Scott Brewer on Team Culture

During our recent Nations of Coaches Character Coach training in Dallas, Texas, Scott Brewer - Character Coach for Baylor Men's Basketball, shared some thoughts about culture in college basketball. That word gets thrown about as a buzzword, but often without clear definition or understanding.

Some of Scott's comments included, "You have to examine your own, personal culture before you can pretend to have much of an effect upon the team's culture." One must know what he values, and to what he is most committed.

Scott said, "You have to constantly cultivate culture or it will die. It is a living, organic thing." A team's culture will not be embraced or acted upon if it's simply words written on the locker room wall or emblazoned on the team's practice jerseys. Culture must be cultivated like the most valuable plant in one's garden, otherwise it will not produce its intended fruit.

Scott also challenged us with this thought. "Celebrate your culture when you see it happen. Celebrate it specifically." When you catch people embodying your culture's values, call it out in specific terms, and celebrate its demonstration. For example, if a team's culture includes selflessness, recognize when it's demonstrated, take time to comment on it, and be sure everyone sees it. "Sam just took another charge! Attaboy, Sam. That selfless play gets us another possession." "Joe dove onto the floor to gather 3 loose balls tonight. That selflessness was a big factor in tonight's win!"

The Real Heroes of Business

Last weekend, during the Nations of Coaches Character Coach training in Dallas, Texas, one of our trainees, John Corley of Louisiana Tech University Men's Basketball shared a set of questions he has used in business settings that Character Coaches can modify to engage coaches and players in trust-building conversations.

The list of questions and the title of the book from which they come are below. I hope, even a few, can be of value to you and your ministry.

The Real Heroes of Business by Fromm and Schlesinger

Interview Questions:
1) Tell me about your 1st job. Or, for salespeople, “Tell me about the 1st thing you ever sold!”
2) What did you learn about work and about customers from that 1 st experience?
3) Who has had the greatest influence on your adult personality and/or attitude about work?
Explain how this influence affected you.
4) Why are you applying for this job? Specify the job!
5) How did you get interested in this job? Again, specify the job!
6) Have you ever had any experience as a customer of a business like ours? Describe that
experience!
7) What struck you as important to doing this job well when you were the customer?
8) What do you think businesses like this do well? What do they do poorly?
9) Have you ever had a bad experience as a customer of a business like ours? Describe that
experience!
10) Tell me in some detail about the last job you had—or the one you currently have!
11) What were the customers like in that last job?
12) Have you ever had any customers that became regular clients, or even friends?
13) What was your goal as an employee in your last job?
14) If you could have changed or improved anything about that last job (or the one you have now)
or the way your previous employer went about his work, what would you have changed?
15) Who was the best boss you ever had? What made him/her such a good supervisor?
16) Who was the worst boss you ever had? What made him/her such a poor supervisor?
17) In the case where the person is applying for a job that is very similar to the one they currently
have, don’t hesitate to walk them through the plant, shop, or office on a tour and then ask them
what is different about your operation compared to their prior or current job.
18) When you have a job you really like, what is it about that job that makes you like it so much?
19) What do you get from work that you really enjoy?
20) What do you think you will “get” from working here?
21) What do you think you will “bring” to this job?
22) What do you like to do when you’re not working?
23) What would you like to be doing five years from now?
24) Is there anything else about yourself that I haven’t asked you about that you feel is important
for me to know as I consider whether to hire you?
25) Ask me some questions that you must have about our company or business!

Team Culture Development

During a recent meeting with several of my Nations of Coaches colleagues, Coach Dale Clayton made a tremendous statement about team culture.

Coach Clayton said, "A team's culture is:

• determined by the head coach,
• defended by the assistant coaches,
• demonstrated by the players."

That is remarkably simple and tremendously clear. I quickly wrote it down because lots of coaches and lots of others talk about team culture, but few can define it, and fewer can develop it. Coach Clayton's statement adds verbs to the discussion. Each of the three have well defined roles in the development of the team's culture:

• The culture is defined by the head coach, usually in terms of clearly stated values, in single words or in phrases.
• The culture is defended by the assistant coaches, in terms of affirming those stated values in the way they coach.
• The culture is demonstrated by the players, in terms of how they conduct themselves, on and off the floor.

Let's take some coaching from Coach Dale Clayton as we talk with coaches about developing their team's culture. Let's help them define their values, interpret them into daily practices, and see them demonstrated in their players.

