Sports Can Entertain, Educate and Elevate Achievement In U.S.

Do you think it is far-fetched to design applications in United States classrooms, using mathematics and sports? Science, physics and chemistry can also be blended with sports for an interdisciplinary learning experience for students at all levels.

My article on "The Nitty-Gritty of the NFL Football" and an article in the Official Pro Football Hall of Fame Yearbook (2007) discuss the characteristics and "Evolution of the Football." On pages 100-104 in the Pro Football Hall of Fame magazine, you learn that the football is not a pigskin. You see images of the early football in 1894, the Duke Football, and the White Football in 1956.

Once more, you read:

"On January 1, 2006, New England Patriots backup quarterback Doug Flutie converted the NFL's first successful dropkick since 1941. He converted an extra point in the fourth quarter of the season-ending game against the Miami Dolphins.

"Prior to Flutie's kick, the league's last successful dropkick was on December 21, 1941--two weeks after the bombing of Pearl Harbor--when Ray "Scooter" McLean drop-kicked an extra point as the Chicago Bears beat the New York Giants, 37-9, in the NFL championship game."

Why is the above quote so important? Here is the answer:

"Changes to the football made the art of drop-kicking significantly more difficult due to the more erratic bounce (physics) of a tapered ball.

"The upward bounce of the older, rounder version of the ball was much more predictable (physics and mathematics)."

The NFL archives enlighten the 2009 fans, telling us that in 1899 the Official Football Rules Book contained a definition to include the descriptive shape.

The 1899 Rules Book says that "the football used shall be of leather, enclosing an inflated rubber bladder. The ball shall have the shape of a prolate spheroid."

Prolate spheroid? You mean to say that the football officials knew the mathematics term, prolate spheroid! Yes, and it could mean that the students in 1899 may have known and loved mathematics more than the students in 2009.

Well, it's clear to me that there is so much knowledge embedded in the world of sports that we must be like "gold diggers."  We should, perhaps, chisel through the surface and get to the deeper things that need to be revealed in the world of sports.

Why? We need to motivate our students to the highest level of excellence, again, so as to maintain our position and rank in an international setting.

In January 2009 at the Joint Mathematics Meeting, in Washington, D.C., there were several sessions, conducted by mathematicians, disseminating information on sports and mathematics. One session was led by Howard Penn of the United States Naval Academy.

The topic I prepared for presentation in the 2009 Washington, D. C. meeting was titled, "New Ways of Assessing NFL Players." The inspiration came from the observation that many NFL players who made outstanding contributions to the sport, have been misrepresented by statistics which lacked the dimensionality to describe their intensity and integrity as sportsmen.

Data was collected from public databases. Mathematical modeling was used to compare players, and interesting results were evident. I tagged a term "sport's prodigy" because some guys were able to set records in a much shorter time frame than others.

The argument could go like this: Just as we marvel over the 13 year-old B/R writers who publish such powerful and outstanding work at such a young age, there are NFL players who performed on the playing field, doing marvelous feats, yet their career was not long.

Bleacher Report encourages us to give credit where credit is due. As a sports writing site, we, then, must give credit to the players when credit is due.

It's the 21st century. We need not rant and rave about who is the better player. We must, I believe, use more sophisticated analysis and assessment strategies to measure and identify impact in the games, and in the entire sports industry.

Not only have I and other B/R sportswriters been perceived as underrated, there are many sportsmen of my generation who have been both underrated, and I might add, berated.

They have been berated by faulty reasoning, and incomplete analysis with gaps in understanding.

In some cases, too little emphasis has been placed on athletic performance, and too much on personal challenges which are intimately connected with, in my opinion, the culture of the sports and entertainment industry.

There have been growth and "forgiveness" in the media recorded images of the lives of some great sportsmen. For example, Kobe Bryant and Majic Johnson have been able to move forward in their lives, although human error put pimples on their careers in the past.

So how do we use these ideas in the classroom?

We teach cognitive, affective and psycho-motor skills. The content for the cognitive lessons can be draw from sports databases.

The biographical sketches of the stars who achieved, stumbled in some social or legal way, and then are in recovery and redemptive stages, can be used to educate in the affective domain.

Finally, the archival records demonstrating superior athletic skills, feats of endurance, courage and compassion, can be used to teach in the psycho-motor domain.

In early October 2009, another conference, sponsored by the U. S. Department of Education will convene in Washington, D. C. I will be there representing the National Association of Mathematicians, and my good experiences of learning more about sports through my interactions with the Bleacher Report (B/R) will be shared with some of my colleagues.

Many of the articles on B/R are loaded with wisdom, knowledge and analysis in each of the cognitive, affective and psycho-motor domains. The concepts in these domains are taught in curriculum and instruction.

Once we eradicate the "warts" on our complexion, we will display a beautiful image of the creative uses of the Bleacher Report.

B/R is an excellent outlet to demonstrate that sports can entertain, educate and even elevate academic achievement in America, if we collaborate and put our best foot forward.

One of the amenities of our mission is to share the concept:

Sports can help entertain, educate, and elevate academic achievement in America, and in the international community.

Finally, one good way to get started on this mission is to visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame website or contact Mr. Jerry Csaki, the education director of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, in Canton, Ohio.

When can you get started? My answer: In a few days the 2009 Enshrinement Ceremonies will begin. Not only should you be there for that historical event, but also spend a little time visiting the education division of the Hall of Fame.

Photo shows Damali with Jerry Csaki, at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, in Canton, Ohio. June 2009