New York, U.S.A - The Laureus Sport for Good Foundation , a charitable organization that supports projects in the U.S. to improve the lives of youth through the power of sports, in collaboration with Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA), the company and its dealers, is addressing the recent onslaught of New York’s after-school budget cuts with an innovative solution.
In 2012, the New York City initiative will train and place 120 coaches in 15 sports-based youth development projects in underserved neighborhoods in all five boroughs that will mentor approximately 10,000 city children. Laureus USA has selected Coach Across America as their delivery partner.

This regional initiative is part of a nationwide program that, with a $1.3 million national commitment from MBUSA to the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, focuses on training and placing 250 coaches through Coach Across America in sports-based youth development projects in underserved neighborhoods in five U.S. cities: Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Miami and New Orleans.
This afternoon at 3:00 PM EDT, the city-wide initiative kicks off with dealer partners and employees from MBUSA along with Laureus World Sports Academy Member and nine-time Olympic Champion Mark Spitz, as well as elected officials, guests and staff, visiting Play Rugby USA - an innovative program that cleverly combines rugby with sports education, health, academic and community development programming to create a holistic and asset-based approach to youth development. Underlying the program’s success is the establishment of sustainable partnerships with urban schools and youth organizations, each creating a systematic opportunity for youth during or after school.

“Mercedes-Benz USA and our dealer partners have a long tradition of supporting and giving back to our communities. When you combine that with MBUSA’s extensive involvement in high-profile sports events, this is an undertaking that really makes sense for us and provides a real benefit to youth across the country,” said Steve Cannon, president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA.
“We believe in the transformational power of sport as a tool for social good. Today’s coaches go beyond the traditional sense of the term ‘coach,’” said Edwin Moses, who also serves as the chairman of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation USA. “They are mentors, community organizers and mediators. Investing in proper training and offering support for these coaches is vital to sports-based youth development, especially as youth violence and obesity escalate and school-based programs continue to be decimated by budget cuts. Initiatives like this are essential in America to fill the gap.”

Recent budget cuts to childcare and after-school programs are expected to impact up to 90,000 young people in New York. In the last two years alone, $3.5 billion has been cut from school sports budgets nationally, resulting in 16.5 million youth with little to no access to sports. With staggering childhood obesity statistics – an estimated 33 percent of American youth are overweight or obese by third grade and in New York City, one in five kindergarten children is obese. Solutions to combat these issues affecting youth are sorely needed.

Along with parents and teachers, coaches play a crucial role in developing character in today’s youth. But a recent GAO report confirmed that despite this important role, quality coaches are in short supply.Proper coaching increases the chance of  better grades, better behavior, healthier lives and longer life due to fitness activity.

Additionally, this initiative will provide employment opportunities, relevant experience and scholarships in the sport for development sector for young adults in this tough economy. Many of the coaches recruited by Coach Across America will be college graduates from the local community. The projects where they will be placed include: America Scores NY, American Youth Table Tennis, Asphalt Green, Beat the Streets, City Soccer in the Community, Harlem RBI, I Challenge Myself, New Heights Youth, Nike Camp Skate, Nike DYCD Community Centers, Play Rugby USA, Power Play NYC, Inc., Row New York, United Youth League, and Urban Dove.

“The positive influence coaches can have on today’s underserved youth is undeniable,” said James Kallusky, director of Coach Across America. “The generous support from both Mercedes-Benz USA and Laureus Sport for Good Foundation USA will allow Coach Across America to both broaden and deepen its impact by providing new coaches in New York.”

One beneficiary of Coach Across America is Ktrice McNeill, who turned to a basketball court to avoid gang violence and drugs. Ktrice used his basketball skills to earn a scholarship to attend Southern Connecticut State University. After receiving his college degree, Ktrice returned to New York and joined Coach Across America to coach in the same community center he turned to as his sanctuary. ”When I started coaching, I had kids ask me to be their dad or brother,” he said. “I told them ‘I can’t be your dad, but I can be your role model.’ On my cell phone I have numbers for 100 kids that can call me any time they need me.”

Image Courtesy of  muzsy / Shutterstock.com

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Once news broke that Josh McDaniels was re-hired as the Patriots’ offensive coordinator, most assumed that he would be joining the team next year, not next week in a divisional playoff matchup against the quarterback he once drafted, Tim Tebow.

Although current coordinator, Bill O’Brien, agreed to become the new head coach at Penn State last Saturday, it was determined that he would still retain the role of New England’s offensive coordinator throughout this postseason. McDaniels, who had previously held the position for the Pats from 2006-2008, was chosen as his replacement shortly after and will shockingly serve the coaching staff as an offensive assistant beginning Saturday night with a trip to the AFC title game on the line against the Broncos.

Adding a new coach right before a huge postseason showdown is already an interesting move to begin with, but considering the fact that McDaniels brought in Tebow and coached Denver from 2009-2010, it is raising even more eyebrows across the league. Many are outraged by the idea of McDaniels possibly being able to provide New England new information about Tebow specifically.

That concept should not be too large of a concern, though. New England did an excellent job of containing Tebow’s heroic antics, handily defeating Denver on the road 41-23 back in Week 15, without McDaniels’ assistance.  Tebow threw for just 194 yards that day, as the Pats were able to easily overcome an early deficit.

Still, that does not justify what New England has attempted to do coming into this crucial game. Hiring someone who once coached or played for your opponent is not a crime in sports. If anything, it is gamesmanship, as we have seen it occur countless times. However, the timing concept in this scenario is absolutely absurd.

Imagine if this happened to your team. With so much at stake in a do-or-die situation, would you not be livid knowing that the team you are battling against has inside information as to what you were trying to do – and that they were able to bring the informant in just days before?

The fact that the NFL allows teams to add unnecessary pieces to their coaching staffs in the middle of the postseason is simply unbelievable. We have never seen anything like this take place in other major sports, so why does this league think that it is acceptable, especially when preparation plays a bigger role than it does in any other sport?

If a team has to have a strict playoff roster set before the end of the regular season, then it should go the same way for coaches as well. The role that they play for their teams needs to be more respected.

Unfortunately, we are not psychics, so we cannot outright proclaim that actions like these really do change the outcomes of games. Instead of giving the fans, players, and coaches alike something to strongly complain about, do not give them the opportunity at all by forcing coaching staffs to remain the same during the postseason.

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