Life Map

During a recent Nations of Coaches Character Coach Connection Zoom meeting, our Character Coach for Auburn University Basketball, Jeremy Napier, shared a resource called a Life Map.

One of the highlights of the Map is the process of having each team member tell their stories. Here's an excerpt from the top of the one-page document.


A Life Map is an autobiography – the story of your life. It is not, however, a comprehensive biography. A Life Map should focus on 6 main areas. The goal is to share meaningful information with your peers.

1) Heritage/History

2) Heroes

3) High Times

4) Hard Times

5) Hand of God

6) Honeys


Few things do more to help develop a team's sense of community better than giving them permission and direction to share their personal experiences with each other. Please consider using this or a similar tool in serving your teams.

Five Questions to Build Trust

This is always an exciting time of the year in college basketball. It's preseason, official practices have just begun, and every team in the nation is undefeated! Everyone is full of anticipation and high expectations. In the midst of this ramp up to the season, we have begun weekly discussions with our coaching staff. We're all reading Patrick Lencioni's The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, and I lead a roughly 20-minute discussion of a section of the book during a staff meeting. At the conclusion of the discussion, I pray, and then leave as the staff meeting continues.

As we were walking through the discussions, last week we observed the team in the book participating in some team development exercises. As the discussion was winding down, I suggested we use one of those exercises among our team. The coaches agreed and yesterday we did it. Below are the five questions we asked each staff person to answer and some insights from the exercise follow the questions.

1. What is your hometown?
2. How many siblings do you have?
3. Tell us about any unique childhood hobbies you had.
4. What was your greatest challenge growing up?
5. What was your first job?

The staff room was full of a wide variety of young men. I am by far the eldest (66), the youngest being a 23-year-old grad assistant, with most of the full-time coaches being between 35 and 40. The group included our strength and conditioning coach and the athletic trainer (physio). Our group is varied in hometown regions of the USA, in ethnicity, and socio-economic background.

One of the younger full-time coaches asked to share first, and he set the tone with remarkable vulnerability, offering many more details than anyone expected, and speaking about family dysfunction very openly. Most others followed in kind, a few being less open with details, but with all sharing freely. This process took 50 minutes, but I never saw any signal of annoyance, anyone looking anxiously at his watch, or any other sign of being less than engaged.

We all learned things about our coaching colleagues, and I learned a great many things that will serve as open doors to further discussions with individuals. One such conversation happened just three hours later on the practice floor as one of the grad assistant coaches spoke openly about his broken relationship with his father and siblings. We had a remarkably vulnerable conversation for several minutes, ending with some encouragement for him and his respectful, honorable attitude.

I would encourage you to use this or a similar tool to invite people to open their hearts to each other. This builds trust and bonds teams. It's worth the time, it's worth the risk, it's worth the effort.

Coaches and Captains Preseason Meeting

Last week I met with a Division III Women's basketball head coach, her new assistant coach, and her three team captains to discuss team leadership development ideas and how to help their team embody their team culture's values.

I have known the head coach since she was a freshman at Southern Illinois University. After her freshman year, a knee injury and surgery, we had a coaching staff change, leading her to transfer to a D-II program. In her senior season she was a national player of the year and her team won a national championship. After playing some professional basketball in Europe, she returned to the USA and began her coaching career. We have stayed in touch across the years and often conversed about challenges she was encountering. It has been and continues to be a privilege to invest in her coaching career and life beyond basketball.

Below are the notes I sent to the head coach ahead of our meeting. They served as the outline for our discussions. I had an hour with the coaches and captains, and then another hour with the head coach and assistant.

Millikin WBB

Captains - (60 minutes)

Introduction -  Leadership = Responsibility

Not that your teammates are responsible to you; rather you are responsible for them.

Leadership levels - (from a John Maxwell book).

◦ Lead by Personhood (highest)

◦ Lead by Elevating others

◦ Lead by Production

◦ Lead by Permission

◦ Lead by Position (lowest)

Team Captains are responsible for: C.A.U.S.E. characteristics (translate to on court & off court matters).

• Complete - developing skills (drills / class). “I see Chris becoming more complete by….”

• Authentic - be real (no drama, no lies). “Abby has been totally authentic through a really tough week.”

• Undeniable - persistence (we never quit). “Jenny had several opportunities to quit this week, but wouldn’t.”

• Selfless - Reward passers, screens, loose balls, taking charges. Clean up the locker room and bus. Off court acts of selflessness). “Makenzie took three charges in Tuesday’s game.”

