Are you a disbelieving parent? Not for long! The numbers
don't lie about how sports save lives.
The Center for Disease Control and
Prevention (www.cdc.gov) provides a Youth Physical Activity
Guideline issued by the United States Department of Health and Human Services (www.hhs.gov) that recommends children and adolescents aged six
through-seventeen should have sixty minutes or more of physical activity, each
day.
A healthy weight lifestyle plays a
vital role in one's life, particularly when football, basketball and other
physical activities are incorporated into one’s daily routine. There are
lifelong benefits when a person includes healthy eating, sports participation
and daily physical activity. Check out the following links:
- · www.cdc.gov/ healthyweight/index.html
- · www.cdc.gov/bam/activity/cards/football.html
- · www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/pa-health/index.htm
- · www.cdc.gov/bam/activity /cards/ basketball.html
Here's a perspective from Ms. Makeitha Abdulbarr, the Executive Director at the Metropolitan Behavioral Center located in Lanham, Maryland:
"
Instead of video games, helping the youth engage in a team or individual
sports, for instance basketball, can get them off the streets, improve their self-esteem,
respect for one another, improve their social skills, their mood, good for
depression and anxiety, sleep well, and provides a healthy lifestyle. It
also prevents a youth from substance abuse, and could possibly lead to careers
in association with activities, such as education, the military, law
enforcement and parent skills."
Still not impressed? Then, continue to read about two guys who used basketball as a tool to become leaders in their communities and spare their families the grief that sometimes accompanies idle time and bad choices.
Raised by a single parent, Virginia Elizabeth McCullough, Alton McCullough made it out of Darby Township which is located in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, by following three of his cousins -- Roger, Richard and Russell McCullough -- to the playground where he learned to play basketball. At the time, all three of his cousins were playing high school basketball under the tutelage of legendary coach John Chaney, who at the time was a faculty member at Simon Gratz High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Alton explored baseball briefly. Standing 6’2” in the eighth grade, he competitively played at Darby Township Junior High. He made the varsity squad in the 10th grade at Darby Township High School, and by the latter part of his sophomore season, he became a starter.
Sports helped me academically, and they go hand in hand. Sports motivated me to study more, seek tutors and accurately complete every homework assignment. I couldn't play if I wasn't academically eligible." says Alton, who is a member of the 1000 Point Club..
Alton, whose favorite subject was science, recalls: “We had a high school coach at Darby Township High School, Alonzo Lewis, who came from our environment, played at La Salle, earned his degree and made it in life.” Mr. Lewis who succumbed to injuries sustained in an automobile accident in 2012, was a source of inspiration for Alton.
Determined in the 11th grade, to earn a big time college scholarship to a Division One School, Alton signed with Temple University. He was the first to land a scholarship at Temple University from Darby Township High School, and he opened the doors for other players to earn scholarships at major universities. To name a few: Derrick Loury attended Houston Baptist High School then transferred to Rider College, a private university in Lawrence Township, New Jersey; Geoff Arnold played at St. Joseph University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and then became an assistant coach at the University of Massachusetts, later at St. Joseph’s University, and now is an Assistant Head Coach at Drexel University; and Kevin Gale who was touted as one of Darby Township High School’s best players, earned a scholarship to La Salle University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Alton started all four years at Temple University where he studied Special Education. Playing for both Coach Don Casey and Hall of Fame Coach the late John Chaney, who had moved on to Temple was an opportunity of a lifetime
Alton views playing sports as a life
saver. The former Atlantic 10 All
Conference nominee remarked. "That’s how we got to college, no
other way.”
Playing sports also helped Alton develop leadership skills and to successfully interact with individuals from other cultures. He later coached at the high school and Amateur Athletic Union levels and also coached the Washington Congressionals of the United States Basketball League, a professional men’s spring basketball league that was formed in 1985 and ended operations in 2008.
Former National Basketball
Association star Adrian Delano Dantley echoes the sentiments of Alton
McCullough when he remarked: "Sports
matters.” Dantley played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association
(“NBA”) and was a six-time NBA All Star who finished ninth on the all-time NBA
Scoring list at the of his retirement. In
2008, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall Of Fame which is located
in Springfield, Massachusetts and serves as basketball’s most complete
library. Dantley served as the Denver
Nuggets’ Assistant Coach from 2003 to 2011.
Raised by his mother, Virginia Dantley, with help from his grandmother and aunt, and with no father figure except coaches, Adrian points to football and basketball as “making all the difference”. He would play basketball in an alley two to three hours each day – alone. . While attending Monroe Elementary School in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C., Adrian met a gentleman at the Monroe Recreation Center, which is near Howard University, who became the catalyst for Adrian’s immersion in sports.
While a student and playing in a junior varsity basketball game at Bertie Backus Junior High School, Adrian who at the time was 6”3” and weighed in at 200 pounds, he was discovered by the late legendary Dematha Catholic High School Coach Morgan Wootten, who died at the age of 88 in January 2020. Adrian recalls: “ Being that size, made me work harder.”
During his tenure at Dematha Catholic High School, Adrian made history by becoming the freshman starter on the school’s varsity squad. Adrian’s foes viewed his stature as an impediment to his performance on the football field and basketball court. He used his foes’ flawed perception of his agility and athletic skills to his advantage and defeated them handily in football and basketball matches. How? Adrian was lifting weights before any of his peers, he always worked out, adhered to a healthy diet by, among other things, staying away from apple pie and cookies; exhibited an endless dedication for the game, and always “stayed on top of his books”.
What motivated him to excel academically? “Good grades or I didn’t play,” Adrian responded.
He was constantly asked to play football at DeMatha Catholic High School. For two years, he started as a tight end. One game, I vividly remember -- Adrian scoring seven touchdowns against Lorton Maximum Prison in an exhibition game. The exposure at DeMatha Catholic High School continued when he matriculated at Notre Dame, where he starred for Coach Digger Phelps and became a first team All American in 1975 and 1976. Nominated 1976 National Collegiate Player of the Year, Adrian represented his country in the 1976 Olympics as a member of the United States Basketball Olympic team. He led the team in scoring and helped it to win a gold medal. In 1977, he made the All NBA Rookie Team, and led the NBA in scoring twice, averaging better than 30 points per game, between 1981-1984. During his stellar 15- year NBA career, Adrian tallied 23,177 points, and has been called one of the greatest small forwards in NBA history.
Following retirement, the six time NBA All Star had a stint in Italy, and subsequently became an Assistant Coach for the Denver Nuggets for nine years. . In 2008, Adrian was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame. He now comfortably spends his retirement as a crossing guard and junior varsity basketball referee in the Washington, D.C. area.
"From the beginning, I
engaged in sports, and had I not, I majored in Economics at Notre Dame, and
would have become a successful Certified Public Accountant. Some of my friends
are working and some are not doing well,” Adrian concluded.
Does Sports Save Lives? Unequivocally, Yes!
___________
Mr. Kevin Wilson is a journalist, producer, Public Relations professional and Contributing Editor to IN SEARCH OF FATHERHOOD®
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