Here in the United States, we are all pretending we are back to normal now. It’s liberating and refreshing. And for the fully vaccinated, well-deserved. But, unfortunately, the party-crashers are threatening to spoil the fun […]
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Articles
Treat Others How You Wanted to be Treated
Major League Baseball seems to have been in the news a lot lately, mostly for their crackdown on pitchers and illegal substances. Awhile back the White Sox Player Yermin Mercedes broke an “unwritten” rule of […]
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The Art of War
I think it’s fair to assume that a healthy culture includes respect for ourselves and for each other. The sporting world should operate under much the same premise. When fighters ‘talk smack’ to and about […]
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The Weight of a New World on Her Shoulders
Transgender weightlifter, Laurel Hubbard transitioned eight years ago at the age of 35. Since then, she has successfully met all of the requirements of the International Olympic Committee’s regulations for trans athletes and fair competition. […]
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Trust the Coach That You Just Hired
I recently had a colleague reach out to me about a coaching issue that she was having. She was hired as a head coach of a youth sports organization during the pandemic and was waiting […]
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All the Colors of the Rainbow
June is officially Pride month, a perfect time to embrace individuality and inclusivity, tolerance in all avenues of our lives; our work, our social lives, our sporting pursuits. The perfect time to develop a culture […]
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Playing on the Edge!
AFL Brisbane Lions Captain Dayne Zorko has promised not to dull his fire despite his recent suspension for the charge of intentional conduct, with low impact and high contact. The same charge was levelled at […]
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Competitive Sport: A Window on National Cultures
Australia’s modern day suffragette, Madeline Groves, withdrew from the nation’s Olympic Swimming Trials in protest against misogynistic behaviours exhibited by some members of her National Governing Body (NGB). This must have been an extremely difficult […]
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Player Safety Rears its Ugly Head Again
The Adelaide Crow’s David Mackay fronted a tribunal hearing over a rough conduct charge, and the fallout threatens to polarize the football community. In a game that is designed to have players contesting the ball […]
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We’d Give You a “10,” But the Best We Can Do is a “6.6”
I would guess that a majority of people out there are familiar with a relatively popular pawn shop show that airs on cable television where customers come into the show thinking they are going to […]
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Not Just an Entrée
Following unrest over the line up for the tennis at the Australian Open this year, there persisted a sour taste in the mouths of some of the female tennis players. The management at World Athletics, […]
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Swipe Right Delete
There exists in any swim club a small fraction of swim mums and dads who will have coaches running for the nearest rock under which to hide. None more so that those with swimmers aged […]
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The Best Ability is Availability
Getting through a professional sports season is a grind. Packed schedules, travel, and competing at a high level against the best athletes in the world take their toll on the human body. As a result, […]
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The Power of Play
All over the world children are joining clubs and teams, urged on by parents eager to do the best for their child’s enjoyment and development. There are those children though who don’t have the same […]
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One More For Radical Sportsmanship- Meeting the Moment
In trying to define both what small “c” and small “s,” culture in sports is and means, and what the platform “Culture in Sports” stands for, several common priorities and goals emerge: Prioritizing the safety […]
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‘Pics or it Didn’t Happen’
Following her initial complaints of misogyny within Swimming Australia, Maddie Groves has further alleged that the culture of Swimming Australia is so bad that people who wish to thrive in the sport are forced to ignore […]
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Trust is a Two-Way Street
As an athlete, I had many coaches who just expected athletes to trust them because they were the coach. I also had coaches who showed that they deserved trust. The coaches that showed or proved […]
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Lose Graciously, Win Humbly
UFC 263 was an incredible pay-per-view, showcasing great strength, determination, and perseverance. What was most surprising, however, was what happened after the first title fight of the night. Deiveson Figueiredo, the defending Flyweight Champion had […]
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Empathy, Comradery, Humanity
Sunday morning, I saw a CNN breaking news post on Twitter that Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen collapsed on the field during the Euro 2020 match against Finland in Copenhagen. He was given medical attention on […]
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Athlete Alliances and Corrupt Governance in Sport
For too long now governments and some of sport’s international governing bodies have been using elite athletes for their own purposes rather than supporting, protecting, and paying them their dues. I imagine, therefore, Pierre de […]
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Make Up Your Mind, Please!