• Every Day - Consistency (Work ethic, on and off court). “Jill was in the gym for extra shooting four times this week.”

Captains recognize, “Teammates in the CAUSE” weekly at a practice.

Coaching staff discussion:

1. Meet with the captains how often? For leadership development? For CAUSE review?

2. When are you each at your best?

3. What responsibilities can you (head coach) reasonably entrust to an assistant?

4. Do those responsibilities seem possible for you (assistant coach) to do?

5. The goal is to free Coach Lett to operate at a higher level.

We had a tremendous conversation with the coaches and captains, and they seemed enthused to lead their teammates in the process of developing their team's culture. They played deep into the NCAA tournament last season, and believe they have an opportunity to challenge for a national championship. The group of three captains include a junior guard who was an All-American last season.

I am excited to follow the Millikin Women's Basketball team this season. I hope our discussion of leadership, responsibility, and CAUSE will help them achieve greatly.

Encouraging Notes

In late August I received a couple of very encouraging notes from two Character Coach teammates in response to different interactions.

The first was from Lindsay Moncrief of the FCA staff at University of Arkansas. She was one of the people participating in the FCA Character Coach training I led in the first week of August. She was recently preparing for her first meeting with the Women's Basketball team and wanted to refresh her understanding of the 360 Sports Matrix that was part of the training. We had a good conversation and she went on to the meeting. The text message below was her reply to my text message asking, "How did your meeting with the team go?"

Lindsay replied, “I’m so sorry I forgot to text you. I left on such a high and then in awe of God and His goodness.

The meeting went so well, and I even got some extra time with them because they couldn’t get in the weight room right away.

We got on the topic of relationships and girls that would avoid me when I would come in to the gym were asking me so many questions about my experience in college, and with my husband. Many of them opened up to me, and some even came up to me and asked for a one on one.”

The other encouraging note came from the Nations of Coaches Character Coach at the University of Alabama - Huntsville, John Ryberg. His note is below.

"Hello Coach,

Thanks for this timely and helpful message. My first official talk with the UAH Men’s Basketball team is on Sunday evening. I had been planning to start with the subject of identity, with some discussion about how our self worth is affected by our relationships. Our starting 5, and the defacto leader of the players just returned from a mission trip with Real News in Germany and the Netherlands. On the trip, he experienced a very powerful awakening in his awareness of God that has changed the way he thinks about basketball and competition.

When we had lunch together, he shared that does not have the same anger and animosity while playing. He now sees that God can do something bigger through his play. He still plays with great intensity and skill, but he is in control and enjoying the competition. He shared that he has a different understanding of who he is, because he knows whose he is. Very exciting development for the start of the season and how he can help the other guys grow in their faith.

The presentation you shared was very helpful, because there is often a false narrative that condemns the other layers of identity that are not religious. You have given me some great food for thought as I am preparing to talk with the team tomorrow evening. Blessings to you Coach!"

Notes like these two, the stories you share with me, the ways you respond to any sort of encouragement, resources, or input from me are fuel for my fire. This stuff enriches my soul. Thank you for your selfless and faithful service. When you encounter moments of God's grace like Lindsay and John have, please drop me an email, a text message, a phone call, a smoke signal... anything. Thanks!

Faithful Service Story from a Coach's Family

We recently received a note from a coaching family that moved across 3/4 of the USA to their new coaching assignment. The way the Nations of Coaches Character Coach served the coach and his wife is a great example to us all. Thanks to you, one and all, as you serve faithfully and selflessly. The story is below.

Over the summer my husband received a new coaching job across the country. Although there is excitement and adventure that comes along with moving, there are also a lot of challenges.

As my husband was learning his new role, I was carrying the weight of mentally, emotionally and logistically making the move. When I learned our new program had a Character Coach, I was put in touch with his wife. I instantly felt like I had a local advocate and support on the other end of the trip who could assist with this transition into a new community.

She didn't need to be "my newest best friend" or even help unload the moving truck, but she was willing to be a smiling face and an accessible resource for even my most basic questions. Her kindness allowed me to feel seen in an area where no one knows my name.

-A coaching family who is grateful for their new program’s Character Coach and his wife.

Layers of Identity Shape the Lives of Sports-people.

Layers of Identity Shape the Lives of Sports-people.

