Nine seasons, three Super Bowls, three rings. Rob Gronkowski was an exhilarating player and a lively character on the field, bringing pride to all Patriots fans. He wants to show how once a Patriot, always a Patriot. Gronk signed a one-day contract with the Patriots on November 12, 2025. He […]
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Crowds. Tailgates. Never-ending amounts of people waiting behind stadium doors. Ready for a day of chants, screams, scoffs, grunts, and tears (sadness or joy). College sports contain everlasting emotions, generational pride, a drive to win, and a hunger not to lose. These sports never fail to unleash the competitive spirit […]
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The question of how legal sports betting has changed, and will continue to change, the culture of sports is a complicated one. The wide array of platforms and products certainly increases opportunity and decreases risk for bad actors to influence athletes or impermissibly utilize inside information. On the other hand, […]
Read MoreFC Barcelona’s 2024/2025 season, the first under Hansi Flick’s coaching, is undoubtedly a symbol for the impact great coaching can have on a struggling team. The beginning of the 2024/2025 season was marked with great uncertainty from a once-dominant team. Specifically, several players who were expected to leave at the […]
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Let’s talk leadership. When you think of the leaders in your life, who comes to mind? What attributes do they have? Do you count on them? Will you take their advice? Can you trust them with your success? Why do you want them to lead you? Every sports team is […]
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Co-hosts Dr. Jeremy Piasecki and Sydney Moore discuss about the new challenges athletes must face on the Culture in Sports Podcast.
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In the present, it’s largely accepted that sports serve the masses for entertainment purposes, whether it be going to a game or watching it with friends and family on the television. However, there is one thing in common, that is it always seems to attract groups of people who share […]
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When we see a successful team, we recognize the players for their extraordinary talent and capabilities. However, the reason they get there is incredible coaching. A study by The Harris Public Policy believes that the coaches are responsible for 20-30% of the team’s outcome. This proves how coaches are a […]
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Visualize your favorite sports moment: the most significant shot, fastest turn, wildest catch, longest putt, walk-off homerun. I would guess that greats like Lebron James, Katie Ledecky, Lindsey Vonn, and Michael Phelps would make up just a few of these iconic moments. All are the greatest in their respective sports, […]
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Sports are a game of wins and losses, failures and success, talent and effort. It’s indisputable that the mere thought of sports wouldn’t exist without athletes. Athletes bring a unique set of skills designed to play a role in creating individual or team success. But what makes one athlete better […]
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Participation in any form of exercise comes with a risk of injury. Factors that contribute to the risk of injury include what type of exercise one might participate in. Examples include, playing sports, going to the gym, and excessive running without proper recovery. Injuries are something that athletes never wish […]
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As a current (time of writing this article) high school athlete, the high school sports experiences is has lots to offer to any athlete. Teens at the end of their 4 years will take away with them invaluable life lessons, lifelong friendships, and the will to compete. It holds a […]
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Sports is widely agreed upon as being an essential component of a student’s exercise program. However, many students display fear and avoid any physical activity in particular sports. From this point, coaches may draw upon positive psychology to indicate positive principles and instructions, helping players understand what is good and […]
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Many athletes have experienced what it’s like to leave the court or field and prepare themselves mentally only to have coaches criticize them for a subpar performance. Players just need some time to think things through since they’ve heard enough. On the flip side, coaches feel compelled to speak frankly […]
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This brief prologue explains a bit about who I am as host and creator of Season 1 of Hearsay from the Sidelines. You can learn more about me as a professional via my Seton Hall Law faculty profile. My interest in creating a podcast focused on the issue of transgender […]
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Listen to our new show: “Hearsay From the Sidelines”, a place where law, sports and culture intersect and is brought to you by Culture in Sports and Seton Hall Law School’s Gaming, Hospitality, Entertainment and Sports Law program.”
