Some time in the next 14 days Serena Williams, the most decorated and dominant woman tennis player of all-time, will take her final bows as a competitive tennis player. This U.S. Open will be her last. We’ve watched others hailed as the greatest of all-time sail off into the sunset, […]
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Yesterday, Bryce Strecker wrote that “Resilient athletes aren’t born, they’re built”. It was an extremely informative article that dove deep into how athletes respond to adversity and that it is essential that coaches help athletes refocus. If you have not read Bryce’s article yet, you must take a few minutes […]
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No matter how long you’ve been involved in sports, there has undoubtedly been a time where things didn’t go your way, right? This is one of the most interesting aspects of competitive sport to me. There is so much that can happen that we could never expect or prepare for. […]
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I recently wrote a few articles about coaches, athletes, parents, and even officials behaving badly at sporting events. Poor behavior in sports looks like it is on the rise, especially in the United States. While there is no data supporting this perception, people in sports behaving badly has been in […]
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When did you last take the time to provide positive feedback to your athletes? Was it last week, month, or year? Have you ever provided positive feedback as you are always “hard” on your athletes? Providing positive feedback, saying great job or thank you to an athlete may just make […]
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What is going on in Bengal cricket? That’s what I want to know… For the second time in a span of two years, I have had to see a veteran cricketer leave the team I love due to problems with a coach or board member. Both cricketers have previously made […]
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A conventional definition of winning is gaining, resulting in, or relating to a victory in a contest or competition. But have you ever questioned it beyond this definition? In the context of sport, what is it? Is it about winning trophies, titles, medals, etc? Or is it something else? What […]
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When was the last time that you assessed what was happening in your organization? What did you see? Who did you speak to? Was what you saw and heard reflective of the organizational culture that you want to be involved with? What are you going to do about the leadership […]
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Yesterday, Bryce Strecker wrote an in-depth and exceptional article about confidence. If you have not had an opportunity, please take the time to read “The Start of the Confidence Rabbit Hole”. Bryce does not discuss about an athlete’s confidence and correlation to their success, but rather the complexities of the […]
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Confidence… It’s something we hear about all the time both inside and outside competitive sports. It’s such a subjective topic that means something different to every person who talks about it, so I want to take a deeper dive into Confidence because it plays such a huge role in an […]
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Yesterday, Bryce Strecker wrote that “Team Culture Should Be Founded on Motivation”. It was an extremely informative article the dove deep into how a team’s culture is influenced or led by motivation. Many thought leaders discuss different ways to lead or influence culture within an organization, and I have heard […]
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There are a million different ways to ‘run’ a team, a million different ways to lead. No matter your approach to it all, one of the most important factors of the whole situation is motivation. Which can be a pretty broach term, and one that’s thrown around a lot. But […]
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Recently, a soon-to-be-former Real Madrid women’s team player and Swedish international, Kosovare Asllani, talked about the “unhealthy and dangerous environment” at the club. This kind of story could be very damaging for a club of Real Madrid’s standards, even if their women’s team hasn’t been as prolific as the men’s […]
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More than 140 days have gone by. A lot can happen in 140 days. Novak Djokovic won the men’s Wimbledon tennis tournament, the Colorado Avalanche won the NHL Stanley Cup, and the WNBA had their All-Star game without one of their All-Stars, Brittney Griner. By now everyone should know her […]
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I was recently speaking to a parent of a very young athlete about the importance of youth participation in sports, specifically team sports. There are many benefits of children participating in sports, to include learning about teamwork, appreciation for sports, healthy competition, self-confidence, resiliency, trust, and supporting teammates are to […]
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Whenever a team is being run, every member of the organization needs to be able to work together. That means the players, the front office, the coaches, the staff, and anyone else who is needed to keep the organization together. However, what happens if not everyone is on board with […]
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When a player is removed from a squad through a cut (whether they are released or waived) or trade, it is typical for them to bring up dirty laundry in talks about their former club, especially more so if the split was not done amicably. Su’a Cravens, a former NFL […]
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The power and evolution of social media continues to grow and have an impact on not just football but all sports especially in the last decade. With social media now becoming such a necessity to people of all ages and how popular it has become majority of people use some […]
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Recently, an incident involving a Bulgarian soccer team showed us what it means to have good leadership, as well as displaying the sad state of affairs in soccer for a country as a whole. Alan Pardew, the manager and technical director of CSKA Sofia, and assistant manager Alex Dyer both […]
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Readers, Justin “Jolly” Rogers is a remarkable athlete and person who recently broke the Pennsylvania State Meet AAA record with a vault of 17 feet 3 inches … utterly remarkable. Not only is he talented, but Jolly embodies what it means to respect not only a sport, but also his […]
