...A Hard Pass...

 The Los Angeles Rams just won the Super Bowl in the final minute of the game. Look no deeper than that, and it is a great accomplishment for a program and a team who haven't won a Super Bowl in 22 years.

But INC. magazine's Justin Bariso did dig a little deeper into the success of the Rams, writing a piece titled, "The Los Angeles Rams Used a Simple Rule of Psychology to Win the Super Bowl."

Positive psychology.

Not that being positive is that grandiose a revelation, but in the NFL where negativity, abusive behaviors and punishments are the norm, the Rams joined those teams who have seen the light and are using the powers of the human brain to get the best out of their athletes.

Rams offensive tackle, Andrew Whitworth, a 40 year old veteran, said of Coach Sean McVay's coaching style, "We don't have coaches out there screaming at people. That's not allowed on our field. It's about having energy and positivity and belief that no matter what happens on one snap, the next snap's the next best one you can have." 

Wait a minute. All those sports movies where Coaches are yelling and screaming and breaking down their athletes all season to get the big game, and then they give them the rousing speech in the locker room that propels the comeback win against all odds, isn't this how it's supposed to be?

Excuse my language, but hardass is a hard pass.

You need look no further than downtown Phoenix where at the time of this blog, the Phoenix Suns are rocking the best record in the NBA coming off a Finals appearance last season and one of the prohibitive favorites this season.

Coach Monty Williams has put in place a culture of respect, integrity and fun. You don't see Williams yelling at this players on the sidelines, he doesn't have to. He has put them in positions of success, communicated their roles and given a team that prior to his hiring in 2019, hadn't made the playoffs in a decade. The team has bought into his coaching style and culture that even on the days they get off during the season, they still come to the gym to see their teammates and put extra work in.

Williams holds his team to high standards but also said in a 2021 interview, “I hope that when our players are around our staff, and in particular me, they know I’m here to serve them in any way that I can,” he said. “I want to help guys get better. I want to help them get paid. I want to help them win games, but I want to do it in a way that allows for them to think, ‘That guy cares about me. He cares about my family. He cares about me as a person.'"

These are young, professional men being paid a lot of money to play football, baseball, basketball, soccer, hockey, etc. Some coaches have figured out that the human brain shrinks from negativity, corralling other bodily resources and rarely getting the best out of an athlete.

Fear works for a while. Players are afraid of punishment, to get screamed at, to be embarrassed in front of their peers. Coaches too!

In a 2012 paper titled, "Handshakes, BBQs, and bullets'; self -interest, shame and regret in football coaching," author Paul Potrac detailed his time coaching an elite soccer program. In it, he talks about coaches "looking out for themselves," how "coaches come and go," how coaches need to "watch their back," and "seize any opportunity." When Potrac realized the human toll on his character, he left the profession.

Go to a youth sporting event and count the number of teams, courts, fields with coaches raising their voices at children: berating and embarrassing them. At times, you will see a coach get angry and call a time out just so they can punish their players IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MATCH with running lines or pushups.

Seemingly, this coach feels embarrassed and their reflex is to embarrass those who they think embarrassed them.

As that coach, it may work for a while. But eventually players will tire of these theatrical and baseless punishments and leave that coach, that club or sadly, perhaps the sport.

Are you that coach? Not sure?

If you have an assistant coach, have them pull out their phone and record your voice during a match. Is it positive or laced with things NOT to do, insults and volume?

If you don't have an assistant coach, ask a Parent to film you during a match. Is your body language positive? Are you bringing more anxiety to your team with your antics or are you a calming presence for them?

None of this is easy. Hollywood has taught us that being a hardass = success. Early professional coaches in every sport league were part of this blueprint. It's all we knew at the time.

But now that the wiring of our brains is under academic eyes, we see now that this isn't the best way to teach, to learn or to inspire. Those coaches are not only becoming extinct because they refuse to adapt, but the videos, lawsuits and complaints pile up upon their terminations. It can be an ugly send off.

Coach, teach responsibly and with your athletes' learning at the forefront of what you do and how you do it. No one likes to be embarrassed, yelled or screamed at, insulted or berated.

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