Washington Post's Fred Bowen Joins the Battle for Changing the Youth Sports Value System

Congratulations to Fred Bowen for his column on the Kid's Post page of the Washington Post on Friday, December 28--"A Goal for 2008: Mix it Up a Little".  In it, he gives kids great advice including:

Spend more time playing sports and less time watching sports

Don't complain about the referees and the umpires

Try a new sport

Don't take sports so seriously

You can read the full article on the web by going to http://www.washingtonpost.com, and searching on the title of the article.

Bowen's advice is very much in line with that of all those who are trying valiantly to change the value system in youth sports for the better including Moms Team, Maine's Sports Done Right, The National Alliance for Youth Sports and the American Academy of Pediatrics.  I love the fact that he is distilling the advice of all these wonderful organizations and writing it to kids for kids.  Let's hope the kids follow his advice!

A Program the NFL Should be Proud of

Hello to all of you out there in cyberspace--especially you sports fans, fitness buffs, and all concerned with the health impacts of poor physical fitness

In the past week, I have been delighted to learn that the NFL is now doing something I recommended in my latest study for Sports Business Research, "Physical Activity Trends: Business and Policy Implications, 2007 edition. The NFL and the American Heart Association have launched "What Moves U?" This is a national youth program that will promote physical fitness to an increasingly inactive generation of children. The website describing the program is http://www.jointheteam.com/programs/program.asp?p=41&c=4. I am also proud that my favorite NFL team, The Washington Redskins, are enthusiastically joining in this effort. Today's, December 30, Washington Post contains a special magazine section "Redskins Health and Fitness" which is also available on the web at http://www.redskins.com/news/newsDetail.jsp?id=11492.

In the latest Physical Activity Trends study, I recommended that sports teams and leagues have their standout players endorse active lifestyles, help children and youth develop sports skils, promote responsible participation by children and youth in their sports and sponsor solely or jointly with charities mass participation athletic events.

This is a program the NFL should be proud of!