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It would be foolish for any high level athlete to think that their team is not a business. In terms of the NBA, teams are money making machines, and owners won’t stop for anything if they see a chance to increase their revenue. Every team is a business, we know […]
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Football is a sport that unites everyone and brings all those from different countries, religions, and ethnicities and like any other sport football has the power to unite everyone together within the football community. With all this being said there are still some sexuality issues that remain in football but […]
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This is graduation season. College and high school graduations are winding down. The spring is a season of transitions and as athletes, coaches, and lovers of sport we are among the most highly motivated by attaining the next level, whether that is making the jump from high school to college, […]
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This week Wes and Mike interviewed Californian soccer player, Samantha Johnson, who has been involved in the game since she was five years old. Samantha came from a culture of team bonding and this she cites as the reason for her positive experiences in sport growing up. Samantha supports the […]
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Sir Alex Ferguson is one of the most well-known football managers in the world but in particular in the UK and within Premier League football. This is due to his success as manager of Manchester United for 26 years between 1986 – 2013. In his time at Manchester United, Sir […]
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The results are in for the Culture in Sports, Sports Leader of the Year Award! Thanks to everyone who voted for who they thought should win out of our three nominees. The winner of the Sports Leader of the Year Award is Odessa Jenkins. Odessa is the Founder and CEO […]
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I recently wrote an article “Is Bad Behavior in Sports on the Rise?“, where I discussed the how fighting and other unsportsmanlike behavior of athletes, coaches, fans, and others is becoming more prevalent. While the instantaneous access to social media and the internet may be the reason that we are […]
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In the third episode of the second season of the Culture in Sports podcasts, Wes and Mike talk to World ParaVolley Sports Director Lori Okimura. Born and raised in Hawaii, Okimura grew up loving sports and has spent her professional career in a variety of areas in volleyball and coaching. […]
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Carlo Ancelotti is one of the most well known and successful coaches in the world of football. He’s managed many big clubs such as Chelsea and Bayern Munich and is currently at Real Madrid for the second time. He has already confirmed the Spanish league title being Real Madrid’s 35th […]
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The English Premier League is arguably the bets football league in the world and the pinnacle league for players not just in England but players from all over the world. The reputation this league has continued to have has been revolutionary and has changed the way a lot of clubs […]
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Kyle Thomas is the guest of the part two episode of the Culture in Sports podcast on mentorship. Champion Illinois footballer, Thomas is a great advocate for the benefits of mentorship for the young athlete, not just in sports but also for life. He champions having the mindfulness and awareness […]
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This past weekend saw the final of the snooker World Championships take place at the Crucible in Sheffield, England. The final was between Judd Trump and Ronnie O’Sullivan who was looking to equal the record for most wins in the competition’s history matching Stephen Hendry’s 7 titles. The match was […]
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This is without question a time of dynamic change or just plain turmoil in college sports. The last month has seen more than its share, culminating in last Tuesday’s announcement by National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) president Mark Emmert that he plans to step down either as soon as a […]
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Lewis Hamilton is known by many for the continued success he has achieved in Formula 1 since his debut in 2007 and since then the stevenage born brit has never looked back. He’s managed to achieve the unthinkable and also managed to inspire a generation on his journey and bring […]
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In this new podcast which is part one of two parts, Wesley Livingston and Mike Scaramella speak to Marine Corps Staff Sergeant Saber Youman about his views on athlete mentorship. Youman discusses his supported upbringing and the influences of his uncle who introduced him to soccer. He describes the positive […]
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Cristiano Ronaldo is a Portuguese footballer who many argue is the greatest to have ever played the game. He currently plays for Manchester United but has also played for Sporting Lisbon, Real Madrid, and Juventus. Over his incredible career he has won 32 trophies including 3 Premier Leagues, 2 La […]
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Last week, Owen Woodward of the Weatherford College baseball team decided to run at full speed and tackle a base runner after his home run hit. While baseball is not known for hits, fights, punches, or other close quarters fighting, there is occasionally a flareup. Woodward was provoked by choice […]
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Michael Jordan has always been remembered as a tremendous talented basketball player and athlete and his legacy is something that’s managed to carry on and continue even after he retired. The Brooklyn born athlete managed to win six championships and was the Finals MVP 6 times. He played for the […]
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Football is such a popular and traditional sport in English culture and has one of the most viewed exciting leagues in the world with the Premier league which has embedded a way of culture how the game should be played. However, this all was to change when Arsene Wenger was […]
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Leadership within a team is one of the most crucial elements to being successful. Having that person or people who can inspire the rest of team and push them to their goals of winning is so important and without them it is very difficult to win anything. These leaders can […]
