002 Winter Olympics, said that hosting the Games would cost between $1.5 billion and $1.6 billion, including the upgrades to the 2002 venues.

Fraser believes that would be around $400 million less than the cost of building venues from scratch.

“We have the venues built,” he said.

“We can economize in many ways to make that budget work.”

The United States Olympic Committee chief executive, Scott Blackmun, said earlier this month that there would be “significant challenges” with US cities bidding for the 2026 Games as it comes just two years before Los Angeles hosts the Summer Games in 2028.

“We are leaning more in the 2030 direction,” he said.

America has hosted the Winter Olympics on four occasions – at Lake Placid in 1932 and 1980, Squaw Valley in 1960 and Salt Lake City in 2002.

The build-up to Salt Lake City 2002 was overshadowed by a vote-buying scandal, which led to the expulsion of 10 International Olympic Committee members with another 10 sanctioned.

Reno and Denver are two other US cities exploring a possible bid for future editions of the Winter Olympics.

By Thomas Giles

Republished with permission from insidethegames.biz

Dr. Kenneth Cameron Wins Academy’s 2017 Dr. Ernst Jokl Sports Medicine Award

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Dr. Kenneth Cameron Wins Academy’s 2017 Dr. Ernst Jokl Sports Medicine Award
Nationally recognized medical researcher Dr. Kenneth Cameron, left, has been named the United States Sports Academy’s 2017 Dr. Ernst Jokl Sports Medicine Award winner. Cameron was presented the honor by Academy Trustee Dr. Don Wukasch at the Academy’s 33rd Annual Awards of Sport celebration held recently on campus in Daphne, Ala.

A nationally recognized medical researcher known for his work in injury prevention and treatment of athletes and people in military service has won the United States Sports Academy’s 2017 Dr. Ernst Jokl Sports Medicine Award.

Dr. Kenneth Cameron was recently presented this year’s award by Academy trustee and cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Don Wukasch of Austin, Texas, at the Academy’s Annual Awards of Sport celebration on the Academy’s campus in Daphne, Ala.

Cameron is director of Orthopaedic Research at Keller Army Community Hospital in West Point, N.Y., where he holds faculty appointments with the John A. Feagin Jr. Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Fellowship, the U.S. Army-Baylor University Sports Physical Therapy Doctoral Program and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.

Cameron’s primary research interests are in the areas of injury prevention, musculoskeletal injury and disease epidemiology, and outcomes associated with the treatment of these injuries, specifically in physically active and military populations. His work has resulted in numerous research awards.

The Dr. Ernst Jokl Sports Medicine Award, named in honor of the former Olympic athlete, international sports medicine scholar, and director of the University of Kentucky Rehabilitation Center, is given annually to an individual for his or her contributions to the growth and development of sport medicine through practice and/or scholarly activity.  The individual should exhibit a mastery of some aspect of sports medicine through practice or research, be well known in the sports medicine field and have an abiding belief in and practice of ethical behavior in pursuit of knowledge.

Cameron was selected to participate in the U.S. Bone and Joint Decade Young Investigator’s Initiative in 2007 and he has subsequently served as a principal investigator for grant funded research projects supported by The Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation, The National Athletic Trainers’ Association Research and Education Foundation, and The U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command’s Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury Research, Peer Reviewed Medical Research and Peer Reviewed Orthopaedic Research programs. He has also worked as a co-investigator/site principal investigator on projects funded by the National Institutes of Health. Cameron has authored numerous peer reviewed manuscripts and has presented his work nationally and internationally.

Cameron earned the Commander’s Award for Civilian Service in recognition of exemplary service to the United States Military Academy in 2004 and the Department of the Army Superior Civilian Service Award in 2014. Cameron has earned several research awards, including the Arthritis Foundation’s New Investigator Award, the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health MPH Capstone Research Award, the Society of Military Orthopaedic Surgeons Founders’ Award for the best scientific paper with military relevance, the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine Research Award for the Best Scientific Research Paper presented at the AMSSM annual meeting, the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine’s Best Scientific Poster Award, Aircast Award for the Best Clinical Science Paper submitted by a sports medicine fellow, and the O’Donoghue Award for the best overall paper which deals with clinical based research or human in-vivo research.

In 2015 Cameron earned designation as a Fellow in the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) for exemplary scholarship and service and in 2017 he earned the NATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer award recognizing exemplary professional service at the district and national level.

Cameron previously worked as the director of research for the Glendale (Ariz.) Union High School District and as a certified athletic trainer and instructor for the United States Military Academy’s Department of Physical Education at West Point.

