-
Embracing the Journey of Self-Development in Sports
In the fast paced and competitive realm of sports, the focus is often on developing athletes, strategies,and teams to achieve peak performance. However, an area that demands equal attention, yet isfrequently overlooked, is the self-development of individuals within this dynamic environment. Theconcept of developing self transcends the mere acquisition of […]
-
The Getting of Wisdom
I’ll return to my roots as a librarian for this entry. A book came to my notice the other day; “Coaching Wisdom: Champion Coaches and Their Players Share Successful Leadership Principles: How Tony Dungy, Lou Holtz, Andrea Hudy, Don Shula, John Wooden, and Other Top Coaches Inspired Their Teams to […]
-
A Mirror to the World: Why Sports Can’t Hope to Hide From the World
There is a common refrain that suggests sports should be separate from events or politics. It is one we often hear. Certainly sports do provide a distraction at times. But to paraphrase the late comedian Rodney Dangerfield in the movie Back to School there is a place where sports are […]
-
UK Grassroots Football Culture
Football is a game that continues to move through generation to generation and it’s important that football can keep its core values especially in the UK where football is one of the most popular sports played. Grassroots football is not just the heart and soul of the English football system […]
-
Cultural Differences – UK vs US Football
Football in these two countries has always been very different. In the UK, football is the most popular sport by a long way in comparison to any other whereas in the US where it is considered as soccer, it is only the fifth most popular sport in the country. This […]
-
The Humble Hero
Tonight, Australia gathered or tuned in to farewell cricketer and sporting icon, Shane Warne. The Melbourne Cricket Grounds (MCG), where Warney was most celebrated, hosted the momentous event which featured politicians and celebrities and was broadcast live across Australia, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh and the UK – all places where […]
-
Team Fearless!
In an environment where there is clearly a ‘safe space’ for all team members, there is ultimately a proficient leader in place. By establishing the best mindsets, behaviors, and climate, the good leader is building psychological safety. A positive team environment that has made provision for that safety as well […]
-
The Beauty of Sports: Everyone Wins When One Wins
Every athlete influences their team. If an athlete is excited about being at practice or training, their excitement positively influences those around them. If a teammate is injured and is out for a while, the other athletes on the team are concerned for their teammate and maybe a little worried […]
-
Culture in Sports: We Focus on Athletic Success
Athletic success – what does that mean to you? The truth is that it likely means many different things to many different people. Think about it … if you were an athlete (or still are) you understand that Athletic Success goes way beyond solely Athletic Performance. We at Culture in […]
-
Living in a Culture of Fear
The saga of Urban Meyer and the Jacksonville Jaguars continues, even four months after he was fired. This is now my third article at Culture in Sports where I specifically discuss Urban Meyer’s toxic and abusive behavior, his unwillingness to change, and why he still believes that his downfall was […]
-
Winning in the Moment: Sometimes You Need to Be Something You’re Not
Be something you’re not … so easy, right? (Hopefully obvious sarcasm) Any serious athlete has experienced this; you step up to a challenge, evolve as a competitor, overcome a personal barrier, or just (let’s be frank) kick your opponent’s butt. (I wanted to use a different word for “butt”) Athletes […]
-
Supporting an Injured Athlete
US figure skater and ultimate athlete Nathan Chen had to withdraw from the World Figure Skating Championships due to an injury. It was the right thing to do as Chen did not want to make his nagging injury worse. While this may seem like another sports headline that will disappear […]
-
Remember When Playing Sports Was Fun?
Do you remember the first time you started playing with a ball? You probably felt an inner joy and enjoyed throwing, kicking, spinning, and juggling that ball. It did not matter what size the ball was, what it was made out of, or even what kind of ball it was. […]
-
Treating Athletes with Respect and Trust
When coaches treat their athletes with trust and respect, it contributes to a positive culture and climate. Coaches should not wait for certain athletes to respect and trust, rather they should trust and respect all athletes, and personnel for that matter, from their first day on the team. If a […]
-
Coaching Is Truly About Helping Others Succeed
I read Jacob Hensh’s article True Coaches: Creating A Happy Sunset For Someone Else for Culture in Sports yesterday and recalled a conversation I had with him recently of why people decide to coach. We discussed coaches who wanted to win, have power, influence over others, live the life they […]
-
True Coaches: Creating A Happy Sunset For Someone Else
A true Coach is not really in it for themselves, he/she is in it for the athlete and the people they care about. They’re creating a future for the family they’ve chosen, i.e, a happy life for them. (Just imagine sitting on a beach at sunset with your feet in […]
-
Shane Warne: the King of Spin
Few people can claim the title of ‘legend’ in their own lifetime, but Shane Warne was such a robust mix of cricketing knowledge and skill, and Aussie larrikin, as to be able to quite easily be considered iconic. Born in September 1969, Shane Warne was only 52 when he died […]
-
Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
This past NFL season was more entertaining than ever. A couple of weeks ago, the Rams beat the Bengals in Super Bowl XLI. It was a good game, at the end of a historic postseason where every game was close. There was more parity than ever before throughout the season, […]
-
Toxicity and Receding Mental Health in the 2022 Winter Olympics
Since the beginning of sport, international competitions such as the Olympic Games have represented so much more than the athletes competing. A handful of contestants bear the weight of a country on their shoulders during these events. This can often lead to high-performance athletes destroying not only their bodies pushing […]
-
The Soul of Sports: Optimistic Coaching
In the course of reviewing titles for my school library, I have come across a book written by Darrin Donnelly called “Relentless Optimism” This little gem tells the tale of Bobby Kane and his encounter with the legendary and inspirational coach Wally Hogan. As an Australian, I’m not very familiar […]
-
The Cruelest Devil: Lessons from the Tragic Fall of Matt Harvey
If you’ve followed the news of late, the once heralded baseball phenom Matt Harvey, had to testify in a Texas courtroom last week about his own history of drug use and his sharing of prescription painkillers with teammates. One of those teammates, Tyler Skaggs died at the age of 27 […]
-
Values
Values in any sports organization are extremely important. Values of the organization show coaches, staff, and athletes what is important for the organization. CEO, presidents, GMs, and coaches’ values show what they believe, what they have learned, and who they are. With all of these different values, from so many […]