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Amateur sports organizations everywhere are making headlines for the wrong reasons. Whether it is human rights abuses casting a shadow over the Winter Olympics, less than desired performances in a long-delayed Summer Olympics, or calls for resignation by the athletes, sports organizations are under fire. Amateur sports are facing unprecedented […]
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In baseball, teams and pitchers chase the perfect game. The last perfect game in Major League Baseball (MLB) was thrown by Félix Hernández in 2012 and there have only been 23 perfect games in MLB. Last week, Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers was on track to make that […]
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Steelers’ quarterback Dwayne Haskins was recently involved in a tragic fatal accident on April 9, 2022. As his family, fans, and the sport mourned his loss, sportswriter and analyst Adam Schefter came out with an inappropriate and unprofessional message on Twitter. Schefter wrote, “Dwayne Haskins, a standout at Ohio State […]
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Mercedes F1 team are one of the biggest teams and most successful teams winning seven constructor’schampionships in a row and have dominated the sport in the last decade. In 2010, the companybought the Brawn GP team, rebranding it as Mercedes and since then have been at the pinnacle ofthe sport. […]
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Jurgen Klopp is a German football (soccer) manager who is currently in charge of Liverpool Football Club. He has had successes in his home country when managing Borussia Dortmund winning the Bundesliga twice, a German Cup and the German Super Cup twice too. He also came very close to an […]
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Men in today’s sports are some of the highest paid people in the world. They get thousands and millions of dollars over the course of maybe 5-6 years depending on their contracts. Women in sports on the other hand get a fraction of what the men are making. They’re grateful […]
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Too often have we seen (and not seen) how player-coach dynamics fall through, inevitably causing mental or physical suffering to one or both parties. The end result is seen time and time again. Players are on the receiving end of the stick, and coaches usually just continue doing their thing. […]
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In this golden age of plenty, we are surprisingly lacking the essentials more profoundly that ever before. I read an article which bemoans the increasing lack of sporting facilities in modern urban Australian cities. Obviously covid put paid to many sporting plans, venues and pools were closed, new construction not […]
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I was in a debate with someone about the ‘power’ in an organization. The gentleman in question was adamant that the power came from the team and that they are responsible for the culture of the work environment. I’m of the belief that the captain steers the ship and guides […]
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Last weekend was the Argentinian Grand Prix in MotoGP and history was made as the Aprillia team won their first race as did one of their riders Aleix Espargaro. At the Termas de Rio Honda Circuit Aleix Espargaro took pole position in qualifying and came through on the Sunday to […]
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Coaches and teams are always looking for a competitive edge. This edge comes in many forms, to include better technique, newer and higher tech equipment, uniforms and other clothing that has less drag or resistance, and ways to make athletes faster, stronger, and more agile. Getting athletes to practice and […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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. […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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, […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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The principles of ethical leadership include honesty, justice, respect, community and integrity, these are of foremost importance in any environment and are perhaps even more important than having knowledge of the sport in which an individual is leader. The ability to navigate complex situations and be guided by well-honed perceptions of […]
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Greatness, no matter how long, sticks with a man. (Yes, I used the Gene Hackman reference from The Replacements again) But what is seldom thought about is, “What about greatness at an athlete’s early age?” I believe these situations have more potential to crush an athlete than potential to help […]
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Quicksand is a serious issue, and not one of folklore. It has been around since sports began in our civilization. It does not matter what level or type of sport that is being played, quicksand can happen anytime…and sometimes at the worst time. Mikaela Shiffrin qualified for multiple events in […]
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The Beijing Olympics are underway, and I have settled into my usual Olympic stance. I ask myself questions. Do I care? Should I boycott? What is the Russian Olympic Committee? I’m curious, so I watch. Maybe something great, like the Miracle on Ice, will happen. These Olympics are different for […]
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Toughness and camaraderie in Sport Team Culture comes down to whether one is either “The Leader,” “The Soldier,” or “The Supporter.” Everyone plays a role. Leaders, soldiers, and supporters – they all create “The Team.” No-one can truly thrive without the other executing their job. These roles stem from the […]
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I was reading a social media post about bad behavior in relationships and I was astounded by the statement “boys will be boys”. Is this perhaps a sterling example of poor or toxic behavior being normalized in society? Thomas Roulet, a professor of organisational theory at the University of Cambridge […]
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Is your organization at rock bottom? There is no trust, little communication, people are scared and confused, employees are bracing for the worst, employees and athletes trust nobody, and athletes are looking elsewhere because of the toxic culture that you have identified and are now trying to change. If your […]
