Reality TV - Perspectives

http://www.onpointradio.org/2009/05/lauren-zalaznick

Ms. Zalaznick is incredibly intelligent and articulate. I really enjoyed listening to the way she frames her career, popular culture and the role of the media in shaping the human condition. She is sharp and is very clear in defining her professional goals as well as the goals of her industry. She raises many provocative ideas. These questions struck me:

Is reality TV "sports for woman"? What is this all about? Why can't women enjoy sports as they are? Moreover, why do men and women flock to the drama of competition, rather than the celebration of skill and excellence?

Does reality TV allow us to engage in social comparison and does this process help shape our senses of personal identity? If this is the case, are these borderline pathological people profiled on reality TV serve our identity formation or should we choose other models?

Connections

Are you wondering how all of these topics and ideas are connected . . . ME TOO! Part of the purpose of this blog is for me to collect and organize the big ideas that are interesting to me. Eventually, these concepts will intersect and come together in a way that might even help me shape some future research or writing. We shall see!

Mothers

http://www.onpointradio.org/2009/05/ruth-reichl

What a powerful and compelling program. Resolving the relationships between mothers and daughters is so incredibly challenging and so multi-layered. Women seem to carry their parenting legacies with them in ways that are different from men. We also seem to embody our relationships and hang onto these influences in so many ways. Ms. Reichl tells her story boldly and honestly. She encourages us all to be understanding, forgiving and free to love ourselves and our mothers.

The financial truth of pro athletes

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102302881

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102326100

Do we do a disservice to our pro athletes by paying them outrageous fortunes and providing them with little to no education about how to manage their money? Do we do a disservice to our pro athletes by treating them as celebrities and creating an expectation for them to "live large" rather than live thoughtfully? How do these financial challenges affect how our retired athletes think about themselves, their sports careers and their lives.

Perspective

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103246132

Joe Queenan offers his perspective on growing up poor . . . it's not quite as glamorous as the view of the "streets" that has been propagated by our pop culture and Hollywood movies.

Change and domestic violence

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102056732

Can we change? Are we able to change those behaviors which hurt those we love the most? What role does willpower play in human change?

Willpower and discipline

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102728123

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89434945

Is there such a thing as discipline? Can we really control ourselves? Are we strictly impulsive creatures or do we have the power to affect change in ourselves and in our lives?

Mind-body connections in mental health

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102344514
Do you think that the physical expression of anger is cathartic, or is a merely an distraction technique? Does the physical aggression and expression "release" the anger within us or does it simply give us something to do that is engaging and physical. In this physical act, perhaps we are increasing our heart rates and, in a sense, exercising our anger away? I wonder?

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102373662
In dealing with trauma, I have always wondered how mind-body work like meditation, mindfulness and even exercise may help. It was interesting to hear that for some monks, the quiet of meditation actually increased the frequency of feelings of anxiety related to past trauma. This psychiatrist seems like an incredibly intelligent and sensitive man and seems to offer some wonderfully alternative treatment methods to help monks regain a sense of calm and connectedness through meditation.

Wolverines

Thank you Courtney Faller . . . any TRUE Michigan fan has got to stay up with WLA! This combines the intelligence, wit and sports knowledge that I expect from EVERY Michigan alumna/alumnus and fan!

http://www.wolverineliberationarmy.com/blog/

Coach Bob Hurley - Coaching Hero

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/04/03/sunday/main4917067.shtml

Coach Bob Hurley, the renowned basketball coach at Saint Anthony's Catholic High School in Jersey City, New Jersey is a coaching god. He is a tremendous coach and an incredible humanitarian. He is a community leader. He shows his athletes that, with commitment and dedication, they can succeed in this world. Coach Hurley is a true hero.

Check out the book:
The Miracle of St. Anthony: A Season with Coach Bob Hurley and Basketball's Most Improbable Dynasty (Hardcover)by Adrian Wojnarowski
http://www.amazon.com/Miracle-St-Anthony-Basketballs-Improbable/dp/1592401023

"The Student Body" - University of Michigan Today Slideshow

These are fantastic photos of early fitness facilities and programming at the University of Michigan. It is amazing how times change - males and females are now about to exercise with one another in any kind of clothing they prefer. It is also amazing how things stay the same - the primary fitness value of maintaining proper posture throughout exercise. Moreover, it is always fun to celebrate anything Michigan! GO BLUE!
http://michigantoday.umich.edu/2009/03/gym-slides/

Psychology . . . Sports . . .Technology . . . Sociology

Bringing together some sources and ideas from the worlds of psychology, sports, technology and sociology; examining the intersections and connections between these worlds; and exploring what these worlds tell us about our human experience.

SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY

This is an excellent series from Radio Lab regarding personal freedom and the concept of psychological choices. I was taken with the "Is Free Will Really Free" episode.

http://www.wnyc.org/shows/radiolab/episodes/2008/11/14

SPORTS IN SOCIETY

Check this out . . .
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/22/magazine/22basketball-t.html

This young man is clearly a gifted and hard-working athlete. I think that is wonderful and I applaud he and his mother for their effort in sport. I wonder, though, about the role of commercialism in the athletic lives of our youth athletes. Is this what "grass-roots" now means? "Grass roots" involves a business adventure and reaching into people's bank accounts through their children's athletic programs? Are these the values that we want to promote in youth sports? (I know I'm idealistic . . . I'm a swim coach . . . it's part of our jobs . . .dreaming about the Olympic ideal and all!)

I wonder if THIS is what happens to our young people who grow up privileged through sport?
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102303350

Do we raise our athletes to think that they are more important than their peers because they are great athletes? What can we do, as coaches, to ensure that our athletes do not develop the selfishness, narcissism and arrogance that becomes a "cancer" on any team?