The topic of positive discipline is of great importance especially in the world of athletics. The term discipline is often misunderstood by parents, players and unfortunately by some coaches. Parents may associate the term with their player being subjected to harsh treatment; while athletes see it as restrictive and punitive, unfortunately some coaches validate both parents' and athletes' views of discipline. Many older or experienced coaches support the concept that discipline simply applies to the entire game's performance correctly, with the athlete focusing solely on the sport in which they participate and striving to win each game. Failure to meet coaches' expectations could lead to extreme or similar practices and be falsely labeled as discipline. However, athletes receive positive discipline that extends far beyond practice or the playing field. Positive discipline affects an athlete's entire life, sometimes for their entire life. Undisciplined athletes have the potential to reflect poorly on the entire organization and can be like an infectious disease that quickly spreads throughout the entire team. The term “One bad apple will spoil the group” is especially true in team athletics. In athletics, players spend much of their time with teammates, making it easy to learn each other's habits, both good and bad. Coaches and players of sports such as; Baseball, basketball and football spend two to three hours a day, three to five times a week with each other. Quite naturally, thanks to the many hours spent together by coaches and players, players learn part of their behavior from the coach. Coaches often have more time available with players than with parents; therefore, by adopting positive discipline... center of paper ......yssa Keehan, author of Managing Risk in College Athletic, many coaches allow or even encourage players to straddle the fine line between "tough and dumb ” in an effort to gain a competitive advantage. When coaches allow athletes to straddle issues like their health, it can give them a sense of being able to do the same on other important issues in life. As a coach I will value my athletes more than I value winning, because winning is temporary and the impact I can have on their lives is eternal. Works Cited Keehan, A. S. (2009). Managing risk in college athletics. The Chronicle of Higher Education, Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docviewMartens, R. (2004). Successful training. (4th ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.