Virtually anyone who has participated in, or even watched, youth sports in America in recent years has seen the behavior. Parents berating coaches, officials, sometime their own kids; coaches so hellbent on winning that the lessons of athletic competition are lost; rules meant for fair play and equitable participation tossed aside; kids leaving sports by droves simply because they were no fun.

Some 15 years ago, the University of Notre Dame founded a program that set out to do something about the toxic culture of youth sports. The Play Like A Champion Today Educational Series, now an independent non-profit organization, has a very clear mission: “To provide leadership in a worldwide effort to promote an inclusive, developmentally-oriented youth sports culture. It does this primarily by educating ethically responsible sport leaders—coaches, parents, athletic administrators and athletes—who in turn will reach millions of young people. Our research-based initiative is unique in its focus on fostering moral and spiritual development through sports.”

The research came largely from Prof. Clark Power, Ph.D., professor of psychology at Notre Dame, and Founder and Director of Play Like A Champion Today. His vision is carried out by the tireless efforts of Program Director Kristin Sheehan. Together, they have earned the 2019 Leadership Award.

Clark is one of the nation’s leading minds in moral education and developmental psychology. He is Play Like a Champion’s primary researcher, and provides key thought leadership for the program. He has served on the Board of the National Council for Accreditation of Coaching Education, the Notre Dame Faculty Board on Athletics, and the Association for Moral Education. A graduate of Villanova University and Washington Theological Union, and Harvard University, Clark has taught at Notre Dame since 1982.

Kristin has served as the program director of the Play Like a Champion Today Educational Series since the program’s inception. She leads all partner relations, coordinates all educational programs, and spearheads the development of new curricula. Kristin has co-authored numerous articles and publications and presented Play Like a Champion workshops across the country. Kristin wrote a chapter in the just published: Catholic Perspectives: Youth Sport & Spirituality.

Kristin earned undergraduate and master’s degrees in theology and psychology from Notre Dame, where she was a varsity athlete on the cheerleading team. She and husband Dan have four children; son Jack graduated from Notre Dame in 2019 after serving as Leprechaun during the 2018-19 academic year.

Play Like a Champion serves children and adolescents by partnering with sports organizations to provide all children with an opportunity to play sports in a safe, supportive, and inclusive sports environment. The program provides character-oriented educational clinics and resources at the youth through high school level for administrators, coaches, parents and athletes.

Play Like A Champion started by partnering with diocesan CYO programs in three cities in 2004. Since then, it has grown to serve sports programs in 152 locations in 42 cities. More than 63,000 coaches have completed PLACT workshops, achieving certification allowing them to coach. And those efforts have reached more than one million young athletes.

One goal, says Clark, is for coaches to understand “a little bit about developmental psychology, and that these kids are children, and there are certain ways to motivate them without threatening them. It really doesn’t help anyone in any situation to scream at them. It’s got to be about those kids, and their fun. They want to play and they don’t want to play under your pressure.”

Prof. Power and PLACT recognize the goal in athletics is to win. “Everybody understands that,” he says. “But while you’re supposed to win, it is not just to win, but also to play with certain qualities of character—that you should look after your teammates and be respectful.”

Play Like A Champion has also created A Team for Every Child, a national initiative working to provide positive youth sports opportunities for every child across America. Engaging with existing partners and community leaders in areas of need, the goal is to develop sustainable programming that allows all children to experience the joy and benefits of youth sports. The program seeks to serve underprivileged youth.

“We begin by building kinship with current partners and in individual neighborhoods across the country,” Kristin says. “We provide training for coaches and parents that establishes a positive, character-driven experience for local children.”

It’s a winning formula based on success stories like Play Like A Champion’s work with the North Lawndale Athletic & Recreation Association in Chicago. And it exemplifies the extraordinary good work being done by Prof. Clark Power, Kristin Sheehan and their team at the Play Like A Champion Today Educational Series.