Just recently, Thomas L. Goodale, a close friend and former colleague of mine at George Mason University, suggested to me that I listen to the speech delivered by George Saunders at the 2013 College of Arts and Sciences undergraduate commencement ceremony at Syracuse University. As usual, I took up the suggestion proffered by my good friend and am so glad I did. Saunders, a professor of English at Syracuse and author of such award-winning books as Tenth of December (2013) and Lincoln in the Bardo (2017), provided in a relatively brief speech of some 11 minutes, a powerful message that must have resonated deeply with those lucky enough to be in the Carrier Dome that day and subsequently with those like myself who have read or listened to the commencement speech.
The theme of Saunders’s speech was laid out very clearly in his opening line when he explained, “What I regret most in my life are failures of kindness.” He argues that while “intellectually we know better,” people tend to prioritize their own needs over others’ even though in their hearts they desire “to be less selfish, more aware of what’s actually happening in the present moment, more open, and more loving.” The good news, contends Saunders, is that as people age, most of them “come to see how useless it is to be selfish—how illogical really.” This transformation results from the daily rigors of life (getting “our butts kicked” is the way Saunders puts it), having “people come to our defense and help us,” watching friends and loved ones pass away, and because of those things gradually learning “that we’re not separate, and don’t want to be.” To help illustrate his point, Saunders cites the renowned Syracuse poet Hayden Carruth, who near the end of his life noted, “that he was mostly love, now.” In the end, Saunders’s parting advice to the graduating students that day was not to stop striving and taking themselves seriously because as “doers, as accomplishers, as dreamers we have to do that to be our best selves.” Ultimately, however, accomplishments are unreliable, and “there is a very real danger that succeeding will take up your whole life, while the big questions go untended.” Therefore, Saunders emphasizes to the students—noting that if his prediction is correct, in the process of living they will gradually become kinder and more loving—that it is important that they “Hurry up. Speed it along. Start right now.... Be a good and proactive and even somewhat desperate patient on your own behalf—seek out the most efficacious antiselfishness medicines, energetically, for the rest of your life.”
Saunders’s advice to the students at Syracuse to not waste any time seeking the “most efficacious antiselfishness medicines” and become kinder seems especially pertinent at this moment in history. We are seemingly inundated every day, via television, newspapers, and social media, with stories of rude behavior, selfishness, cruelty, hatred, pettiness, and divisiveness based on race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, and religious and political affiliations. These ways of behaving are even evident in academic settings. Although going to great lengths sometimes to indicate it isn’t so, the academic world is not immune from petty arguments, bitter disputes, personal animosities, and deep-seated philosophical differences. In truth, the academy is ultracompetitive and structured in such a way that it often encourages people to look out for their best interests and not the collective. Separate programs in the same academic units are often in competition with one another, and, in turn, academic units in the same universities are in direct opposition to one another in the ever-increasing struggle for prestige and efforts to attract more students and the resources that usually accompany them. Early in my career, I had more than one senior faculty member tell me how crucial it was to think in careerist terms, look out for my own best interests because no one else would, and to focus on my research productivity rather than service to gain tenure and remain marketable. This fact required an almost near-obsession with my curriculum vitae (CV), always making sure it was laid out properly, which for most of us in academia, at least at R1 institutions, means listing research publications on the front end and service contributions on the back end. Of course, if you are thinking in careerist terms, a CV should be malleable, conveniently altered, if need be, at a moment’s notice to more closely match specific job descriptions.
With that said, I hold firm to the belief that universities are still one of our best hopes for the future, despite the criticisms frequently leveled at academic life by newspaper columnists, those in social media, and others with a seemingly anti-intellectual bias. Although it might be an exaggeration to any longer categorize contemporary universities as the conscience of America, as some maintained in the past, there is a level of unselfishness and kindness in institutions of higher learning that is rarely seen in many other areas of life. I certainly know this to be true in kinesiology. I have come to realize that the senior faculty members who early in my career were imploring me to “look out for my own best interests because no one else would” were the same people taking time out from their own busy schedules to mentor me and serving our department in an assortment of selfless ways. In delivering my presidential remarks at the closing of the 2021 conference of the North American Society for Sport History (NASSH), I noted that one distinguishing feature of the organization is that it has a “heart.” My point was that throughout its history NASSH had always exhibited a generosity of spirit, collegiality, and genuine kindness. I do not claim to know the inner workings of the other subdisciplinary areas as well as those of NASSH, but my close working relationship with many people from a broad spectrum of kinesiology during my 6 years as editor of Kinesiology Review (KR) is one of the experiences during my long career that has convinced me that the field, in the words of George Saunders, suffers no “failures of kindness.” From the moment I assumed the position in 2018, I was provided much-needed help and experienced a generosity of spirit and genuine kindness on an almost daily basis from individuals representing various disciplinary areas of study.