Major League Baseball does a great job of getting themselves in sticky situations. Unfortunately, the latest one is really sticky. Literally. Until a couple of weeks ago, I had never heard of Spider Tack. I’m […]
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Pushing Forward Back
Thirty years ago, members from some of the rock supergroups in the Seattle, Washington area came together to form the band Temple of the Dog in tribute to a friend who had died from a […]
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In the ‘Pies Best Interests
The Magpie’s have had a horror time of it lately, The Do Better Report which was released in January this year, found the club guilty of ‘systemic racism’ while under Eddie McGuire as President and […]
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What Would Coach Carter Say?
Club Swimmers (albeit the under 18yrs) here in the UK were super excited to have the Covid restrictions lifted back in April and none so more than I. A year on the sofa researching areas […]
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We are Witnessing Greatness
This summer, Simone Biles is putting on a show for the ages. Already, she has dazzled us with a Yurchenko Double Pike at the U.S. Classic competition and a stunning floor exercise at the U.S. […]
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No Rest for the Weary
Recently an interview with Stephen Schoch, pitcher for the University of Virginia baseball caught my attention; not just because it was hilarious but because his comments struck a chord. When asked what makes him nervous, […]
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The Mean Streets: Survival of the Fittest
Some sports are inherently more dangerous than others, but even though mixed martial arts (MMA) competitor Fau Vake faced danger each time he competed, it was outside the ring that he met his fate. Vake […]
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Little Champions
We can surely all agree that enabling children to participate in organized sports is a winning move all round. They don’t need to excel, they don’t even need to be particularly good, but their participation […]
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Told You So: The McKinley High Crisis
Being right is not always a comfortable place to be. It can positively stink to be correct at times, especially when being right means avoidable harm has come to a young athlete. Way back on […]
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It’s Okay to Let Your Athletes Take Safe and Reasonable Risks
Athletes need opportunities to learn and be creative. A strict coach that does not want athletes to deviate from extremely focused technique or practice plans does not allow athletes to be creative and learn. If […]
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The Woke Coach
An emotionally intelligent organizational culture remains positive even through changes and challenges. Far from just being a corporate buzzword, it is an important skill needed by leaders, mentors, and coaches to elicit the best from […]
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Where is the Leadership on Racism?
It is time for leaders in all organisations to move away from the sound bites and token gestures and take some serious action. Three recent and shameful episodes in English football highlight the fact that […]
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What a Mess!
It’s been three months now, and nobody seems to know what to do about the Deshaun Watson situation. What’s becoming clear is that the culture of the National Football League does not align with its […]
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Catcher’s Mitts
Years ago, and we are talking almost three decades now, I was traveling from Boston, Massachusetts to Stillwater, Oklahoma with my mom and stepfather. It was the summer before my senior year of high school, […]
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Bulldog Tenacity is the Real Culture
Such a fractured culture was believed to exist late last year in the AFLs Western Bulldogs that star midfielder Josh Dunkley wanted to break his contract. Dunkley was supposedly frustrated with the club’s leadership and […]
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Game Called on Account of …
No longer a scary prospect of a far-off future, there is an increasing prevalence of extreme weather conditions worldwide and these are impacting on sporting events and the health and welfare of the athletes. The […]
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Naomi Osaka Delivers a Message
I’m a big fan of Naomi Osaka. She has guts. Not only is she one of the top tennis players in the world, but she is also one of the most effective communicators in professional […]
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Here We Go Again
Several months back I wrote about how we as fans contribute to the culture of the game, and yet we find ourselves here again. It seems a few people did not listen. This first week […]
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The Fishbowl
Media exposure has heightened societal awareness of sports, players, and their organizations. The prevalence of scandal is as much a matter of conflict or negligence as it is about societal expectations. It’s not really as […]
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If You Do Not Get Caught, Is It Really Cheating?
A former Pittsburgh Steelers coach made a comment during a recent interview with Ed Bouchette of The Athletic: “It’s only cheating if you get caught”. This coach, Bill Cowher, was discussing taking competitive advantages into […]
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“Not Again, Not Again!”
