Professional Athletes Panel Discusses How to Put Christian Values into Your Personal Playbook - Highlights the Challenges of Living Value-Based Decisions in Sports

CatholicsatWork’s March 2006 breakfast meeting will feature a panel discussion that focuses on living Catholic values in the sports world, with five individuals who bring different perspectives — the coach, the player, the reporter and the teacher. The panel includes Dave Casper, member of the Super Bowl Champion Oakland Raiders in 1977, Dave Fernandez, who played with the Kansas City Chiefs, before being traded to the Raiders, Joe Fonzi, well known San Francisco Bay Area sports reporter for KTVU Fox 2 and Brian Winters, currently the coach of the WNBA’s Indiana Fever. The panel moderator, Pat Richie, is the the founder and President of the Sports Leadership Group. The event will be held at Crow Canyon Country Club, 711 Silver Lake Drive, Danville, CA 94526 on Tuesday, March 14, 2006.

Danville, CA (PRWEB) March 01, 2006 – CatholicsatWork.org, a fellowship of individuals who explore how to actively live one’s beliefs in the workplace, (http://www.catholicsatwork.org), today announced its March 2006 breakfast meeting will feature a panel discussion that focuses on living Catholic values in the sports world, with five individuals who bring different perspectives — the coach, the player, the reporter and the teacher. To most of us, sports are spectator events -- we watch from a distance, and then move on with our lives. The experience of these panelists in living their values in a highly competitive environment goes beyond spectator entertainment to lessons that can affect how we act in our individual workplaces. The Catholics@Work breakfast event will be held at Crow Canyon Country Club, 711 Silver Lake Drive, Danville, CA 94526 on Tuesday, March 14, 2006. A full buffet breakfast is served starting at 6:45am (Mass is offered at 6:15am at the same location.) Cost is $20 for members and $27 for non-members. To register visit http://www.catholicsatwork.org/EventDesc.aspx.

Pat Richie, the founder and President of the Sports Leadership Group, will moderate the panel. For over 20 years, Richie has taught on the subjects of leadership, ethics and business to team owners, corporate presidents, national broadcasters, star athletes and college educators. The San Francisco 49’ers awarded Richie with a Superbowl ring three times in recognition of his contribution to the team’s success. The panel will include:

• Dave Casper, consensus all American at Notre Dame in 1973, member of the Super Bowl Champion Oakland Raiders in 1977 and elected to the Pro-Football Hall of Fame in 2002.

• Dave Fernandez, the first 1,000 yards rusher in the school’s history of San Francisco State University. He continued his football career with the Montréal Allouttes in the Canadian Football league, 1974 – 1976, after which he was signed and played with the Kansas City Chiefs, before being traded to the Raiders.

• Joe Fonzi, well known San Francisco Bay Area sports reporter for KTVU Fox 2, who has spent over twenty years in sports broadcasting appearing on “49er Playbook”, KTVU’s 49er pre-game programs, “The Point After” post-game show and is the weekend sports anchor for FOX.

• Brian Winters, twenty years experience as player and coach in the NBA and previously head coach of the Vancouver Grizzlies and the Golden State Warriors, is currently the coach of the WNBA’s Indiana Fever.

"Most people view sports, amateur and professional, as fun, and have no real understanding of how tough a job it is. The obvious pressures come from the constant focus on winning, but equal pressure is exerted by the not to obvious pressures of trying to live your Christian values in this win at-all-cost environment,” said Pat Richie the founder and president of Sports Leadership Group. “This is a rare opportunity to listen to people who can speak from experience about the challenges of making value-based decisions in this highly competitive workplace.”

“The pressure that professional and collegiate sport puts on players and coaches, to win at all costs, is often overshadowed by the glamour and celebrity of the category,” said Rick Medeiros, president of Catholics@Work. “The interaction and dialog of these sport celebrities will clearly point out that true success means incorporating Christian values into your personal playbook.”

ABOUT CATHOLICSATWORK

CatholicsatWork is committed to fostering fellowship and connectivity among Catholics facing the realities of life in today’s workplace environment. The monthly breakfast gatherings are a unique opportunity for Catholics to:

• grow in their understanding of the Catholic faith,

• be encouraged to apply the principals of their faith in the everyday workplace,

• and, to network with other Catholic business professionals.

The breakfast series is held at Crow Canyon Country Club, Danville, California, on the second Tuesday of the month seven times per year (April-June, September-December). The event starts with a buffet breakfast followed by a speaker or panel discussion and runs from 6:45-8:30am. The event offers a great way to network with people who look for purpose and leadership in their lives. There is time prior to the beginning of each speaker’s presentation to interact with other attendees, to share faith, and business and personal information. Mass is offered at 6:15am for those who wish to attend before breakfast at the same location. Managed by Catholic business professionals, CatholicsatWork breakfast events are open to all, regardless of faith or occupation, who want to explore the issues of actively living one’s beliefs in the workplace.

For more information visit www.catholicsatwork.org or call +1 925-389-0704.

CatholicsatWork is a trademark of CatholicsatWork. All other brand and product names are registered trademarks, trademarks or servicemarks of their respective holders and are gratefully acknowledged. All specifications subject to change without notice.

# # #