The Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners sent shock waves to the landscape of college football this week by sending signals that they are seeking to leave the Big 12 conference and join the SEC. They are coming on the heels of the landmark Supreme Court decision that allows collegiate athletes […]
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There has been a recent culture shift, where athletes are now using their platform and resources to create spaces for open and honest conversations beyond their sport. HBO’s The Shop: Uninterrupted is a show starring Lebron James, where he and other celebrity guests, mainly professional athletes, join together in a barbershop […]
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“The Olympics have the power to bring the world together, to inspire, to show what’s possible,” said World Health Organization boss Tedros Adhanom. He added, “May the rays of hope from this land illuminate a new dawn for a healthy, safer, and fairer world.” Yet, the opening ceremony for the […]
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Mental resilience and stability are favorable attributes in anyone but not least in an elite athlete. These characteristics are essential to protect an individual from the negative effects of detractors. When Hawthorn AFL champion Dermott Brereton took a swipe at goalkicker Bailey Fritsch accusing him of being a fake tough […]
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I received a call from a coaching colleague this week, we will call her Tracy. Tracy and another coach were hired a few months ago to lead different teams in a world-renowned organization. Tracy was extremely excited to begin, especially since sports were in full swing again in the United […]
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On Monday, July 12th, Major League Baseball started its annual tribute to the best players of the season, or most popular, depending on how you look at it, with its All-Star break. The traditional first day of the break involves a feat of stamina, strength, and hand-eye coordination as select […]
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Basketball is in the spotlight right now, but it is having a rough go of it. The USA Olympic team is far from a “Dream Team,” the long-awaited Space Jam 2 is getting terrible reviews, and nobody is watching the NBA Finals. Team USA historically dominates the Olympic basketball competition. […]
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Coaching is about sport, it’s about educating, but it’s also about leadership. At the center of sport, the coach is uniquely placed to influence the athletes and set the standard for behavior. At the grassroots level, this is about extending that influence on to parents as well and establishing a […]
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Sometimes passions ignite on-field and result in unpleasant behavior. It must be hard to be ‘fired up’ to play hard but keep a lid on those emotions. On Monday night West Coast Eagles lost unexpectedly to North Melbourne and the upset caused teammates Elliot Yeo and Jeremy McGovern to publicly […]
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This week, baseball has taken its annual midseason break to celebrate its heroes at the All-Star Game. In a season unlike any other, one hero has stood out by accomplishing feats never done before in the sport. It has been great to get to know him a little bit. Two-way […]
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It’s imperative that there is an even playing field at all times in competitive sports for the game to be fairly played. When errors were made during player interchange in St Kilda’s round 15 demolition of Richmond, there ended up being a surplus of players for the side. The AFL […]
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Steve Smith lost his position as Captain of the Australian Cricket team in 2018 following the infamous ball-tampering scandal. The former captain says he was not involved in planning to tamper with the ball during the Cape Town test against South Africa but as the leader, he took responsibility for […]
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CF Montréal, a team within Major League Soccer announced that they traded a player, Erik Hurtado, to the Columbus Crew SC. Trades happen every day in all professional sports leagues across the world, with most trades receiving little fanfare. However, this trade solely happened because the athlete was not vaccinated […]
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Winning an international soccer competition is brutal. Changing a culture is more challenging. Somehow, an unlikely leader has managed to accomplish the latter with a new vision based on clear values and patriotic identity. Today, he leads England against Italy in the final of Euro 2020. Winning the match will […]
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What happens when a person is all-work and no-play? They become disengaged, disenfranchised, and basically burnt-out. This is as true in the sportsperson as it is in any other profession and the best way to prevent this fuse from being lit, is to ensure a healthy work-life balance. The fantastically […]
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Does it really take gruelling training and punishment tactics to raise a good athlete? Does the development of mental resilience necessarily require ‘training hell’ and ‘starving games’? Tim Tszyu likens his indoctrination into boxing greatness to his favourite movie The Lion King, where the young cub emulates his great warrior […]
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Unfortunately, we will not see Sha’Carri Richardson compete in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics later this month. Richardson is the fastest female athlete in the United States and quite possibly the world. But she broke the rules. You probably have heard of this already, as it has been all over the […]
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A positive marijuana test and a month-long suspension has evolved to more than it initially seemed. From ridiculous claims by journalist Claire Lehmann that Sha’Carri’s “strong nails and hair” were evidence of steroid abuse to another that suggested her predicament was just another example of “anti-Blackness”. Lehman’s comments suggest also […]
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Covid19 has messed a lot of things up for a lot of people, not least the people who have tragically lost their lives to the disease. Humanity has needed to adapt to new procedures and new rules, to keep us all as safe as possible and bring this beast to […]
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American swimming coach Megan Oesting has been sacked after being in post with SwimMAC Carolina for only 9 months. Differences in her management style and cultural stance have been cited as the main reasons. According to Madeleine Lepesant of Swim Swam it seems that a new approach to the coaching, […]
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Well, it was about time Major League Baseball took a stand! Clear and decisive action is required when players behave poorly. Without it, we risk anarchy. It’s essential to send a message to let the players know that improper conduct will not be tolerated and let the fans know that […]
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I was astonished last week when learning that Simone Emanuel https://swimswam.com/after-exhausting-year-olympic-champ-simone-manuel-out-of-100-free-final/ had been diagnosed with Overtraining Syndrome. I was left wondering how a nation such as the US (famed for its domination in swimming at the Olympics) could get it so wrong with Simone’s training. Sadly too many Swim Clubs […]
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It happens every year around this time, but typically a little later and a tad bit less intense. The sun aligns with the star system Sirius and brings heat, drought, sudden thunderstorms, lethargy, fever, mad dogs, and bad luck. The dog days of summer have begun. It was 108 degrees […]
