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When asked for the name of the greatest American athlete of the early part of the 20th century, far and away the most often named athlete is Jim Thorpe.

You may be asking, "Who was Jim Thorpe and why do I need to know who he is?"

Jim Thorpe was important not only as the most famous Native American athlete ever, but for the role he played in American history. A member of the U.S. Olympic team at the 1912 Summer Games in Stockholm, Sweden, Thorpe was a product of Indian boarding schools, which, while they stripped Native American children and teens of their culture, families and language, were also fertile ground at the time for developing Native American athletes.

On Sunday, the New England Patriots met their bitter rivals, the New York Jets, for the third time this season, with the winner advancing to the AFC Championship game. The Pats had only lost two games all season, were unbeaten at Gillette Stadium, and were heavy favorites to not only beat the Jets but to go all the way to and win the Super Bowl in Dallas in early February.

But it didn't go according to plan. Bill Belichick's team played poorly, the Jets played well, and the result was a shocking 28-21 loss by New England to Rex Ryan's Jets.

As painful as the loss has been for Pats fans, it nevertheless provides a great "teachable moment" for parents to talk about with their young athletes around the dinner table.

Last October, 14-year-old Austin Hayden earned a place on his Greensburg, Indiana middle school boys' basketball team.  A week later, he was told he could no longer be a member of the team after refusing to cut his hair (which was long, but not long enough to pull into a pony-tail) to comply with the coach's policy, which required that his hair be above his collar and ears.

A new poll by ESPN: The Magazine contains some good news and bad news about sports concussions.  A confidential survey of 300 high school football players, 100 coaches, 100 parents, and 100 athletic trainers in 23 states reported that concussion awareness is at an all-time high but that players, and to a lesser extent their parents, continue to downplay the risks:

To address the discrimination in athletics that girls still face in high schools across the country the National Women's Law Center has launched the "Rally for Girls' Sports: She'll Win More Than a Game" campaign. As part of the campaign, I was invited to participate and to write a blog about the advantages of athletics participation and how it has affected me in my life by answering the question, "What did you win by playing sports?"

As those who have read my articles and blogs on MomsTeam.com, heard me speak around the country, on radio or television, or read my op eds or book, Home Team Advantage, know, I have often used personal stories from my past in my work advocating for safer, saner, less stressful and more inclusive youth sports.