“Not again, not again, you don’t have to go that high, do you?” … “Oh no, this can’t be. This is unbelievable, this is unbelievable.” … “I don’t know what to say. I’m without speech.” […]
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High Anxiety
Athletes are reported to be significantly more likely to report ‘high to very high’ psychological distress (at 17.15%) compared to that generally found elsewhere in the community (9.5%). The published findings indicate that despite exposure to […]
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So, What Have We Learned?
In the final chapter of the sexual assault case referred to in two previous articles; “Where There’s Smoke? Or … Unwitting Target?” and “… And as the Smoke Clears, the Vision Becomes Clear?“, Crown prosecutor […]
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Glimpses of a Cultural Nirvana in Sport
Leicester City Football Club’s season ended in a second fairy-tale when they lifted the FA Cup on May 15th this year. The first fairy-tale was achieved in the 2015-2016 season when they were crowned Premier […]
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The Power of a Nemesis
The semi-vaccinated public is returning to large gatherings. For over a year, we have either been alone or with close friends and family members. Consequently, now have to face our nemeses once again and learn […]
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Popcorn, Heat, and Fans, Not Always The Best Combination
Typically, when one thinks of popcorn, they know that there is heat involved, and fans as well, if getting popcorn from a large popper. However, when it comes to sports, popcorn, heat, and fans, are […]
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Red Flags: Patterns of Intolerance
Rugby League star, Israel Folau has upset the LGBTQIA community and contravened the inclusive stance of Rugby Australia in his 2019 social media comment that “drunks, homosexuals, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists and idolators” would […]
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The Unsung Heroes of Youth Sports
Ever wonder about the work that goes on behind the scenes when you drop off your young athlete at their respective sports clubs. Most likely not because it seems so simple right – and besides […]
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50 Is The New 50
Phil Mickelson shocked the world and thrilled a large gallery last week by becoming the oldest major champion in golf history. He held off a charge by a much younger Brooks Koepka to win the […]
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The Least Interesting Thing About You
Your body is the least interesting thing about you. I stole this from one of my favorite podcasters, Madi Murphy of The Bad Broadcast. Unfortunately, female athletes are still critiqued and judged on their bodies. […]
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Five Mistakes Parents Will Make This Summer as Sports Begin Again
We continue to look at avoidable mistakes each of the stakeholder groups in sports will make as sports begin again. This time by looking at challenges this season- and beyond- will pose specifically to and […]
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Overtraining
When I was a young coach, I used to push athletes to their limits and beyond during practices thinking that it was the best way to physically prepare them for competition. It was a learned […]
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The Inequity in Equality
The new strategic roadmap Olympic Agenda 2020+5 will highlight the importance of gender-equality and fair portrayal practices in communications about the Olympic Games as a priority in the new objectives. “To encourage the entire Olympic […]
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Selection & Rejection
“Life is not always fair, but you must always appeal if you have been wronged.” – Emma Carney Is it fair to assume that you should be selected just because you feel you’ve earned it? […]
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There Can Be Only One, Or Maybe Not
The Highlander movies and television shows were known for the saying, “There can be only one,” when it came to the titular character who was an immortal being and needed to defeat other immortals in […]
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Theories of Motivation: The 3 Big Myths
If the sardonic artist Harland Miller was to design a book cover to highlight an uncomfortable truth about motivation it would state something like: ‘Motivation Ain’t All It’s Hyped Up To Be.’ Most publications you […]
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Sting Like a Bee
This past Thursday was World Bee Day, honoring the birthday of the world’s first beekeeper. Its purpose is to acknowledge bees and other pollinators in the ecosystem. It’s a good reminder for us to be […]
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Parents Behaving Badly
How disappointing is it when it’s the parents behaving badly and ruining the fun for the children? Last Sunday an under 13s rugby league game left a 35-year-old father requiring facial surgery. A wild brawl […]
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All Is Not Lost
Have you ever coached a team in a game where their brains or hearts were not in it? Maybe your team looked lethargic while playing or in a fog. Or has a team that you […]
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The Impact of Trust
Trust is key in team sports. For optimal team performance, trust should be second nature between coaches and teammates. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, as big egos and the fear of failure can […]
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Eat ‘Em Up, Kats!