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Have youth sports become a pay to play business model? Are resources equally available to youth of all economic backgrounds? I would argue not. many club teams have scholarship opportunities, but is that enough, when other parents are able to pay for additional specialized training, better equipment, and some times […]
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This past week has been a remarkable one in sports. An active NFL player came out as gay. A superstar gymnast took the penultimate step toward becoming the greatest of all time in her sport by competing to honor of and to remind the world, including her own national governing […]
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An argument has erupted in the United States over Gwen Berry’s protest against the nation’s anthem and the flag at the Olympic track and field trials. The hammer thrower also placed a black t-shirt over her face that read “Activist Athlete” and now faces the very real prospect of being […]
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“Youth is full of sport, age’s breath is short; youth is nimble, age is lame; Youth is hot and bold, age is weak and cold; Youth is wild, and age is tame.” – William Shakespeare Veteran equestrian competitor Andrew Hoy might disagree with Shakespeare on that, he has just been […]
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It’s apparent that the coach exerts a major influence on the cohesiveness of the team when looking at the recent history of the New South Wales Waratahs. To their detriment the team has been coach-less for the better part of 2021 so far following the sacking of Rob Penney back […]
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The road to mastery is a long and winding road that requires, not only technical knowledge and understanding, but these two components applied over time. We have all met sports coaches that race through qualifications collecting knowledge, like bees collect pollen, but are incompetent. We have also met sports coaches […]
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The United States Supreme Court ruled unanimously last Monday not to allow the NCAA to prohibit its student-athletes from receiving benefits related to their education. This decision opens the way to ending the current practice of making huge profits without sharing the proceeds with the players who earned them. There’s […]
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The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) will strive to deliver national pride and inspiration through international sporting success.” – AIS Last month the budget documents for Australia’s involvement in the Tokyo Olympic Games were released. The outlay is expected to be massive. In total this year, the Australian Federal Government […]
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“I think it’s a fantastic time to break that glass ceiling and see more females in male-dominated areas.” – Eloise Sheridan Women are not better than men, this is an unequivocal fact, and it is true that men can do some things better than women. But an inclusive culture will […]
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I work at a high school and I was assigned a duty to watch an area during the two-day athletics carnival. The first thing I noticed as I stood thinking of all the very important things on my desk that I should be doing, was their behavior. The standard of […]
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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 for the guests. Sporting events have shaped the public’s perception of the COVID-19 pandemic. We […]
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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 baseball by swinging at a 3-0 pitch that resulted in a home run, and the […]
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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 each other, is that part of the show? Is it a concerted effort to distract […]
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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. The IOC policy specifies conditions under which those who transition from male to female can […]
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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 for the government to allow sports participation. Once the government gave permission for practices and […]
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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 that makes room for everyone. Andy Brennan, who came out in May 2019 as Australia’s […]
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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 fellow AFL dynamo, Giants Toby Greene, who managed to narrowly avoid suspension but will have […]
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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 decision for her to make as it has negated all the investment she has made […]
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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 and players committed to gaining possession, there must inherently be a certain amount of contact. […]
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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 get a certain amount of money for an item and the person behind the counter […]
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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, however, have got it right and have drawn praise for it. Olympic and Commonwealth Games […]
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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 10yrs who cannot understand that the same principle of dropping of swimmer X at their […]
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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, injuries are piling up at a record clip this year so far in the Major […]
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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 access to opportunity as the others. Chief among these are the children of families from […]
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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 and well-being of young athletes in and around sports Eliminating abuse in all its forms […]
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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 entrenched negative behaviors. Groves, a two-time Olympic silver medalist announced via Instagram on June 9 […]
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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 their trustworthiness were also the ones who started off the coach and athlete relationship by […]
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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 a rematch with the same man he fought in December, 2020, Brandon Moreno. Their last […]
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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 the field as his teammates protectively encircled him to protect his privacy during his moment […]
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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 Coubertin will be smiling down on aquatics after hearing that the world’s best swimmers are […]
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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 guessing neither did you. You can buy a tub of the stuff on Amazon for […]
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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 heroin overdose. One of the songs that came from the band’s solo album was called […]
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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 Nathan Buckley as Head Coach. Heated boardroom arguments and a less than sterling performance from […]
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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 in coaching I previously did not have the time for, I was ready to start […]
