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Football connects communities but can pull them apart if governed carelessly
Sport is a space to help youngsters develop character, resilience and confidence, but we need stronger leadership and safer environments to make this happen
The fight for the soul of football isn’t just happening in the offices of Uefa and Fifa, it’s taking place on pitches much closer to home. At the weekend games of football for 750 children aged five to six in Scotland were cancelled due to severe behavioural issues within the ironically named “Fun 4s” programme. Seventy-two red cards were handed out in the first week of the season. Accounts describe adults displaying aggression, intimidation and head-butting as if it’s the “wild west”.
This isn’t just a Scottish problem. Contacts I speak to in different roles around football confirm and almost accept that “youth football is atrocious”. This should be sounding major alarm bells, for the consequences go way beyond the pitch. The existing disciplinary systems and PR campaigns are not nearly enough to address and change the situation. esporist.com
Continue reading...Dabo Swinney on NFL players going back to college: It's embarrassing, we have no rules
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney is preparing to open the season on Saturday against LSU, which has been at the forefront of attempting to get players who were on NFL rosters back into college football. And Swinney made clear on Tuesday that he is not a fan of the way NCAA eligibility rules have changed to make that possible.
"It's kind of embarrassing, honestly. It's just embarrassing that that's where we are. I doin't blame the kids, people trying to take advantage of the system, I just think it's embarrassing where we are with college football, and we've been there for a while," Swinney said.
Swinney said he'd like to see college football establish clear rules that can won't get overturned by judges, as has happened repeatedly when players have sued to regain NCAA eligibility.
"It's embarrassing. I mean, it really is. We have no rules. There's no governance. I mean, it's a joke. There's zero rules. And when you enforce rules someone just goes and finds a judge to say, 'No, you can't enforce that rule.' Never did I think we'd be living in an era like this, but that's where we are," Swinney said.
LSU has been attempting to add pass rusher Jack Pyburn, who was in training camp with the Buccaneers, and tight end Dae'Quan Wright, who was in training camp with the Browns. Pyburn was claimed on waivers by the Chiefs and now plans to stay in the NFL. Whether Wright will play against Clemson remains to be seen.
"I actually got to go watch practice in June with the Browns, so I'm probably going to get turned in for tampering," Swinney joked. "Been watching the preseason games with the Bucs and the Browns and all that."