Congratulations to the Sam Houston State Bearkats for winning the NCAA Football FCS Division championship last week. It was a strange game that ended a peculiar football season, and, in many ways, it may have […]
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The Power of One
We know there is no I in team, but there can be one (or sometimes a few) player that heavily influences the team. I recently read about Miami Heat veteran player, Udonis Haslem, and his […]
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Extreme E: Racing Toward Culture Change for the Planet
Whether you believe in ‘climate change’ or whether you are a denier, it has to be agreed that climactic conditions in recent years have impacted on sporting events and this is happening now not in […]
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Getting Comfortable In the Status Quo
I had a coach recently reach out to me to ask if I had any suggestions for her, as she felt stuck in her coaching journey. Upon some great discussion and learning for both of […]
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Five Mistakes Coaches Will Make This Summer and How To Avoid Making Them
Picking up where we left off last week in “Five Harmful Trends to Watch As Sports Restart Post-Covid,” and building off Culture in Sports colleague’s Paul Robbins “The 5 Essentials for Becoming a Professional Sports […]
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Inclusive Culture in Sports
“If you can play, you can play.” – Miami University men’s hockey team We’ve talked a lot about sexism, racism, even classism in sports, but of course there are many ways to exclude and disenfranchise […]
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“It’s All Fun and Games Until Someone Loses an Eye”
The larrikin is praised in Australian culture as iconic, Peter Lalor of Eureka Stockade notoriety, the infamous bushranger Ned Kelly, television’s Chips Rafferty and Paul Hogan, even our own one-time Prime Minister Bob Hawke. It’s […]
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The 5 Essentials for Becoming a Professional Sports Coach
The road to becoming a professional sports coach is a challenging one. There are many amateur sports coaches operating today without any formal qualifications. There have been, mainly in the past, some sports coaches at […]
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Testing is Failing
The Tokyo Olympics are in trouble. The immediate issue is COVID-19. Case rates in Japan are rising while vaccination rates are low. It will take a logistical miracle to figure out protocols and rules on […]
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Flying Like A Hawk
Come on, Marty, let’s jump in the DeLorean, get up to 88 miles per hour, and head back to the 80s! As we make this jump, or perhaps a better term considering the subject of […]
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The Real Champions: a Culture of Courage & Charity
We read about all the magnanimous generosity of sports stars in the world; giving of themselves because they have the means to help or because the cause touches them in a special or personal way. […]
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Comradery and Competition: a Delicate Dichotomy
Triple world champion surfing superstar Mick Fanning was famously attacked by a shark in the middle of competition at Jeffreys Bay in South Africa in 2015. Spectators watched on as the Australian fought off the […]
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Winning the Week
Last week did not get off to a good start for my home team Houston Astros. Their tour of shame entered the Bronx on Tuesday for a three-game set, and the Yankees fans did not […]
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Is Nepotism a Necessary Evil?
I recently heard a podcast from two former NFL players discussing Tim Tebow’s return to the NFL, nearly a decade later. Their comments summarized were that Tebow only got the job because 1. Who he […]
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What Sports Teach Kids: Four Key Skills
As I wrote in my last article, sports have been on the chopping block of school budgets for decades. Physical education classes and extracurricular programs at all grade levels have suffered as districts insist on […]
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The Importance of Facilitating Mentorship Between Athletes
Older elite athletes are something that you do not see very often. Many times, an athlete’s mental and emotional abilities far outweigh their physical abilities. I personally enjoy watching the old person running out on […]
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Five Harmful Trends to Watch Out For As Sports Restart Post-Covid
It seems we are coming out of this for real. Vaccine distribution is outpacing many even optimistic expectations and trendlines are headed in a positive direction. People are demonstrating far greater confidence in their choices, […]
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Sport Driving the Culture of Society
We are all aware of the need to establish a winning culture in sport to achieve optimal performance, but it should also be considered that sport can affect the culture in a society. This is […]
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“Change the Routine”: The Ugly Side of a Beautiful Art
After an undiagnosed stress fracture led to an horrific ankle fracture during a routine, aspiring Olympic gymnast Georgia Simpson came to the realization that she would never compete again. Simpson was told that she should […]
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Coach – Protect Yourself!