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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. Championships last Sunday. And the big show is yet to come. However, what Biles is […]
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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, he jokingly said caves, but quickly retorted with “this is just a game, there are […]
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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 was allegedly attacked on a street in Auckland, New Zealand by four men and later died […]
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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 and their awareness of a healthful culture is priceless. Stacey Hockin, health and human development […]
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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 May 20, 2021, in describing five mistakes coaches would make this summer, right here in […]
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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 an athlete does not have an opportunity to try new things, or take risks, how […]
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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 their people on a performance level as well as on a personal level. Coaching in […]
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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 racism in the UK is still alive and kicking. The first, and most concerning, was […]
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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 core values. At least when it concerns incidents of sexual or domestic violence. Values are […]
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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, and I was looking at colleges to attend after graduation. My plan had been to […]
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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 culture which he believed needed to be more professional. “He’s part of the leadership group […]
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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 world of sport is a fast-paced one, training, traveling, competing, when the natural world interrupts […]
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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 sports. Once again, Osaka has brought attention to an important issue and started a public […]
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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 and half of the NBA playoffs have seen a number of fans banned from NBA […]
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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 outlandish as it sounds when you consider the eagerly anticipated news of the latest scandal. […]
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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 the grey area, or worse into illegal territory. It is an interesting topic to think […]
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“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.” – Andrew Voss (Fox League commentator) Strife-ridden NRL Canterbury Bulldogs forward, Jack Hetherington, freshly back […]
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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 intense stressors during the recognized peak age of mental ill-health, there is an absence of […]
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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 Craig Everson officially withdrew five sexual assault charges against the NRL forward Jack de Belin […]
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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 League champions. On both occasions glimpses of what might be called a cultural nirvana appeared […]
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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 how to play nicely with them. They didn’t go away, but they are no longer […]
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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 not always within the same category. For example, the recent incident where a fan dumped […]
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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 meet their end in hell. This public declaration saw his contract torn up and his […]
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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 who has time to think about these things when your day is already a complex […]
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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 PGA Championship on a thrilling Sunday afternoon. He looked cool doing it, too, wearing state […]
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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. Liz Cambage of the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces was referred to as 300 lbs by […]
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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 for parents. As tough as it is to be a coach, being a parent is […]
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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 behavior from coaches when I was an athlete and as an assistant coach. Sure, my […]
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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 Movement and its stakeholders to entrench gender-equal portrayal practices in all forms of communication.” “The […]
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“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? Hundreds of hopefuls all feel that they’ve earned it, they can’t all be selected. Perhaps […]
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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 combat in order to stay alive and maintain his immortality. Because of the rule about […]
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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 read on the subject tend to refer to two types of motivation, extrinsic and intrinsic. […]
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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 more like bees. Each bee only makes a small amount of honey in its lifetime. […]
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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 is said to have broken out in which up to 20 people were involved. The […]
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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 ever coached been down by what seemed like an insurmountable amount? In every single case […]
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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 cause a rift within a team’s culture. Trust is not a given, nor should it […]
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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 been a sign of things to come. In Huntsville, Texas, Sam Houston State University is […]
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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 tenure on the team more so as a mentor than a player. The Heat organization […]
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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 some far-off dystopian future and its global – we’re all in it together. The success […]
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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 us, it was identified that she was not stuck in her coaching journey, but she […]
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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 Coach,” this week, we want to speak directly to coaches. Hopefully, athletes and parents will […]
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“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 people, and surprisingly in our seemingly enlightened times, it’s still very much an issue. I’m […]
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