We spend time talking with Sam Marchiano on the topic of baseball. We learn more about how baseball’s culture can adapt and change. How has it changed, how can it change, and how can we help it adapt to modern day sports culture? Please note that this specific video episode […]
Read More
We spend time talking with Sam Marchiano on the topic of baseball. We learn more about how baseball’s culture can adapt and change. How has it changed, how can it change, and how can we help it adapt to modern day sports culture?
Read More
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 […]
Read More
November 3rd had all the makings of a terrible day for me. The skies were gloomy as a cold front approached. I was hobbling around on a painful knee I had injured the week before. And, worst of all, I woke up to awful memories of the night before. The […]
Read More
Do you want to watch the video version of our podcast? Here it is! Spend time getting to know what positive culture in sports is. How it’s created from coaches, admin, athletes and more. Jeremy Piasecki will dive into his role in how he created a positive culture.
Read More
Spend time getting to know what positive culture in sports is. How it’s created from coaches, admin, athletes and more. Jeremy Piasecki will dive into his role in how he created a positive culture.
Read More
At this point, SMART goals are everywhere. SPECIFIC, MEASURABLE, etc. It was originally designed to help individuals and groups focus on processes. The challenge – it doesn’t because we have lost perspective on what actually needs to be developed: The Skill. Goal-setting can be a fantastic structural tool when pointed […]
Read More
This past weekend, Kevin Durant was ejected from a game for shoving an opposing player three times, the last time elbowing and shoving him in the neck. This came a game after where the Brooklyn Nets player should have been ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct, where he was later fined by […]
Read More
To many people, culture means different things. For a lucky few athletes, we experience multiple sport cultures. Irwin Brambley, a beloved friend of mine and a decorated All-American wrestler, is one of those athletes. I was fortunate enough to get a brief interview with him. “What is sportsmanship? we learn […]
Read More
Recently, I read an article from the Harvard Business Review on why disagreements were so vital for a thriving culture. It really made me stop and think about my experience working with teams. At what point do we actually ever discuss disagreeing in a positive manner? I’ve seen plenty of […]
Read More
Two off-the-field stories have dominated the headlines in the NFL this week. Both involve grossly inappropriate conduct by head coaches, although neither is surprising except that we heard about them. The “clubby culture” in the NFL may be beginning to break down. Finally. First, a short cell phone video of […]
Read More
When one thinks of Culture In Sports, Track & Field (specifically the Pole Vault) embodies the mentality that any athlete should aspire to be a leader and to work hard. When I was eleven years old, I made the decision to be a diverse athlete. Well, that did not work; […]
Read More
Athletes, regardless of age and level, are not always mentally prepared or focused for practice or competition. This lack of focus can lead to poor technique, not giving 100 percent, having a bad practice, teammates’ or a coach’s frustration, and even injury. Sometimes something is not going well at home […]
Read More
The Culture Shift in Major League Baseball If you’ve watched much Major League Baseball at all over the past few years, you’ve probably noticed a pretty big shift in the culture of the game. Not only has the game itself changed (guys are throwing harder, hitting more home runs, and […]
Read More
Last week the women of USA Gymnastics testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee about their stores of abuse, assault, and being ignored. One of the highest elements of government heard their stories, and made these women again relive their experience, even though they have done it so many times to […]
Read More
As a coach, athletic director, trainer, general manager, or a host of other positions in an organization that focus on athlete safety, health, and performance, an athlete should be ready for competition. That is what all of the practices are for. That is what coordinating transportation or lodging is for. […]
Read More
This can be a tough pill to swallow, but the reality is this: The people we lead know us better than we know them. Why does this occur? Especially for so many well-meaning leaders out there? Every society on earth has people in power and people who are in more […]
Read More
For people like me, this is a beautiful time of the year. I’m a sports fan, and the overlapping of the end of the baseball season and the beginning of football creates excitement. I’m also a history buff. And I am excited about a PBS documentary that premiers next week […]
Read More
You often hear people say that culture eats strategy for breakfast or lunch. I assume someone thinks it eats it for dinner, too. Everyone seems to be talking about culture these days, or at least they are watching Ted Lasso and learning about the importance of building a strong culture […]
Read More
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 […]
Read More
Have you ever had a coach, teacher, parent, boss or anyone else ever tell you that “we have always done it this way”? After decades or centuries, some things really do not change. Is it because the way something is done is really the best way, or is it because […]
Read More
What has gotten you through the past year? Have you taken up baking sourdough bread or nurturing a small jungle of houseplants? According to psychologist Adam Grant, many of us have been in a state of languishing. We’re not depressed or burned out, but just feeling joyless and aimless. The […]
Read More
The one thing we know for sure is that the vast majority of athletes and sports coaches abhor cheating – they just cannot stand seeing cheats prosper. There are so many great athletes across sports that have been denied the gold medal because of cheating. Cheating destroys dreams and causes […]
Read More
I’ve written in the past about the role athletes can play in promoting positive change in their communities. Their platform offers unparalleled influence, and several serve as community leaders and activists for noble causes. Athletes are blessed with the right amounts of wealth, celebrity, and admiration to exert significant sway. […]
Read More
Yesterday, Culture in Sports participated in our first webinar. It was with Drexel University’s School of Education’s Sport Coaching Leadership Program. It was a great opportunity for us to share what we are currently working on at Culture in Sports. In addition to writing every day about all topics within […]