Most people will now be aware of the ethical mess that some National Governing Bodies (NGBs) get themselves into when the media publicly denounce sports coaches accused of abusive behaviour. In the UK we have […]
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Searching for Fat Tails
Big-time data analytics has arrived in college football. FCS Division school Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina has hired Kevin Kelley to coach the Blue Hose next year in the Pioneer League. Kelley has been […]
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When You Call Me, You Can Call Me Al
Paul Simon wrote a song back in the mid-80s with a chorus that states, “If you’ll be my bodyguardI can be your long lost pal, I can call you Betty, And Betty, when you call […]
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“The First and Greatest Victory is to Conquer Yourself”
“In every adversity there lies the seed of an equivalent advantage. In every defeat is a lesson showing you how to win the victory next time.” – Robert Collier Melbourne Victory FC were fortunate to […]
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Too Many Cooks With Untrained Intentions
On 5 April five swim coaches from the same swim club all resigned from their posts – just one week before Club Swimming re-opened in the UK. The coaches had all been suspended and were […]
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Funny How Time Slips Away
This past year or so has been tragic. There has been so much death and so much destruction to our way of life. And, unfortunately, our culture has been in survival mode, and it is […]
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Standing Up for What is Right at the Cost of Winning
As youth it is perceived that coaches know best, that is their job, right? To lead, guide, develop, and improve? At what point do we transition from coaches being all-knowing, to seeing athletes as equals […]
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Sports for the Student Brain
For kids, we often view sports as a way for them to stay healthy, have fun, and get some fresh air. The benefits, though, go deeper, as a study from the International Journal of Behavioral […]
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Who’s Choice is an Athlete led Culture?
Since Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea FC in July 2003 a number of managers have come and gone and yet trophy winning has been consistent. Managers have been sacked after winning a European cup (Di Matteo […]
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The Miasma of Winning
The news on Monday that Nadia Comanenci, one of the greatest, if not the greatest Olympic women’s gymnast, is reported to have suffered what is described as “horrorific abuse,” at the hands of her coach […]
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The Sport of Disc Golf
Are you looking for a new, interesting, and cheap hobby? Disc golf is all of those things and more. You’ll find an incredibly welcoming community, full of long time vets, tons of newcomers, and every […]
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… And as the Smoke Clears, the Vision Becomes Clear?
In my last article Where There’s Smoke? Or … Unwitting Target? I wrote about the sexual assault case currently being heard in Sydney Australia. NRL footballers Jack de Belin and Callan Sinclair await their fate […]
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Emotional Connections in Sports Coaching
As we all know the best sports coaches are the ones that are able to create strong relationships with their athletes and hence help facilitate great performances from them. As a leader they inspire, motivate […]
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Patience and Discipline
Getting drafted in the first round of the NFL draft is an incredible accomplishment. Not only do you have to be a great player who has demonstrated the ability to play at the highest level, […]
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Turning The Other Cheek… Well, Maybe Not Physically
One of the concepts most of us learn early on in life is the one about turning the other cheek. Essentially, according to the concept, if you are wronged by someone, you should not immediately […]
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Where There’s Smoke? Or … Unwitting Target?
There are countless reports in the media of sexual assault cases involving famous people, certainly sports stars feature largely among them. Whether or not they are guilty is beyond the scope of this article, but […]
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Will the Boomers Go Boom in Tokyo?
NBL (National Basketball League) Australian National team head coach, Brett Brown stepped aside late in 2020 amid issues of the NBA possibly delaying its 2020-2021 season which had caused uncertainty for the Tokyo Olympics campaign. […]
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Can We Handle the Truth?
More so than other sports, Major League Baseball is woven tightly into the culture of our society. The two evolve together. Last weekend, the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers completed the second […]
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Should Athletic Talents Build the Foundations of Education?
Many parents often start their kids in school a year later than they are actually eligible. There are often many reasons for this: size, social development, signs of delayed learning, etc. A common one, is […]
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The Value of Playing for Fun
In his book Late Bloomers, Rich Karlgaard explores the world’s “obsession” with early achievement and young talent. From the business world — think Mark Zuckerberg — to the film industry, Karlgaard argues that we seem […]
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