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By: Chris Hartley - Seattle, Washington I opened an email this morning from an organization that sends along coaching tips and strategies for getting athletes to perform at their best. The message was about getting athletes to be aggressively competitive during games. It is a good topic; unfortunately, the chosen metaphor implied that athletes should think of themselves as biting, attacking animals. I immediately replied to the sender and shared that I was disappointed with the metaphor. I just don't believe that we should be using metaphors focused on violence to inspire our athletes to give their best effort. As a high school and collegiate athlete who participated in two contact sports - football and lacrosse - I have heard my share of violent messages. Playing in a game has been likened to going to war. I have seen gestures from teammates and opponents indicating that throats should be slit. I listened to loud cheers when a big hit leaves a player injured. None of these are examples of sportsmanship, integrity, or education-based athletics. War is ugly, awful, and focuses on ending human life. Implying that one wants to physically hurt someone or cheering for a collision that causes an injury are parts of the game that must disappear. How can we make this happen? It happens when coaches and athletic departments make good choices about the messages used and uphold the highest standards of sportsmanship. Athletics is about competing, and I believe in preparing athletes to compete at the highest level. That highest level includes a mindset of beating one's opponent. There is value in teaching our athletes how to gain control of a competition and ensure victory. What we don't want is for our athletes to feel like they want to hurt someone or need to hate someone to win. I recently retweeted a video clip from the 2019 US Open. Naomi Osaka had just defeated Coco Gauff – each of those athletes wanted to win the match. No one can question their competitive spirit or their desire to win; at that level, athletes have proven that they know how to compete. And, I can guarantee you that neither athlete was thinking about harming her opponent (even metaphorically). Why? Because of what happened after the match. In the post-match interview, the two players connected and showed their admiration for each other. My tweet read, "What a great moment! This is what athletics is supposed to be about: we compete hard AND when it is over, we show respect, care, and compassion. Naomi Osaka shows incredible leadership; Coco Gauff shows a growth mindset!" Some of you might believe that this makes sense for tennis, but not for sports with contact. In sports like soccer, basketball, lacrosse, wrestling, or football, athletes are asked to overpower an opponent by using their bodies to push, dominate, or hold a position. Metaphors of violence may seem to make sense. Again, I will argue that we can teach aggression without violence making its way into the messaging. I currently coach our boys varsity lacrosse team. Our metaphor or team motto last year was "All We Need." Mottos from other teams at Lakeside have been "All 48" and "The Climb." Those mottos are explained and discussed at the beginning of the season and then weave themselves into the daily life of the team. "All We Need" inspired us to push forward through adversity and to stand tall when faced with daunting challenges. It gave us the desire to chip away at a big deficit going into the second half. It kept us pushing forward when one of our top players suffered a season-ending injury. We looked within ourselves, held ourselves accountable to each other, and knew that any outcome was the result of the effort we put in every day. None of the mottos from our teams relied on violence to spark inspired play. "All 48" focused on giving one's best effort every minute of practice, every minute in the weight room, every minute in the classroom, and every minute of every game. "The Climb" focused athletes on the challenge of climbing a mountain. Connections were drawn to the preparation mountain climbers must do; the teamwork needed to ensure success; and, how to shift plans when unexpected challenges are faced. These mottos build mindsets in athletes that achieve the exact same intended outcomes as the violent ones do. But violent metaphors do not serve athletes well out of the arena of competition. The benefit of the non-violent ones is that they serve our students well beyond the realm of sports. They help to create successful, compassionate humans – ones who make the world a better place to live. When coaches are intentional in their planning and commit to focusing on season-long messaging aimed at getting the best from their teams, their athletes will know exactly what it means to compete to the very last whistle or play or point. We want to teach our athletes how to compete at the highest level and with respect for their opponents. We don't want our athletes to see opponents as people who should be hurt and hated. There is enough of that in the world, and athletics is meant to bring communities together. |
Let’s Not Use Violent Messaging to Inspire Our Athletes [NIAAA]
