The Citizenship Through Sports Alliance is the largest coalition of professional and amateur athletics organizations in the United States, focused on character in sport.

CTSA promotes fair play at all levels - youth leagues to professional sport - to reinforce the value of sport as a test of character.

Since 1997, CTSA has been building a sports culture that encourages respect for self, respect for others, and respect for the game.

Ongoing initiatives:

Annual Citizenship Through Sports Awards recognize selected athletes' outstanding citizenship, sportsmanship, ethical conduct, and community service. Proceeds benefit alliance initiatives and Stay in Bounds character-education programs.

CTSA's website - www.sportsmanship.org - features links to alliance members and "It's Up to Us," a community-organizing tool kit for grass-roots community efforts to teach, learn, and practice good citizenship. The tool kit is "user friendly," with a menu of ideas, activities and materials geared to community needs.

Stay in Bounds is a grass-roots character initiative involving more than 30 community organizations in Indiana and sponsored by the NCAA Foundation, CTSA and the Lilly Endowment. The mission of Stay in Bounds is to foster responsible behavior and encourage cooperation among young people, with sports participation as the vehicle.

U.S. - Israel "Citizenship Through Sports" youth exchanges continue a partnership with the America-Israel Friendship League; Israel Ministries of Education and Science, Culture and Sport; and Academic Sport Association in Israel.

Emerging programs:

New national research conducted via telephone, internet and focus groups will echo the original Gallup survey and form the basis for a periodic "Report Card on Sport in America." Research will be conducted at three pilot sites in Spring 2003, with comprehensive national surveys to follow.

Character Discovery Challenge offers a progressive series of nontraditional physical confidence- and trust-building activities, connected to character-based instruction and sportsmanship principles. Designed for use in parks and recreation and after-school programs, the six-part series of 90-minute "turnkey" activities are being piloted currently throughout the state of Indiana.

Ambassadors Cross-Age Mentoring recognizes high school students' growing maturity and offers special training to enable them to make lasting contributions as youth mentors. The Ambassadors program (being piloted now in 15 Indianapolis high schools) offers meaningful character education to elementary and middle school children through the lens of sport and life experiences of high school students.

Community forums geared for coaches and adults in youth sports are presented in collaboration with local sports commissions. Initiatives include school-based events, community-wide pledge drives, service activities and a town hall forum involving city leaders, coaches, officials and athletes from all levels of sport.

Early milestones:

Nationally televised town-hall meeting, hosted by ESPN, featuring commissioners of professional and collegiate sports leagues, and nationally known athletes, coaches and administrators in a discussion of declining civility in American sport.

National discussion forums hosted by USA Today:
"The Sports Culture in the New Millennium" - 1999
"The Price of Winning: Drug Issues in Contemporary Sports" - 2000

"Focus on Respect" - national awareness campaign featuring public service announcements on many national championship broadcasts

Gallup survey commissioned in 1998 to assess the influence of elite-level coaches and athletes in shaping public opinion and behavior at all levels of sport in this country.