Cameron earned his bachelor’s degree in exercise and sport science from Oregon State University in 1993, his master’s degree in exercise science from San Jose State University in 1996, and master’s and doctoral degrees in educational psychology and methodology from the University at Albany in 2001 and 2004. Cameron also completed a master’s degree in public health from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2011.

The Dr. Ernst Jokl Sports Medicine Award is part of the Academy’s Awards of Sport, which each year honor a wide range of accomplishments in sport and serve as “A Tribute to the Artist and the Athlete,” in conjunction with the Academy’s American Sport Art Museum and Archives (ASAMA). The awards recognize these men and women through the Sport Artist of the Year, Honorary Doctorates, Medallion Series, Distinguished Service Awards, Outstanding Athletes, and Alumni of the Year awards.

Founded in 1984, ASAMA is dedicated to the preservation of sports art, history, and literature. The ASAMA collection is composed of more than 1,800 works of sport art across a variety of media, including paintings, sculptures, assemblages, prints and photographs. The museum is open free to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. For more information, go to www.asama.org.

The United States Sports Academy is an independent, non-profit, accredited, special mission sports university created to serve the nation and world with programs in instruction, research and service. The role of the Academy is to prepare men and women for careers in the profession of sports.

The Academy is based in Daphne, Ala. For more information, call (251) 626-3303 or visit www.ussa.edu.

By Eric Mann

Eric Mann is the communications assistant at the United States Sports Academy. 

Solo, Wynalda Among Eight Candidates for US Soccer Presidency

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Solo, Wynalda Among Eight Candidates for US Soccer Presidency
Aug 3, 2016; Belo Horizonte, Brazil; Team USA goalkeeper Hope Solo (1) celebrates after the game against New Zealand at Estadio Mineirao. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

The eight candidates vying to replace Sunil Gulati as President of the United States Soccer Federation have been confirmed by the governing body.

Among those in the running are former men’s national team players Eric Wynalda, Kyle Martino and Paul Caligiuri and ex-women’s national team goalkeeper Hope Solo.

Also in contention are US Soccer’s vice-president Carlos Cordeiro, Soccer United Marketing President Kathy Carter, Boston-based lawyer Steve Gans and New Jersey attorney Michael Winograd.

All candidates completed requirements to be placed on the ballot at US Soccer’s general meeting in February.

Paul Lapointe, Northeast Conference manager of the United Premier Soccer League, had publicly declared his candidacy but does not feature on the final list.

The list was announced following the completion of all background checks by US Soccer’s Nominating and Governance Committee.

The vote to elect Gulati’s replacement is due to be conducted at US Soccer’s annual meeting in Orlando on February 10.

Gulati, a member of FIFA’s ruling Council, was originally elected to the post of US Soccer President in 2006 and ran unopposed in each of the last three elections.

He revealed at the beginning of December that his current term would be his last.

The 58-year-old had faced mounting pressure following the US men’s shock failure to qualify for next year’s World Cup in Russia.

Gulati was blamed in some circles within the sport in the country for the US being unable to secure a spot at the 2018 tournament, which will be the first not to feature the nation since 1986.

The new President will have a key role in the American bid for the 2026 World Cup, which is a joint effort alongside Canada and Mexico.

By Daniel Etchells

Republished with permission from insidethegames.biz

Gymnast Maroney Sues USOC and University Over Sex-Abuse Scandal

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Gymnast Maroney Sues USOC and University Over Sex-Abuse Scandal
McKayla Maroney of the U.S. gestures after competing in the vault during the women's gymnastics qualification in the North Greenwich Arena during the London 2012 Olympic Games July 29, 2012. Photo: REUTERS/Brian Snyder

Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast McKayla Maroney has filed a lawsuit against Michigan State University and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), alleging that the institutions “failed to properly investigate” Larry Nassar who was recently sentenced to 60 years in jail for three counts relating to child sex abuse images on his computer.

Nassar, who appeared for a plea hearing at Ingham County Court in Lansing in Michigan earlier this month, was given 20 years for each count.

He has also been charged with molesting seven girls during his time with the governing body and will be sentenced separately for this in January.

All but one of his accusers are gymnasts, while three of them were under the age of 13.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Maroney was paid $1.25 million by USA Gymnastics last year to keep silent on Nassar’s abuse.

This was while she was member of the national gymnastics team and the Olympic team for London 2012, where she was part of the US’s women’s artistic all-around team that won a gold medal.

“A simple fact is this, if Michigan State University, USA Gymnastics and the US Olympic Committee had paid attention to any of the red flags in Larry Nassar’s behavior, I never would have met him, I never would have been ‘treated’ by him and I never would have been abused by him,” Maroney said in the lawsuit obtained by Fox News.