This is my friend, Wendy Goodman. She’s 6’-2” (1.88 meters) of beautiful young lady, daughter, sister, friend, teammate, wife, mother of three, and teaches second grade. She was also #44 for Saluki Women’s Basketball. A few weeks after the end of her playing career, she called me asking, “Rog, what do normal people do with all this time?” She had encountered the sense of lost identity that most sports-people experience at the end of their sporting career. After going to the gym for practice most every day since she was 12, suddenly she had no more practice, no more games, no more team or teammates or coaches. She suddenly used to be a basketball player.

Wendy is also a highly committed Christian. Her identity in Christ Jesus was well formed at this point and she had a strong assurance of her being in Christ. She still felt the sting of having lost a part of her identity in retiring from competitive sport. 

Many of us in the Church and in sports ministry would chide Wendy for her sense of loss and see it as an indicator of spiritual immaturity or even sin. Thankfully no one said such a thing to her, simply because she didn’t trust them to even have the conversation. She confided in me because of the trust I had won across four years of life in basketball practices, game days, Bible studies, personal conversations, and pregame chapels.

People are complex creatures and always have been. The people of sport are certainly no exception and their lives in sport intensify their most obvious, least enduring, and most precarious sense of identity.

Too often the church and sports ministry leaders have been dismissive of the value of a strong identity in sport. We err by simplifying the discussion to an either/or proposition. One’s identity is in sport and performance or it’s in Christ. I would like to have you see the value of understanding the various layers of identity shaping the lives of sports-people.

Let’s look at three such layers of identity and their respective strengths and weaknesses.

This is certainly not an exhaustive list. It is primarily informed by my own experience and twenty-eight years of observation and interactions with the people of sport.

Each of these layers of identity have direct and profound effects upon how we see ourselves. They inform who we are and where we fit in our world.

They are not exclusive of each other and are more like facets of a diamond than drawers in a filing cabinet. See them as elements of a whole person rather than compartmentalized, separate functions.

These layers vary widely in basis, permanence, and security.

These three will be our focus:

· Identity in Sport.

· Identity in Relationships.

· Identity in Christ Jesus.

One’s identity in sport is characterized by these factors:

· It’s transactional. (Life is a quid pro quo, always.) The player may love the sport, but will it love him or her back?

· It’s defined by your activity. (Sport) “I am a basketball player. I am a coach. I am a footballer.”

· It’s based on your performance. (Good or bad) This is intensified by strong achievement, and it is greatly diminished by failure. How are you? “We’re 14 and 2.”

· It is the least enduring layer of identity. (One day, everyone used to be a player, coach, etc.) One’s career in sport may be measured in decades, caps, seasons, games, or even minutes.

Theologian Henri Nouwen said most of us believe one or all of these lies:

1) I am what I have.

2) I am what I do.

3) I am what other people say or think of me.

4) I am nothing more than my worst moment.

5) I am nothing less than my best moment.

Sports-people live in an environment that shouts this set of values every day.

People have always defined themselves by their occupations. Think about the surnames in Western cultures: Mrs. Butcher. Mr. Baker, Mrs. Smith, Miss Cook, Mr. Farmer, etc. People regularly identify themselves by their roles in society, “I am a teacher, doctor, coach, athlete.”

What must not be lost in this conversation is this. A strong sense of identity in sport is part and parcel of how these people achieve so highly. Without it, they never arrive at these places of prominence and achievement. To dismiss it as unimportant is foolish, disrespectful, and diminishes one’s relationship with sports-people.

One’s identity in relationships is characterized by these factors:

· It’s dynamic. (It’s constantly changing and progressive. Son, brother, husband, father, grandparent…)

· It’s defined by others. (Who’s he/she? He/she’s my son, daughter, brother, sister, friend, teammate, boyfriend, spouse, parent, coach, grandfather, etc.…)

· It’s based in those relationships. (The relationships prescribe roles and responsibilities for us.)

· It’s moderately enduring. (The changing nature of relationships can make it a little unstable, but it’s less capricious than identity in sport.)

We who have a strong sense of our identity based in relationships find great security and stability, if those with whom we have such relationships are secure and stable. Those of us who have such relationship-based identities whose friend and family members are less stable find ourselves in a life of constant chaos and drama.

This layer of identity based in relationships has its strengths, but it is also fraught with problems if our friends and family are of the high maintenance variety.