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Coaches do make mistakes. Are these “mistakes” intentional or actual mistakes that a human being can make? Are coaches and other sports leaders willing to self reflect, identify toxic and abusive behavior, and take corrective action? Or will they double down on their behavior at the expense of others? We, […]
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The last few articles I’ve written here have been primarily focused on different Mental Skills and helping athletes reach their full potential and become the best athletes and people they can be. But we also understand that sports aren’t always sunshine and rainbows. Competitive sports can bring us some down […]
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If I were to ask, “who won, the men’s 400-meter dash at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics?” It would most likely illicit a puzzled look, especially if you aren’t a Track & Field aficionado. Asking who finished second and third probably would be even more difficult to recall even for an […]
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When I say the word ‘Leader’, we all probably think of someone different. Some of us may see a former coach, a player on our team, or someone entirely unrelated to sports. Leaders are everywhere, in every field, but sports is where my mind goes to first when thinking of […]
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The shocking results of the NBA’s external investigation of Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver, and his actions and the workplace culture of his franchise were revealed last week, and Sarver was suspended for a year and fined $10 million dollars by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, with Silver stating it was […]
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Back in the Summer of 2021, a time no one really remembers because time in this pandemic has truly been a flat circle, without much context within it, only recollections from before and some sense of the now as things seemingly have progressed, I wrote a series of articles on […]
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I’ll be the first person to admit that I struggle to focus pretty often. I have a real ‘wanderer’ of a mind and that can make things difficult for me. Whether it’s trying to get myself to sit down and finish writing this article or getting myself to actually pay […]
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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell boldly declared back in 2010 that the league, which had earned a bit more than $8 billion in annual revenue the prior year, would generate $25 billion annually by 2027. The league seems on pace to hit that goal, even after Covid slowed growth a tiny […]
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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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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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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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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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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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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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This episode provides a glimpse into the world of soccer with Samantha Johnson. She discusses how she sought mentorship at different points in her life. We’ll also hear how important team bonding is and so much more.
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This episode provides a glimpse into the world of soccer with Samantha Johnson. She discusses how she sought mentorship at different points in her life. We’ll also hear how important team bonding is, and so much more.
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In this episode with Jacoby and Jaylen Jackson we get to listen to experiences with having a parent heavily involved in your sport. Jay speaks on having his dad on and off the court practicing, and learning the fundamentals of leadership.
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In this episode with jacoby and jaylen jackson we get to listen to experiences with having a parent heavily involved in your sport. Jay speaks on having his dad on and off the court practicing, and learning the fundamentals of leadership.
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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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On this episode we discuss with Lori Okimura how important the behind the scenes support is for all athletes. From the Olympics volunteering, to breaking down the importance of behind the scenes and what that entails, and helping athletes understand the transition into the workforce.
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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 is a two part episode, this second part with Kyle Thomas, discussing the importance of mentors throughout his sports career. The values and standards they taught him are helping him become the best version of himself for his career.
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This is a two part episode, this second part with Kyle Thomas, discussing the importance of mentors throughout his sports career. The values and standards they taught him are helping him become the best version of himself for his career.
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This is a two part episode, this first part with Saber Youman, discussing how leadership and mentorship in sports can play a role in your life and career. The values, discipline and guidance can help mold you in to the type of leader you want to be in your everyday […]
Read More 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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This is a two part episode, this first part with Saber Youman, discussing how leadership and mentorship in sports can play a role in your life and career. The values, discipline and guidance can help mold you into the type of leader you want to be in your everyday life.
