Written by I recently conducted an interview for research about organizational culture. I interviewed a professional athlete that has played at the highest levels, and even attended the Olympics. He unfortunately had to retire from his profession due to the extremely toxic culture he was enduring. I was extremely saddened to hear his story. I have used a pseudonym for him in this story, so he is not identified and further retaliated against.
Ed played continuously since he was drafted out of college for the same team, except for the first year when he was traded. Ed’s professional sports career was with an organization that he considered to care for the players, coaches, and staff in the organization. With some front office changes, the culture of the team ultimately changed from positive, to neutral, to extremely negative. Ed tried to remain as positive as possible during his entire career, especially during his last years with the toxic organization.
Ed’s coaches would bully and abuse him and others, target them specifically to get a good laugh, and would look out for themselves at the expense of the athletes, other coaches, or support staff. At first, Ed and other players thought that the treatment would be temporary but since nobody stood up to say anything, the treatment became worse. Once players, coaches, and support staff started complaining about the treatment, the toxic coaches would double down on their efforts, retaliate against and isolate the athletes, and would make the environment worse for them: Mentally, physically, and emotionally. The team was actually extremely successful for a little over one season and the media and fans thought it was because of the no nonsense style of the front office and coaches.
Most of the players requested to be traded and the team granted their requests. Some retired early or just suffered in silence. Ed and two other players were never granted the trade requests as they were the cornerstone of the team. New players that were being drafted or traded into the organization chose to become toxic followers out of fear of being treated the same way that Ed and the other players were. The entire team was fearful of what these coaches and the front office would do to them if they spoke up. The coaches would even have secretive meeting with other members of the team and would purposely not tell Ed and others, just to later hold them accountable for missing a team meeting or practice. Ed and some of his teammates were even made scapegoats for losses while favored players who made big mistakes or were not trying during a losing season were praised.
Ed eventually retired when his contract expired, even though there were many teams that offered him opportunities to continue in his career. Ed had to get away from the team for his own health and sanity. Ed was diagnosed with a panic disorder from the toxic culture, he went from being a happy person to hating life, there were significant changes in physical health, which he still deals with today, and ultimately began to hate the sport that he loved his entire life. But the front office and coaches did not stop hurting him after his retirement, they would say negative things about Ed to prospective employers, reporters, and even to stop endorsement deals.
This story about Ed and his teammates was incredibly sad, in fact it was heartbreaking. Nobody deserves to be treated this way. Even if an athlete, coach, or staff member is disliked or not performing at the expected level, they should at least be shown dignity and respect even if they are being shown the door. Unfortunately, this is not the first story to come out of a professional sports organization and will not be the last.
The actions and behavior of the front office staff and coaches can positively or negatively impact the short and long term wellbeing of athletes, coaches, and support staff. Do you want to be someone who is always positively influencing those around you or one that maliciously hurts and bullies others?