Ethics and Character in Sports and Entertainment

“Sports do not build character. They reveal it.”

- John Wooden

Jennifer Bricker - Professional Acrobat

Jennifer Bricker was abandoned by her biological parents when she was born with a handicap.

Jennifer was adopted by Sharon and Gerald Bricker from Oblong, Illinois.

Jennifer never allowed her handicap to stop her from participating in sports.

At her high school she became a star player in softball, volleyball, basketball and gymnastics.

Play the episode on DVD from HBO Real Sports.

Jennifer Bricker - Professional Acrobat

http://youtu.be/wjH8iib-pXU

Jennifer’s story is an amazing example of attitude and character over-coming a perceived handicap. Indeed, Jennifer considers herself to be lucky.

Today she has reunited with her biological mother and two sisters.

She lives in Los Angeles where she pursues a career in entertainment and acrobatics.

Nick Vujicic – Motivational Speaker

Nick Vujicic - Australian motivational speaker born with tetra-amelia syndrome, a rare disorder characterized by the absence of all four limbs.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50138905n

Ethics and Principles Ethics are a system of deciding what is

right or wrong in a reasoned and impartial manner.

Ethics should be an important part of all business and personal decisions.

Ethical behavior is based on solid principles, which are the rules and high standards that serve as guidelines in both business and personal life.

Who among celebrities and professional athletes have

exhibited poor ethical decision making and behavior?

Tiger Woods Formerly ranked #1 in golf

and the highest paid athlete in history.

A scandal related to multiple infidelities erupted after Tiger wrecked his Escalade in the early morning hours of November 27, 2009.

His wife divorced him, several sponsors cancelled contracts with him, and his golf ranking fell to #58.

Berry Bonds One of the greatest

baseball players of all-time.

Holds the all-time home run record with 762 and the single-season Major League record for home runs with 73.

Convicted in 2011 of obstruction of justice for lying to a grand jury about his steroid use.

Roger Clemens One of the most dominant

pitchers in major league history, tallying 354 wins, a 3.12 ERA, and 4,672 strikeouts.

Indicted by a Federal grand jury in 2010 for perjury when he testified (or lied) before congress about using steroids.

Acquitted of all perjury charges in 2012.

Mark McGuire Averaged a home run once

every 10.61 at bats, the lowest ratio in baseball history (Babe Ruth is second at 11.76).

Broke the single-season home run record for rookies, with 49.

Admitted to using steroids, never lied under oath and has never been legally charged.

It is unlikely that he will ever be admitted to the Hall of Fame.

Coach Bobby Patrino Head football coach at the

University of Arkansas from 2008 to 2011.

Lead the team to an 11-2 season in 2011 and a #5 national ranking.

Coach Patrino was paid an average annual salary of $3.53 million.

He was fired after misleading University officials about an "inappropriate relationship" with one of his female employees.

Lindsay Lohan Successful child actress

in Disney’s The Parent Trap and Freaky Friday.

Charged with 2 DUIs and theft of a necklace.

Sentenced to 120 days in jail and 480 hours of community service.

Unable to get quality movie/TV roles due to rumored drug addiction.

Lance Armstrong In 2012 he was charged

with having used performance enhancing drugs.

He was then banned from competition for life.

All of his titles were stripped from him.

All of his corporate sponsors dropped him.

http://youtu.be/4sQWDUgWMOs

Character and Attitude Attitude is what you think about a situation

and the way you approach it. Attitude can change depending on the situation and the circumstances.

Character is what makes you act the way you do. Character has been defined as the essence of who you are and is what you are like on the inside.

Attitude can change very quickly, but character is more likely to remain the same.

Elements of Good Character Respectful – The act of

being kind and courteous to others. Acting and speaking with modesty.

Honesty – Someone who can be trusted to do the right thing. No cheating, no shortcuts, no excuses.

Loyalty – Being faithful to others. No talking behind someone’s back. Tim Tebow

Elements of Good Character

Enthusiasm – Acting with eagerness, interest, and passion.

Cooperation – The ability to work well with others and as a team.

Empathy – Putting yourself in someone else’s shoes. Seeing a situation from their point of view. Joe DiMaggio

Elements of Good Character

Initiative – Doing things that should be done without being asked to do them.

Tact – The ability to act and speak without offending others.

Poise – Acting with dignity and composure. Oprah Winfrey

Elements of Good Character

Was this a lack of poise?

Arkansas Razorbacks head football coach John L. Smith made things awkward for the

media at the start of his weekly press conference on Monday by insisting that they smile, which

was strange given that the team just came off a 52-0 loss to

Alabama this past weekend.

http://youtu.be/_-yZlCfXLa8

Elements of Good Character

Was this another lack of poise? Tommy Tuberville says he was just

trying to get his assistant coach off the field when he accidently yanked off his headset.

It appears differently in the video. Tuberville was upset that Texas

Tech had an extra player on the field and took a penalty on fourth and 2.

He made a quick motion to the assistant coach, either yanking his headset off with his left hand or hitting it off his head.

http://youtu.be/xSVdIFAud94

Name athletes, coaches, or other celebrities who have demonstrated good character

and positive attitudes.

Coach John Wooden John Wooden is respected for

teaching his players good character and good ethics.

He also won ten NCAA national basketball championships in a 12-year period, seven in a row, as head coach at UCLA.

