One of the most influential adults in the life of a high school athlete is his or her coach. A coach can teach much more than how to play a game. Coaches can teach values about preparation and discipline, about coping with great disappointments and, most important, about what is acceptable and proper in the pursuit of victory.

The good news is, most coaches are doing a good job teaching life skills and instilling ethical character traits that last a lifetime. According to a new Josephson Institute report, "What Are Your Children Learning? The Impact of High School Sports on the Values and Ethics of High School Athletes,"* the vast majority of high school athletes (90%) say their coaches "consistently set a good example of ethics and character."

In addition, 91% report they "want them to do the ethically right thing, no matter what the cost." Most athletes become stronger and better people because of their sports experience.

The bad news is, way too many kids are learning negative lessons. It many cases, it seems, sports promotes rather than discourages cheating. Varsity athletes, the study found, are much more likely to cheat in school than the general high school population (67% to 60%).**

What’s more, lots of coaches, especially in boys’ basketball, baseball, and football, are teaching unsportsmanlike and illegal techniques -- from outright cheating (tampering with equipment or altering the field of play) to sleazy gamesmanship tactics (watering down a field beforehand or motivating players with profanity and insults).

The report concludes, "There is reason to worry that the sports fields of America are becoming the training grounds for the next generation of corporate and political villains and thieves."

It doesn’t have to be this way.

Every sports parent and school administrator ought to monitor the values being taught and insist that coaches teach, enforce, advocate, and model good ethics and good sportsmanship. And if you can’t change the coach, change the coach.

To view the study, visit www.CharacterCounts.org.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.