The lawsuit of Maroney accuses USA Gymnastics of trying to silence her with a nondisclosure agreement.

According to the complaint, this was done “in direct violation of California Law, and for the purpose of silencing a known victim of Nassar.”

It is also alleged in the lawsuit that “Maroney was forced to agree to a nondisparagement clause and confidentiality provision, in the above-mentioned settlement agreement, that brought with it liquidated damages penalties of over $100,000, should she or other affiliated nonparties speak of her abuse or the settlement.”

USA Gymnastics has released a statement regarding the lawsuit.

“That filing apparently seeks to nullify provisions in a prior settlement agreement between USA Gymnastics and McKayla,” it reads.

“Contrary to reports, the concept of confidentiality was initiated by McKayla’s attorney, not USA Gymnastics.

“In 2016, McKayla’s attorney at the time, Gloria Allred, approached USA Gymnastics, requesting that the organization participate in a confidential mediation process.

“USA Gymnastics cannot speak to the mediation process, which is confidential and privileged under California law.

“The process culminated in a settlement agreement that included a mutual non-disclosure clause and a mutual non-disparagement clause.

“The settlement in 2016 was in accordance with state law, despite what has been alleged.

“At all times, McKayla was represented by Allred, a California-based attorney, who actively negotiated and approved the settlement agreement signed by McKayla.

“Although USA Gymnastics is disappointed by today’s filing, we applaud McKayla and others who speak up against abusive behavior – including the despicable acts of Larry Nassar.

“We want to work together with McKayla and others to help encourage and empower athletes to speak up against abuse.

USA Gymnastics new CEO Kerry Perry is eager to speak personally with McKayla to hear her ideas on how to move the sport forward and to discuss the many safe sport enhancements that have already been implemented at USA Gymnastics.”

John Manly, Maroney’s attorney, described the confidentiality agreement as “an immoral and illegal attempt to silence a victim of child sexual abuse.”

“The US Olympic Committee and USA Gymnastics were well aware that the victim of child sexual abuse in California cannot be forced to sign a nondisclosure agreement as a condition of a settlement,” he added.

“Such agreements are illegal for very good reasons; they silence victims and allow perpetrators to continue committing their crimes.

“That is exactly what happened in this case.”

By Daniel Etchells

Republished with permission from insidethegames.biz

Academy Sees Education, Awareness as Keys to Fighting Corruption in Sport

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Academy Sees Education, Awareness as Keys to Fighting Corruption in Sport
Public domain photo

Academic leaders at the United States Sports Academy say that enhanced education and raising public awareness of the need for change are two important contributions they plan to make toward addressing highly visible ethical lapses, governance issues and outright corruption that have recently rocked the world of sport.

Whether it is financial corruption in international soccer, bribery related to the awarding of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, the use of illegal performance enhancing drugs by Russia in the Olympic Games, or, closer to home, the vast recruiting bribery and fraud case in college basketball, sport recently has seen some of its greatest scandals, stretching from the local and college levels to the pinnacles of international competition.

As America’s first and only accredited freestanding sports university, the Academy over the past half-century has played a significant role in educating coaches, managers, administrators and other sport professionals through its degree programs and its post-secondary non-degree programs.

United States Sports Academy Dean of Academic Affairs Dr. Stephen Butler.

The Academy has advanced the cause of sport and has had a global impact on sport education around the world. The Academy also has been a long-time and important source of scholarly thought and writing on key themes in sport, as well as a source of information about sport for audiences at all levels.

Academy Dean of Academic Affairs Dr. Stephen Butler says the Academy faculty is committed to playing an even greater role in advancing sport ethics and combatting corruption in sport by  training tomorrow’s leaders to be better prepared to address the complex issue.

“What can we do at the Academy to help get things under control? I think, first, we have to make sure our students are aware that there is a problem,” Butler said. “We can’t fix a problem until we admit that there is one. Then, we must educate our students that the problem can only be fixed at the grassroots level, from the bottom up.

“I think we are at that point with sports corruption. If we can get students to fight corruption and push for ethical virtue, that’s a victory. We can educate our students and we can hope they will then go out into the sports world and make a difference wherever they go.

“One of the things we teach at the Academy is that sports is a microcosm of society,” Butler said. “I don’t think ethics in sports are much different from the ethics in the business world, or the restaurant world, or in the banking world. They are all industries that make a lot of money, but sports get more publicity. Everyone knows who the famous coach is who gets in trouble, but if your neighbor down the street gets in trouble you may never know about it.”

