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When Governance Bends, Credibility Breaks
FIFA’s (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) decision to reverse the red card suspension involving Folarin Balogun is about far more than one player, one match, or one disputed call. It raises a much larger leadership question: what happens when the integrity of an international governing body appears vulnerable to outside political influence? International sport depends…
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The Crucial Role of Self-Understanding in Leadership and Coaching
The realm of leadership and sports coaching is complex and multifaceted, with countless variables influencing outcomes. However, one factor stands out as particularly foundational: self-understanding. As leadership expert John C. Maxwell once said, “You must know yourself to grow yourself” (2015). This profound statement encapsulates the essence of why self-understanding is critical in leadership and…
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Who is a Leader, Who is a Hero
The passing of Willis Reed, former New York Knicks star, Basketball Hall of Famer, New York legend, is in many ways more painful than the loss of my boyhood idol, Tom Seaver. Reed is a character we at Culture in Sports would have to create if he didn’t really live, the dignified, compassionate, diverse leader.…
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Coaches Do Make Mistakes
Coaches do make mistakes. Are these “mistakes” intentional or actual mistakes that a human being can make? Are coaches and other sports leaders willing to self reflect, identify toxic and abusive behavior, and take corrective action? Or will they double down on their behavior at the expense of others? We, at Culture in Sports, recognize…
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Another Super Bowl, Another Barrier
The first Super Bowl with two African American starting quarterbacks,sent me thinking back to two pioneers, who inspired me as a fat white kid growing up in Upstate New York and destined to put my hand on the dirt as a lineman, but who grew up loving the quarterback position. Each of these pioneers inspired…
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Recovery From Toxic Culture
Teri McKeever, former head coach of the University of California, Berkeley’s women’s swimming and diving program, was recently fired due to allegations of toxicity and abuse from former athletes and staff. These allegations have been reported over many years by athletes, and have adversely impacted the short and long-term mental, emotional, and physical health, even…
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The Best in the Very Nearly Worst of Times for the NFL
It was a game with no outcome that will be the one that we will all remember. On Monday night January 2, 2023, the largest viewing audience of the then-17 week old 2022 football season, some 23 million plus Americans, gathered to watch a game between the AFC East leading Buffalo Bills and the AFC…
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The Life That Came After Was the Miracle for Franco Harris
There are athletes who are touched by destiny or maybe they grab destiny in their hands before it falls to the ground unused. Franco Harris, who died overnight on December 21, was one of those athletes. His passing comes just two days shy of the 50th anniversary of his Immaculate Reception, called by many the…
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Keep Your Eyes on the Prize: A Note of Advice for College Athletes & the Transfer Portal
We are about to hear far more about the transfer portal- the NCAA mechanism that lets college athletes switch schools- than we ever have before. The portal undoubtedly will, either separately or together with Name, Image & LIkeness (NIL), be described as undermining all we hold dear- loyalty, responsibility, devotion. Much of what we hear…
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Make Good Choices
Since my daughter was in middle school, me and my wife have told both of our kids to make good choices…and not eat yellow snow. Even though our daughter is 21 and our son is 17, we still say it repeatedly to them, well to make good choices, that is. Our intent is not to…
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The Brutality of Burnout in Competitive Sport
The last few articles I’ve written here have been primarily focused on different Mental Skills and helping athletes reach their full potential and become the best athletes and people they can be. But we also understand that sports aren’t always sunshine and rainbows. Competitive sports can bring us some down times and struggles. Which is…
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The One Lap That Meant Everything
If I were to ask, “who won, the men’s 400-meter dash at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics?” It would most likely illicit a puzzled look, especially if you aren’t a Track & Field aficionado. Asking who finished second and third probably would be even more difficult to recall even for an expert. But, if you are…
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Leadership Can Look Different to Each and Every One of Us
When I say the word ‘Leader’, we all probably think of someone different. Some of us may see a former coach, a player on our team, or someone entirely unrelated to sports. Leaders are everywhere, in every field, but sports is where my mind goes to first when thinking of the word ‘Leader’. We’ve all…
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Another Look at the Sarver Investigation & Sanction
The shocking results of the NBA’s external investigation of Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver, and his actions and the workplace culture of his franchise were revealed last week, and Sarver was suspended for a year and fined $10 million dollars by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, with Silver stating it was the maximum penalty allowed under…
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Being Distracted
Tom Brady had a tough game this past Sunday. Teammates, coaches, analysts, and fans can all speculate what happened on Sunday, but Tom Brady is the only one who truly knows what he was going through mentally, physically, and emotionally. Being an athlete at such high level is difficult enough. Being a distracted athlete impacts…
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Recognizing & Celebrating Resilience: The Key to Making this Season Matter
Back in the Summer of 2021, a time no one really remembers because time in this pandemic has truly been a flat circle, without much context within it, only recollections from before and some sense of the now as things seemingly have progressed, I wrote a series of articles on five mistakes that coaches, athletes,…
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Another Toxic Culture Uncovered
The owner of the Phoenix Mercury and Phoenix Suns was suspended and fined by the NBA. For 17 years, the toxic culture prevailed. All personnel in both organizations were impacted by Robert Sarver’s toxic leadership and culture for 17 years. Sarver was suspended for one year and fined $10 million. Was this an appropriate suspension?…
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NIL In High School: A Parents’ Guide
One of the biggest revolutions of the last 14 months is the removal of barriers that prevented college athletes from receiving financial benefits from the use of their names, images, and likenesses (called “NIL”). As the opportunity to earn income from NIL has now moved to the high school level, at least in a growing…
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Education and Sports
Yesterday, Bryce Strecker wrote about “The ability to focus can become your secret weapon“. It was an extremely informative article that dove deep into understanding focus and assisting athletes to better focus. If you have not read Bryce’s article yet, you must take a few minutes to not only read about focus. If coaches continuously…
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The Ability to Focus Can Become Your Secret Weapon
I’ll be the first person to admit that I struggle to focus pretty often. I have a real ‘wanderer’ of a mind and that can make things difficult for me. Whether it’s trying to get myself to sit down and finish writing this article or getting myself to actually pay attention while reading a book,…
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The NFL’s Problems with Women: Why They Matter
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell boldly declared back in 2010 that the league, which had earned a bit more than $8 billion in annual revenue the prior year, would generate $25 billion annually by 2027. The league seems on pace to hit that goal, even after Covid slowed growth a tiny bit over two seasons. On…
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Positive Coaching
Have you ever had a coach tell you that she believed in you? If you did, that coach may have been onto something. That same coach probably told you that he was proud of you or maybe even said that she loved your effort or hard work. When you reflect back in your time as…