Read More
Being a coach is not easy. A coach must look out for the safety and well being of the athletes, team, assistant coaches, and support staff. A coach has to provide a safe environment, not only from physical dangers or injuries, but mental and emotional safety as well. In many […]
Read More
The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament is in full swing, and teams are jockeying for this year’s championship trophy. The tournament is both a cultural staple, with millions of Americans filling out brackets each year, and a massive revenue source for the NCAA, top universities, and bettors. In 2019, March Madness […]
Read More
As a leader and coach, I have always gone to bed always thinking about what I could do better for the athletes, team, or the people that I lead. I always try think of ways that I can help others on our team, help shed problems that a member of […]
Read More
How do you feel about athlete abuse? How do you feel about athlete abuse when it’s in your sport? Is it still abuse? How do you feel about athlete abuse when it’s by your friend? Is it out of character? Loyalty to sport and people we know and/or admire is […]
Read More
It is just a game. No, I am not belittling or discounting any of the hard work that athletes, coaches, and staff put into competing. But I am talking about what people do after their team loses. Some coaches will yell at their team, others will blame the officials. Some […]
Read More
The Telegraph Sports Book of the Year 2019 – Sevens Heaven by Ben Ryan – chronicles the ups and downs of a coach who moved his life to the other side of the world to coach some of the most gifted athletes, the Fiji Men’s 7’s team. Without doubt some […]
Read More
The influence of top athletes; their ability to amplify important debate allows advocacy on a global level. Sport is unique in that it can bring together people of different cultural backgrounds; different nationalities; different religions to become global citizens. Imagine having such a platform on which to stage a campaign […]
Read More
In just a few short weeks, on April 15th, Major League Baseball will celebrate the 74th anniversary of Jack Roosevelt Robinson’s debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers. The man, better known as Jackie Robinson, was the first African American to play baseball in the Major Leagues when he started at first […]
Read More
Do you remember listening or watching coaches, teachers, or other adults when you were a young child? Do you remember when they would tell you to do something, you just assumed they had the authority, and you then followed their direction? Or maybe someone told you something and it was […]
Read More
Ever since the formation of modern sports in the 19th century, certain sports have been assigned to particular socio-economic groups. Non-contact sports have been associated with the upper classes while the ‘rougher’ sports were relegated to the lower classes who were considered more uncouth and less refined. This situation has […]
Read More
“The surf lifesaving movement … is truly Australian in spirit. Its character savors [sic.] of sun-drenched sand and a free and boisterous surf. In it we see democracy function as it was meant to. There are no barriers of creed, class or colour. All these things are forgotten in the […]
Read More
When we are young our days are explorations of anything new. We do stuff because we think it looks like fun; our older brother/ sister does it; dad/ mum says it would be go for us/ it is on the school curriculum/saw it on YouTube …The reasons for why we […]
Read More
Participation in sports not only helps to develop coordination, physical agility, health, and flexibility, but also to develop friendships, comradery, and the traits necessary for observing fair-play and learning how to lose gracefully. Introducing children to sports is a healthy normal thing to do and we want our children physically […]
Read More
The Houston Rockets had a sad outing against the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday. It was their 11th straight loss (They now have lost 12 straight), where they had the lowest shooting percentage and the fewest made field goals in a game in NBA history, it was the biggest point differential […]
Read More
On Tuesday, February 23rd golf legend Tiger Woods experienced a terrifying car accident. His car tumbled down a hill and he was pulled out of the SUV by the jaws of life. After the accident, he was immediately rushed to the hospital and sent to surgery. Tiger Woods experienced a […]
Read More
In Nebraska, where I grew up, everyone knows about the 1972 Nebraska-Oklahoma game. It is known as the “Game of the Century.” Lyle Bremser’s call of the classic Johnny Rodgers punt return is legendary. Still today, it is considered the best game in the history of college football. Unfortunately, it […]
Read More
There are so many great ideas on how to influence positive change in an organization that are spoken about in academia, leadership circles, and in the news. Everyone has an idea. Everyone is an expert. Everyone wants to give you their idea, but at a cost. The cost normally starts […]
Read More
In trying to define the focus of Culture in Sports, and what we should be writing about on this site, the Led Zeppelin song title, What Is and What Should Never Be, comes to mind. Making a Led Zeppelin reference threatens to reveal both my age, (decidedly, middle) and my […]
Read MoreDid you ever have a coach tell you that she believed in you? If you did, that coach may have been onto something. That same coach probably told you that he was proud of you or maybe even said that she loved your effort or hard work. When you reflect […]
Read More
We have a chance here to demonstrate that while winning and losing have value, they are as Rudyard Kipling- talk about a complicated potentially toxic legacy-correctly observed, two imposters to be treated the same. Victory is a neutral, not definitively a positive concept.
Read More
Coaches and trainers need to do the right thing and stop holding practices. If coaches still choose to hold practices, then maybe article could be used to persuade them. An athlete’s mental, physical, and emotional health and safety should never be compromised for training or competition.
Thank you Dr Jon Rudd and Christian Klaue for your contributions to this article.
Read More
Sometimes telling someone thank you or good job can change the way they perform for your organization.
Read More
I watched a local high school soccer game in Orange County, CA last week and saw some pretty disturbing things. One of the coaches was laying on his side and was on the phone during the entire game. Another coach was sitting on a bag of balls and was occasionally on his […]
Read More