This spring, 129 college basketball teams – 65 men’s teams and 64
women’s teams – vie for the National Championship in a tournament we’ve
come to love as March Madness®. Like you, the team here at Responsible
Sports is excited for “bracketology,” fight songs, painted faces, and
Cinderella team stories.
But we also take a keen interest in the Tournament as a spotlight for
how schools handle the challenges of wins and losses. As spectators and
fans, we get a glimpse of each organization’s true culture. Last year,
we learned about the personal values and team culture of the University
of North Carolina, as Head Coach Roy Williams attended the National
Championship Game, wearing a Kansas Jayhawks logo on his shirt. While
his Tarheels had been eliminated by the Jayhawks, Williams stuck around
to cheer for his former school – and show respect for the team that had
beaten his team. The decision was a controversial one, but spoke
volumes about Coach Williams’ commitment to the game and to the players
he once coached. The limelight of the Tournament brings the unique
values and cultures of schools, communities, and individuals to the
forefront.
So this month, we explore the idea of “Culture Keepers,” – and how each
of us can play an important part in practicing a Responsible Sports
community.
Many of us start out in organizations with a set of rules or a code of
conduct. They form the basis of our organizational value system. But
when we as members of the organization – whether we’re a coach, a
parent, a player, a community supporter, or an administrator – begin to
look for ways to enrich those formal codes with more informal “values
demonstrations,” we begin to foster culture. Simply said, it becomes
the unwritten, “This is how we do it here” kind of feeling and
mentality.
At Responsible Sports, we tend to think culture is best developed and
maintained not through telling, but by doing. By demonstrating the
principles and values in action. And by taking those steps ourselves,
we create an environment where others can follow. When one parent walks
across the bleachers to congratulate a parent of the opponent, it
speaks volumes about the culture of the team. That shows individual
leadership and a personal commitment to the culture of honoring the
game, including Opponents. (Remember, “Honoring The Game” is about
ROOTS – Positive Coaching Alliance’s clever acronym to remember the
core elements of honoring the game: Rules, Officials, Opponents,
Teammates and Self.
Learn more about ROOTS.)
- Consider the traditions of the University of Notre Dame
football, where players salute the student body after the game by
raising the helmets to the Student Section in the end zone.
- Watch
during college basketball games as college coaches like Mike Krzyzewski
from Duke University go out of their way to praise a job well done to
opposing players.
- Players of NFL teams meet at mid-field to recognize a hard fought battle.
- Or
the players on Central Washington’s softball team who carried an
opposing player around the base path after she hit her first home run
but suffered a severe knee injury when rounding first that made her
unable to run.
But culture is kept not just on the fields, but in the stands as
well... cheering for a great play made by an opponent for example. Lead
a targeted cheering effort in the stands one weekend. (
Learn more about targeted cheering.)
- Try sticking around – like Roy Williams did – for the
Championship game after your team has been eliminated and cheer on the
team that narrowly beat your team in a hard, well-fought game.
- Cheer for the Coach – he or she needs praise too!
- Give a special reward to a player on your team who might not have scored a goal but was the unsung defensive hero.
- And
if you should be so lucky to earn more than your fundraising goal this
year, consider donating a little to your league to help your opponents
meet their goals. (Let’s face it – we need them there next year!)
We’re not saying it’s easy. Coach Williams received a great deal of
mail and email from UNC fans who felt angry and betrayed by his
willingness to wear an opposing team’s logo. But Coach Williams stayed
true to the principle of honoring his opponents and honoring his former
players who sacrificed and gave him more than 100% of their effort
while he was their coach. To return the favor with his support
demonstrated what kind of sport culture Roy Williams had at Kansas and
what he works hard to maintain and foster at UNC. We only hope this
year’s March Madness® will bring another terrific example of
individuals demonstrating their commitment to the culture of
Responsibility.
Share your thoughts with the Responsible Sports Community!
Respond to this week's Scenario Question or email us at team@responsiblesports.com.