His teams won a record 88 consecutive games.

He was named national coach of the year six times.

Coach Wooden died in 2010 at the age of 99.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6552524n

Coach Phil Jackson Considered to be one of the

greatest coaches in the history of the NBA.

As head coach of the Chicago Bulls he won six NBA titles.

As coach of the Los Angeles Lakers he won five more NBA titles.

He has the highest winning percentage of any NBA coach at .704.

Coach Jackson is known for his calm, respectful, poised, team-centered approach to coaching.

Coach Phil Jackson http://www.bing.com/videos/browse?mkt=en-us&vid=a0c3af51-7cc2-45f0-8b92-54b59d91a358&src=v5:share:sharepermalink:&from=sharepermalink

Watch the HBO Sports interview with Phil Jackson. The link above is a short 2 minute version, Mr. Dorman has the

longer 15 minute version on a DVD.

1. Why is Coach Jackson referred to as the Zen Master?

2. What personal qualities does Coach Jackson have that other NBA Coaches might not have?

3. How has his character and attitude contributed to his success as the winningest coach in the history of the NBA?

Jon Bon Jovi – Rock Star & Philanthropist

Jon Bon Jovi has worked on behalf of the Special Olympics, the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, and Covenant House.

He founded a community restaurant (The Soul Kitchen), where visitors pay what they can afford for their meal, or volunteer to work in the restaurant.

Married to his high school sweetheart since 1989 they have 4 children.

Jon Bon Jovi – Rock Star & Philanthropist

1. Describe, as best you can, Jon Bon Jovi’s “attitude” toward his life and career. Is his attitude positive or negative? Explain your answer.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7398066n

Eli Manning – Loyal to Team and Community As quarterback of the New York Giants he led his team to 2 Super Bowl championships. He was MVP of both games.

His is known for his commitment to family and community causes.

He delivered supplies to Hurricane Katrina victims and has committed to raising $2.5 million for a children’s hospital.

Eli graduated from the University of Mississippi with a degree in

marketing and a 3.44 GPA

Jeremy Lin – Inspirational Perseverance Did not receive a college scholarship and was not drafted into the NBA.

He played in the NBA development league before receiving a chance with the New York Nicks.

In his 12 starts Lin averaged 22.5 points and 8.7 assists, and New York had a 9 - 3 record. Lin is one of the few

Asian Americans in NBA history.

Brandon Burlsworth – Hard Work & Dedication Joined the Arkansas Razorback football team as a walk-on and eventually became an All-American.

Graduated from the University of Arkansas with both a bachelors and a masters degree.

He was the first Razorback football player to complete a master's degree before playing in his final game.

He was selected in the third round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts.

Brandon Burlsworth – Hard Work & Dedication

Eleven days after being drafted, he was killed in a car accident.

Brandon was as much admired and respected for his playing ability as for his character off the field.

A foundation to help underprivileged children was established to carry on his legacy.

http://youtu.be/Vc7zyM-gW4QBrandon Burlsworth Award

Bono – Singer, Musician, Humanitarian An Irish singer, musician, and song writer best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2.

He has worked to aid third-world countries and is committed to eradicating AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria from Africa.

He has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Bono – Singer, Musician, Humanitarianhttp://youtu.be/F90ixrocyew1. What is the purpose of

the “Red Campaign” that is being promoted by Bono? (The link for the website is below.)

2. Do you feel that Bono is making a difference in the world? Why or why not?

http://www.joinred.com/home

John Cena, WWE Star, Grants a Record 300th Request for Make-A-Wish

The pro wrestling superstar granted his 300th Make-A-Wish request.

That's far more than any other sports celebrities.

Families spend so much on medical bills they can't afford presents. That's where celebrities like John Cena come through.

John Cena, WWE Star, Grants a Record 300th Request for Make-A-Wish

While some heroes do a simple meet-and-greet, Cena turns the Wish into an experience.

He usually invites the child to Monday Night Raw, where he takes the entire family backstage, gives them all signed memorabilia and introduces them to other WWE stars.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/gma-helps-wrestler-john-cena-make-16610013

John Cena and a Product Tie-In

John Cena has an action figure tie-in available at your local Wal-Mart!

Photo taken in August 2012 by Mr. Dorman.

Carrie Underwood – Singer, Actress Country singer, songwriter and actress who rose to fame as the winner of the fourth season of American Idol in 2005.

She has since become a multi-platinum selling recording artist, a winner of several Grammy Awards and many others.

She is known for her good character and her work on behalf of animal shelters. http://

youtu.be/iPq5zaZCfB4

Bethany Hamilton – Pro Surferhttp://youtu.be/ePFKksD0XkQ

Movie Based on Bethany’s Story

Watch the Movie: Soul Surfer Released in 2011 and

grossed $10.6 million in its opening weekend.

Total theatrical gross was $44.3 million.

The film cost $18 million to produce.

The cast of the movie:

AnnaSophia Robb as Bethany Hamilton

Helen Hunt as Cheri HamiltonDennis Quaid as Tom HamiltonCarrie Underwood as Sarah Hill

Soul Surfer

Conclusions from the movie? The events that happen

in your life WILL change you!

These changes CAN’T be avoided.

But, YOU will determine if those changes in YOU will be for better or for worse.