Butler said it will be difficult to solve the problems of Olympic bid rigging, corruption in global soccer leagues and other ethical problems on a global scale. However, the Academy can train its students to make good individual decisions and contribute to the betterment of sport as they progress through their careers.

“I think the real key is to get students thinking about ethics,” Butler said. “If our students leave here and stop and think, before they do something, ‘is this the right thing to do?’ then I think we are on the right path. If they leave here well educated, with experience in the field, and they really make decisions based on what they think is right, they are acting ethically.

“For the Academy, it is about planting the seed in a student’s mind that they should always try to do the right thing and also to always understand that others may not always perceive it to be the right thing.”

Butler believes there has always been some element of corruption in sports, but that is has never been more prominent than today because of social media and the 24-hour news cycle.

He agrees that should sport continue on a path where public trust is eroded, confidence is lost, interest wanes and engagement falters, sport risks being diminished to the point that it is no longer a societal priority or even relevant.  And should sport be diminished, along with it would go its many positive attributes, including its ability to foster goodwill around the world.

“I’m not a doomsday person who thinks sports will die as a result of all this,” Butler said. “I think sports are here to stay, but we definitely must train tomorrow’s leaders today. Because there could come a point one day where sport really is threatened.

“There’s a theme of ethical and effective leadership in many of our courses. I think one of the biggest things that make you an effective leader is being able to avoid doing things that get your name in the newspaper for the wrong reasons.”

Within its degree programs, the Academy offers courses at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels that cover ethical behavior in sport, focusing on such topics as sports ethics, NCAA compliance, sports agents and sports leadership, to name a few.  The Academy faculty recently took this one step further, voting to recommend the creation of a sport ethics specialization within the doctoral program.

In addition to the enhanced focus on sports ethics and corruption issue in the education of its students, the Academy in the coming year will focus on raising public visibility and dialogue on these issues as well. This will be accomplished through the Academy’s popular blog, The Sport Digest, as well as The Sport Journal, the Academy’s peer-reviewed online academic journal, which it provides as a free public service.  These combined are accessed more than 840,000 times per year. In the coming year, both publications are placing a special focus on sport ethics and corruption by bolstering the number of articles on the subjects written by Academy faculty and contributors around the world.  Visit them at www.thesportdigest.com and www.sportjournal.org. 

International dialogue and concern over sport corruption seem to be giving traction to a movement toward reform. Just this week, the International Partnership Against Corruption in Sport (IPACS) — which includes the International Olympic Committee, international sports organizations and governmental/intergovernmental sports organizations — has set up three new special task forces to address ethics, corruption and governance issues in sport.  The task forces will focus on reducing the risk of corruption in procurement relating to sporting events and infrastructure; ensuring integrity in the selection of major sporting events, with a focus on managing conflicts of interest; and optimizing the processes of compliance with good governance principles to mitigate the risk of corruption.

“We know intuitively that we cannot completely eliminate corruption in sport, but we should always try as hard as we can to do it,” Butler said.

The United States Sports Academy is an independent, non-profit, accredited, special mission sports university created to serve the nation and world with programs in instruction, research and service. The role of the Academy is to prepare men and women for careers in the profession of sports.

The Academy is based in Daphne, Ala. For more information, call (251) 626-3303 or visit www.ussa.edu.

By Eric Mann

Eric Mann is the communications assistant at the United States Sports Academy. 

Birmingham, Ala., Prepares to Host 2021 World Games

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Birmingham, Ala., Prepares to Host 2021 World Games
Photo: vulcaninformationpackaging.com

Organizers discussed budgets and sports programs as Birmingham, Alabama, gears up to host the 2021 World Games.

The event’s Coordination Committee (CoCom) held their first meting with likely venues also discussed.

International World Games Association (IWGA) chief executive Joachim Gossow spoke of successful dialogue and a frankness of discussion.

“The meeting took place in a great atmosphere created by frank and honest discussions and based on well-prepared presentations on all items,” he said.

“In running through the whole agenda, both parties gained a better understanding of each other and came to a common outlook in all matters.”

Gossow also commented on the attendance of Randall Woodfin, the newly-elected mayor of Birmingham.

“The visit of mayor Randall Woodfin at the beginning of the CoCom meeting in the morning enabled the IWGA President José Perurena to congratulate him personally on his election,” he said.

“Birmingham’s new mayor showed up with detailed knowledge about the project, and the IWGA representatives could appreciate that he is as committed to the Games as his predecessor, mayor [William] Bell.”

Gossow said that the final program for the Games, which will take place from July 15 to 25 at Legion Field, should be finalized at the SportAccord Convention in Bangkok, Thailand, in April.

This decision to take the games to the US was announced by José Perurena, President of the International World Games Association, in January 2015.

