Is it me, or did the entire summer seem like one long string of negativity coming out of sports news?
Labor disagreements in the NFL and NBA, college athletic departments getting busted for a myriad of NCAA violations, owners from two prominent Major League Baseball franchises unable to pay their employees, the continued trials of former baseball players accused of taking steroids, and the list seems to go on and on.
Sensationalism
I would like to suggest that the reason we hear more negative stories these days has to do with the growth in sports media outlets and consumers' need for sensational stories.
The thirst for sports news is so strong that the number of sports talk-radio stations, 24/7 sports television networks, and sports news websites has skyrocketed in the last few years. Each of these media outlets constantly broadcasts sports news and opinions to satisfy their audience.
As is the typical trend in our society, sensational stories are a great way to drive passionate fans to sports programming.
I have often heard people joke about how we would have viewed iconic sports celebrities, such as Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle, if Smartphones, sports talk radio and TMZ had been around during these athletes' glory years. In today's world, both of these athletes would have been tried and convicted in the court of public opinion.
Positivism
Believe it or not, there are actually significantly more positive stories associated with sports than negative stories. Last year, the International POSITIVE Sports Awards was formed by a significant group of prominent non-political organizations such as Rotary International, Sister Cities International, and Junior Chamber International, representing over 1.5 million positive individuals in over 200 countries.
The idea was to shine the light on the world's most positive individuals, organizations and communities in the world of sports in an effort to change escalating negative thinking on an international basis. As the Olympics have shown, athletics is one of the greatest forms of citizen diplomacy.
Here are some examples of International POSITIVE Sports Award winners:
- Pro Athlete – Hines Ward – Pittsburgh Steelers
As a biracial Korean/African-American, his critical work in Korea has changed the perception of the biracial population in the community. His involvement has attracted influential Koreans to join him in his efforts to eliminate biracial discrimination. - Coach – Sheri Coale – University of Oklahoma Women's Basketball
This 14-year head coach won on the strength of coordinating her college basketball team's efforts to travel to Port au Prince, Haiti to help serve earthquake victims, as well as numerous community projects she personally spearheaded. - Pro Sports Team – Arizona Diamondbacks – Major League Baseball
Since forming the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation in 1997 a year before the expansion team took the field in 1998, the organization and their Foundation have made charitable contributions totaling $25.8 million to non-profit organizations throughout Arizona. - Sports Business Platform – ESPN – “V” Foundation for Cancer Research
The V Foundation for Cancer Research was founded in 1993 by ESPN and the late Jim Valvano, legendary North Carolina State basketball coach and ESPN commentator. Since 1993, The Foundation has raised more than $100 million to fund cancer research grants nationwide.
These are just a few of the hundreds of stories discovered through nominations. Unfortunately, these types of stories never make the news because they do not create enough sensationalism and controversy for the mainstream media.
If you are interested in becoming a part of this positive movement for sports, you can get involved by being a Corporate Positive Ambassador, or simply nominating a positive athlete, coach, team, league, event or even a sports business platform.