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As our culture in sports starts to refine itself we gradually begin to fade away from traditional standards and start introducing new and fresh ideas. When a coach comes in a new setting and isn’t willing to adapt the specific culture of the team, organization, or sport we see a […]
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The Olympic Winter Games opened in Beijing in the midst of gathering clouds. Whether these clouds are a prelude to coming storms or will merely block the metaphoric sunshine of global peace, understanding, and transformative competition that the Olympics hope, on their best day, to be remains to be seen. […]
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When I was in the 5th grade at Hatfield Elementary School (Uniontown, PA) I met a lifelong brother and the truest of friends, Joseph Spinuzza. The first thing we did was have a rubber-band gun fight (We were 11 years old) … the second thing that we did as friends […]
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This week is a celebration. The Greatest of All Time, the GOAT, has decided to retire from professional football. After winning 243 NFL games, including seven Super Bowls, and passing for 84,520 yards and 624 touchdowns in his 22-year career, Tom Brady will focus his time and energy on other […]
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Combining my studies, my job, this crazy condition we find ourselves in globally, and the topics I explore for Culture in Sports, I have found that the most prevalent unifying issue is the constancy of change and how we manage it. The culture of an organisation can be made or […]
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“Greatness, no matter how brief, stays with a man.” (A quote from the great actor Gene Hackman at the end of the superb Sport drama The Replacements, yeah I am indeed “fanboying” that performance) But what is greatness? Is it a Division-1 athlete who excels and wins a National title? […]
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The San Francisco 49ers are on a roll. They are piling up wins with the greatest of ease, just like the man on the flying Trapeze. This month, they have been traveling from town to town in pursuit of reaching the Super Bowl. From Los Angeles to Dallas to Green […]
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Sometimes it is not just a good fit and that is okay. Russell Westbrook was recently benched by the coach of the Los Angeles Lakers and all reports point to Mr. Westbrook’s poor play. While it may be frustrating for Westbrook, fellow players, coaches, and the fans that his performance […]
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History was made last week. Well, history is made every week, but on January 12th, the United States Attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York filed the first ever charges under the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act of 2019. Shortly thereafter, the FBI office in El Paso, Texas took Eric […]
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There is little job security for NFL head coaches. It has been said NFL stands for Not For Long, rather than National Football League. But the league which has struggled to promote African American and other minority coaches to head coaching positions, despite having put forward and expanded its Rooney […]
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On Martin Luther King Day, the Minnesota Vikings interviewed Catherine Raiche for their vacant general manager position. A cheeky sportswriter described it as the current Philadelphia Eagles executive “chatting” with Vikings executives. Other media accounts heralded the historic nature of Raiche’s candidacy. One particularly earnest reporter remembered the groundbreaking path […]
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To say that English people love their football would represent a well-known and generally accepted statement. Over the past two decades, foreign ownership in English Football’s top flight has done nothing but increase. Football is a worldwide game attracting unimaginable amounts of money. For some context, several stars in the […]
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Yeah guys and gals, you read the headline accurately, we actually call him “Jolly.” (Jolly Rogers … get it? Credit to Mr. Mark Morris for a hilarious nickname) Jolly is a 17-year-old Senior from Hershey, Pennsylvania. Jolly now is officially the highest high school pole vaulter in the history of […]
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Last week, Georgia beat Alabama 33-18 in the College Football Playoff championship game. It was a rematch of a game played a month ago, featuring teams from bordering states in the corner of the country who play in the same conference. Also, it was a showcase of how the game […]
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The life of John Madden, who died on December 28, 2021, is a compelling story of a quintessential teacher and coach. It leaves us some clear lessons though to be drawn from his long, good, and unique life. Madden was of course an NFL Hall of Fame coach and a […]
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When it comes to team sports, it’s common knowledge that athletes have to fight for the team and support their teammates at all times, even if situations may be dire (losing by double digits, losing seasons, being in a personal slump, etc.). However, what do you do when there are […]
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Hey guys and gals, today is quite special to a lot of us, and we at #CultureInSports would be remiss if we didn’t recognize our dear friend and mentor, Robert Aflred Boland … Bob … Professor Boland … he wears many hats my friends. Bob, you have more titles than […]
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Something strange and unique happened while I was watching NFL Red Zone last Sunday. I couldn’t tell exactly what it was because it wasn’t clear. Something was going down, and everybody needed to stop and look. Scott Hanson had broken away from the Chiefs-Bengals game to show us at a […]
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It would be fantastic for professional tennis and for its promotion in Australia if Novak Djokovic plays in the Australian Open this year … but at what point should the very talented among us be permitted to breach or expect exemption from the mandates that the rest of us must […]
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Let’s face it, Sport Culture doesn’t shine if the athlete doesn’t shine internally. I always have believed that when one has conquered their own mind, then and only then will achieve true athletic brilliance. Unfortunately for me, I was never able to overcome certain aspects of competition anxiety. I did […]
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