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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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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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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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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’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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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 […]
Read More 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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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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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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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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In Australia on Boxing Day, there are two main sporting events that stir the nation’s interest, these are the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, and the Boxing Day Cricket Test. My English friends like to give me a hard time over the cricket, and there is a long-standing friendly rivalry […]
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I recently wrote an article about When Coaches Are Unwilling to Adapt or Change. In that article I discussed that “Coaching strategies that may have worked at one level may not work at another” and used the recent example of Urban Meyer and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Since then, much has […]
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The Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) ended up having a perfect season in 2020, winning all 10 of their regular-season games as well as two playoff games, including the final. It was just a sensational performance in a season held behind closed doors due to […]
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In the latest Culture in Sports podcast, Mike and Wes discuss all things sporting ethics with Bioethics expert and author Art Caplan. Having suffered from Polio as a young person, Art became interested in the field of medical science and physiotherapy before his sporting experiences had developed. As a young […]
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As the NFL season winds down, its league-wide social responsibility initiative “Inspire Change” will be on display in stadiums around the country. Yet it’s easy to imagine a familiar scene on Super Bowl Sunday, a day described former commissioner Paul Tagliabue as “Winter’s Fourth of July.” As confetti swirls around […]
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We discuss the importance of youth sports, surgeries, covid, vaccinations, and more with Art Caplan
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Over time, there have been many athletes that could not adapt to higher level competition for a variety of mental, physical, or emotional reasons. Sometimes athletes choose to pursue other directions in their lives or cannot compete at the higher level. There are so many reasons why athletes cannot make […]
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The Culture in Sports podcast recently had Sam Marchiano on as a guest. Sam Marchiano is an award-winning content creator, equality advocate, adjunct assistant professor at NYU’s Tisch Institute of Global Sport, and is recognized for the crucial role allyship played in facing gender issues as female sports reporter. She […]
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There are a lot of problems in the world today. We are wrapping up the second year of a global pandemic with no apparent end in sight due to a new variant named after a Greek letter no one has heard of and can’t pronounce. Gas prices are out of […]
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Penn State’s first Director of Ethics and Compliance, Chief Ethics Compliance Officer, former FBI Special Agent, and long-standing member of the Board of Directors for the US Center for Safe Sport, Regis Becker joins Wes and Mike this week in the latest Culture in Sports podcast to discuss ethical aspects […]
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We get to take a brief glimpse into Regis Becker’s life from how his life outside of sports helped play a role with what brought him back into helping create a better culture in the sports world.
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Sports Culture isn’t always demonstrated in the flesh; occasionally, there are traditions that exemplify how sports can bring people together otherwise … for example … a game of Madden Football every Thanksgiving Morning for 16 years in a row. (This article is about my brother and I, and to be […]
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As a coach, team organizer, or administrative representative you are constantly looking for ways to improve, be more efficient, and spend less time and energy on things you don’t have to. In this mindset you are really only looking out for the bad, the inefficient. We tend to do this […]
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We get to take a brief glimpse into Regis Becker’s life from how his life outside of sports helped play a role with what brought him back into helping create a better culture in the sports world.
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What is Sports Culture? Well, as my good friend, Coach of 33 years, and accomplished distance runner Bob Costello puts it, “When you really start to understand it, you understand that it’s about the team, not just you.” Bob embodies that mentality to every extent, and after what he and […]
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In the latest Culture in Sports podcast Mike and Wes interview Sports Attorney, Penn State Law Professor, Athletic Integrity Officer, and President of Culture in Sports Bob Boland. Bob discusses his views of the establishment of his broader sporting relationships and the guidance of athletes. The cultural connection established and […]
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Carlos Correa is in the news a lot these days. He had an excellent year for the Astros, leading them to the American League pennant. He won the Gold Glove award as the best defensive American League shortstop and the Platinum Glove as the best overall defender in the American […]
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The latest podcast from Culture in Sports features Californian coach, mentor, and elite athlete Ali Williams. Ali discusses her views on toxic culture within her sport of synchronized swimming, now known as artistic swimming, with Wes Livingston and Mike Scaramella. The problems within the culture began to become apparent to […]
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Sports Culture is often unique as you move from sport to sport. I know, this is news to everybody. (Sarcasm) But sometimes you come across certain individuals that express Sport Culture so uniquely that it makes you take a step back and rethink it yourself, for me that person is […]
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I recently had the pleasure of listening to a podcast for Culture in Sports. Jeremy Piasecki discusses with Wes and Mike the origins of the organization and the influences that shaped his perceptions on sport and culture as a whole. The interview resonated with me and dovetailed well with my […]
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