Written by 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 that, but what makes different sports team cultures thrive over others?
A team’s culture is crucial for their success. We see this spread out among all of the top sports organizations in the U.S., but how do these businesses set up an environment where the players can reach their maximum potential?
A prime example of a good sports culture were the Philadelphia Seventy-Sixers a couple of years ago. You might’ve heard the term, “Trust The Process,” a saying the fans, players, and owners of the team started rolling with. This quote isn’t just three simple words, it is an atmosphere of the society the fans, players, and owners live in. It’s a way of supporting the culture, through physical and mental/emotional means.
Now if you have been keeping up in the NBA, you realize that the Seventy-Sixers were in a pretty tough spot. Despite making the NBA Playoffs, the 76’ers were in a terrible position in their sports culture. What happened? What happened to “The Process”?
The Philadelphia 76’ers saw their decline first with Ben Simmons. He started skipping practice, and actually had a day where his coach told him that maybe he should just go home, and he did. Ben Simmons drove home from practice that day, and ever since then the Philadelphia organization has been in the limelight. Fans started getting mad at Ben Simmons because he wasn’t fulfilling his duty, Ben Simmons expressed his anger and frustration in the org and how they weren’t trying to make any changes, and the org got mad at him for not showing up to his job. The three environments surrounding the sports culture, fans, players, and managers, all seemed to crumble within a matter of days. Philly then started making executive decisions and split up their dynamic duo, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.
The 76’ers had it in their hands, and then lost it all because they chose not to make reparations. Players wanted more just based on previous seasons still falling short, but the org and the players clearly were in disagreement. The org started coming from a business standpoint, and started treating the players like trade pieces. This shift from sociocultural to business is what truly killed the sports team culture, for now at least.
At the same time, a business is a business at the end of the day, and the owners get to do what they want. On the flip side, you want your business to thrive, and you have to take in to account how the players and fanbase affect your team, and more importantly your revenue.