It will be the 11th edition of the multi-sports event with the last edition of The World Games staged in July 2017 in Wroclaw, Poland.

By Thomas Giles

Republished with permission from insidethegames.biz

Constitution Marks Historic Milestone for Cricket in the United States

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Constitution Marks Historic Milestone for Cricket in the United States
A new national governing body for cricket in the United States is a step closer to fruition. Photo: ICC

A new national governing body for cricket in the United States is a step closer to fruition with the formal approval of a new constitution for the sport paving the way for historic elections in 2018.

The Sustainable Foundation Advisory Group (SFAG), set up to unify the cricket community in the US, has given the green light to a constitution that will see the election of a new Board, including three independent directors, of which one must be the chairman.

The approval of the constitution, registered under Colorado State Law, provides the process under which the office bearers of the governing body can be elected and operate.

USA Cricket will now focus on finalizing a membership program which will in turn be able to vote on seven of the ten Board members.

The International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Americas Project USA team has undertaken a significant community consultation program over the last few months in which the constitution received only minor adjustments to that which the SFAG had originally recommended.

Any such changes are minor and are based either on feedback from the community consultations or as necessitated by Colorado State Law, where USA Cricket is based.

These changes included clarification on the residency requirements to vote or nominate for election; clarification that prospective directors cannot stand for more than one position in a given election process and a strengthening of the requisite percentage of membership from 33 per cent to 67 per cent required to propose a change to the constitution.

Highlights of the new constitution include a new individual membership structure that allows USA Cricket to engage, communicate with and support the entire cricket community directly, including players, coaches, match officials, fans and administrators.

The country will be divided into three Conferences further split into six geographic zones: East, Mid-Atlantic, South, South-West, West and Midwest, with programs and services including unified and structured competitions, high performance camps and coach/umpire education being delivered in each zone.

The new Board composition will be diverse and inclusive and will be representative of the entire cricket community, complying with the requirements of the US Olympic Committee, while establishing a focus on independence.

It will be made up of the following ten directors: two player directors: one female and one male – elected by the international players who have represented the US senior team in the last ten years; three independent directors, at least one of whom must be female, who must be completely independent from any cricket governance or administration for at least the last three years; three individual directors who will be elected by the entire individual membership, one club director, who will be elected by all registered and eligible clubs, one league director who will be elected by all registered and eligible leagues, and an independent chair of the Board.

For the first three years the chair of the Board will be elected by the Board from one of the three independent directors.

This role will play a key part in the unification of the sport and the SFAG felt strongly that independence for the first three years would depoliticize the role and signal a fresh start, the ICC Board unanimously supported this view.

It is proposed this restriction is lifted after three years.

Board Directors will have both term limits and staggered terms to ensure a good mix of fresh perspective and continuity of institutional knowledge.

The governance model includes a Nominating and Governance Committee who will be responsible for vetting all Board candidates and recruiting and recommending the three Independent Directors for appointment by the Board.

There will be an Annual General Meeting where all members of USA Cricket will be invited to participate to both learn about the direction of the organisation and to provide input and feedback to the USA Cricket Board of Directors and staff.

Engagement in the governance of USA Cricket by a wider group of individuals in the cricket community will be undertaken via five additional standing committees including; cricket, leagues, finance and commercial, ethics, grievance and disciplinary and audit, each of which would have a significant level of representation by players.

This follows on from the good progress already made with the launch of the USA Cricket brand and social media channels on September 24 and the website on November 27.

Another important development has been the finalization of a terms of reference for the SFAG which outlines the body’s role in continuing to guide and support the establishment of a new national governing body in the USA that is capable of unifying all of the stakeholders of USA Cricket.

Patricia Whittaker a member, of SFAG, said: “This is a significant step forward in establishing a new national governing body and we are delighted to be in a position to approve a constitution that has the backing of the cricket community.

“It is the result of months of hard work, consultation and a willingness to do the right thing for the sport.”

Jagan Jagannathan, who is also a member of the Advisory Group, said: “This is an excellent constitution that reflects the diversity and strength of the USA cricket community.

“Of course, cricket operates in a dynamic environment and we have built in mechanisms that enable the constitution to evolve with the growth of the game in the USA under the leadership of the future directors and the membership”.

David Richardson, the ICC’s Chief Executive, welcomed the development and thanked the SFAG for their work: “This is an extremely important development and I would like to thank the Advisory Group for their enormous contribution to the development of this Constitution.

“They have led a process that has been incredibly thorough and we think they have developed a best practice Constitution that gives the new national governing body in USA the best possible chance of success.”

By Bill Howell

Republished with permission from insidethegames.biz