One individual who was indispensable to me at the very start and continued to be during my entire time as editor of KR was my predecessor, Maureen (Mo) Weiss. A professor emerita from the University of Minnesota who has enjoyed a highly impactful career as a scholar focused on the psychology of physical activity while at the same time contributing significantly to the profession in a plethora of leadership capacities, including serving as president of several national organizations and editor of both KR and the Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, Mo spent countless hours schooling me on the operations of the journal, making suggestions on special issues, and patiently answering questions on a variety of matters. She also selflessly provided me all her correspondence and documentation relating to the journal and professional advice regarding manuscript submissions. Of course, Mo and I would occasionally veer off course and spend time conversing about subjects only tangentially related to the journal, including our mutual love of baseball, the Dodgers specifically, and the legendary Jewish lefthander from Brooklyn, New York, who became the youngest person ever elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
In addition to Mo’s assistance, I was supported, encouraged, and provided advice by an Executive Board and Editorial Board made up of many of the most prominent kinesiology scholars in the world. Representing various disciplines but with a firm commitment to the journal specifically and the field more generally, the members of the Executive Board and Editorial Board offered me sage advice and counsel on numerous issues related to the journal. Whenever called upon, they evaluated manuscripts in a timely fashion and with great care and professionalism. Most important, and this is true of the journal’s invited reviewers, as well, they all provided thorough and constructive assessments of manuscripts while at once being encouraging of authors and pointing out ways their submissions could be improved and ultimately contribute positively to the scholarly literature. It is a hallmark of the KR review process and one of the things I am most proud of when I look back on my 6-year tenure as editor. Just coincidentally perhaps, some of the members of the Executive Board and Editorial Board, while not as “long in the tooth” as I am, have been around for some time, which might lend credence to George Saunders’s contention that with age comes a corresponding increase in kindness. This is not to mention, as many others of my generation undoubtedly would, the elevated level of discernment and wisdom that also comes from experience that I value much more highly at this stage of my life.
All the good work done by the Executive Board and Editorial Board could not have been completed without the expertise of the staff at Human Kinetics. I am appreciative of Kathleen Burgener, Journals Division Director, for her support, expertise, and encouragement. She has allowed me to guide KR with a level of trust and confidence that has, in my view, helped contribute to the overall success of the journal. I am also appreciative of Christina Johnson, Journals Editorial Assistant, who helped me out of more predicaments than I would like to recall. She is a wizard when it comes to the ScholarOne manuscript submission process and patiently answered my many inquiries relating primarily to questions and concerns posed by authors. She should now have far fewer inquiries in her inbox, at least those coming from a technology challenged editor who has always felt more comfortable communicating with a yellow number two pencil, or ink and quill for that matter, rather than via a computer. I am, moreover, sincerely indebted to Julia Glahn, who is the Human Kinetics staff member I have worked most closely with during my time as editor of KR. To say she is excellent in her role as Senior Journals Managing Editor would be a serious understatement. As far as I can tell, Julia is the person most responsible for keeping KR on schedule and ensuring the accuracy of its content and overall quality. How she does it is very impressive, particularly when you consider she has primary responsibility for several other Human Kinetics journals.
I am also indebted to those who submitted manuscripts to the journal, as well as those who served as guest editors for special issues, and the essays emanating from both the annual meeting of the National Academy of Kinesiology (NAK) and the American Kinesiology Association (AKA) leadership workshop. I have no doubt that people will continue to step up and take on these responsibilities under the leadership of Sam Hodge, who has agreed to become the new editor of KR. Those in kinesiology know Sam’s various professional accomplishments and his significant impact on the field, but a reminder seems in order as he becomes the fourth editor in the history of the journal. A professor in the College of Education and Human Ecology at The Ohio State University, Sam is primarily known for his work in adapted physical education and physical education teacher education, with particular interest in diversity, equity, and social justice issues. Widely published in prestigious refereed scholarly journals and a host of other prominent outlets, Sam is the former editor of Quest and currently an associate editor of Multicultural Learning and Teaching. He is also an active fellow in the NAK and the organization’s current president. In addition to his many professional accomplishments, Sam is ideally suited to be the editor of the journal, someone who has the best interest of the field at heart, understands and appreciates the various subdisciplinary areas that constitute kinesiology, and has a great deal of experience working with people from various backgrounds and walks of life. Perhaps most important, Sam has garnered a well-deserved reputation for his compassion and mentorship of students and other professional colleagues, an individual who early in his career obviously sought out energetically “the most efficacious antiselfishness medicines.”
In sum, the journal is in good hands and deserves to be. Although representing two distinct professional organizations, KR is singularly focused on improving and enlightening people about kinesiology through synthesis essays, integrative reviews, and position papers relating to all subdisciplines of the field. I do not know of any other scholarly journal in our field that takes such a specific approach. It is important to acknowledge this fact as we move forward as a field and make efforts to persuade people through sound evidence rather than bluster and bombast of the importance of health and physical activity in their daily lives. It is a worthy goal that needs to be collectively pursued with even more vigor and steadfast resolve, while at once sprinkled with an equal amount of genuine kindness and selflessness. A failure to do so, in my view, is not an option. Thank you for allowing me to serve as editor of KR. Until we meet again.