One’s identity in Christ Jesus is characterized by factors such as these:

· It’s transformational. Romans 12:1-2 describes it this way, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

· It’s defined by God. Ephesians 2:10 makes one simple statement of a Christian’s identity this way, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

· It’s faith based. We experience our identity in Christ through faith, active trust in Him, as expressed in Galatians 2:20. “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

· It’s most enduring. My identity in Christ is not dependent upon my performance, my relationships with others, or anything else. It cannot be damaged, dented, or diminished. It is secure and enduring as described in Colossians chapter 3, “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”

A growing relationship with God through Jesus Christ, and a strong sense of who he or she is in Christ, gives the sports-person a tremendous advantage in the daily battle of dealing with the more precarious and short-lived sense of identity they find in their sporing experiences.

This eternal, secure, and heart-borne identity provides the buoyancy needed for navigating the turbulent seas of a career in the demanding and transactional world of sport.

In summary, all these facets of one’s identity are active and powerfully influential in the daily lives of sports-people. They vary widely in their bases and permanence.

It is unhelpful to simply dismiss any of them as invalid or unimportant. How shall we approach such disparity and serve the sporting community with wisdom?

Please consider these as two strategies for dealing with the various layers of identity affecting the lives of sports-people.

1. Understand and embrace each one. Be thankful for how your strong identity in sport has enabled you to achieve. Embrace it as an important factor in making you who you are. Do the same for the wide array of relationships which also provide you with a sense of identity. Embrace your role as “fill in the blank relationship.” Be thankful for these relationships. Be thankful for, embrace, and develop your identity in Christ. There is no downside to this facet of your identity.

2. Grasp each one’s unique characteristics. Each of these is much different in its basis, its function, its permanence. Don’t expect sport to love you as your mother does. Don’t expect God to treat you like your distant and disapproving father. Don’t expect your family to reward you for achievement and performance as sports fans do.

Grasp each layer as its own, understand its strengths and weaknesses, and rest in the ultimate identity – you are eternally and securely in Christ Jesus.

Character Coach Training at University of Arkansas

On 1 and 2 August I was privileged to be hosted by Cortez McCraney and his team of FCA at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville for Character Coach training. This was an excellent, hungry, and motivated group of men and women. Cortez and his team are systematically serving every team on campus that opens the door to them. They are also serving the Razorbacks' sporting community well with a weekly huddle.

They have been shown tremendous favor by the athletic department and many of the coaches.

In addition, I spent a few hours discussing Character Coaching opportunities with Jeb Huckaba of NW Arkansas FCA and one of his key volunteers. He is contemplating new and exciting opportunities for serving area club teams, middle schools, and high schools. Jeb is a former U of A and NFL player with a tremendous understanding of ministry in sport.

It's a real privilege to continue to serve with FCA teammates and colleagues, even though I am now employed by Nations of Coaches. This speaks to the hunger in our FCA teammates and to the open-handed, generous nature of Nations of Coaches.

Points of Emphasis from Sport in Ministry Map

One of the most effective tools I have received for both the design and evaluation of ministry initiatives in sport is the McCown Sport in Ministry Map. It was developed by Lowrie McCown and is detailed in Focus on Sport in Ministry by Lowrie McCown and Valerie Gin.

Recently, I have been using a chart to simplify the ministry points of emphasis as a part of presentations in training character coaches and sports chaplains. The chart is shown below, along with a pie chart to illustrate the proportions of Spectators of sport, Novices to sport, Recreational sportspeople, Players of sport, Elite sporting competitors, and High Profile sportspeople in society. Each group's mindset and experience in sport is significantly different, thus requiring different approaches for effective ministry.

​​

Many of us have ministry initiatives that include more than one of these groups, often at the same time. The important point to catch is that one size certainly does not fit all. One must carefully analyze who is the intended audience for each ministry initiative and design the ministry's components to be sure it appeals to the proper sporting mindset and experience. It is foolish and often counterproductive to appeal to elite level sportspeople in the same ways and one would a gathering of sports fans. The inverse would be equally ineffective.

Please consider these points of emphasis as you prepare ministry events, studies, discussions, groups, outreaches, and other initiatives. Let's be sure to make our appeals to people in ways that are most likely to have the desired effects in their hearts and minds.

Let's follow the Apostle Paul's instructions in II Corinthians 5:20 - "Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God."

Model. Inspire. Challenge. Encourage.

This article is quite good and is a solid model to encourage in your coaching friends.

First-year (Chicago) Bears head coach Matt Eberflus has had quite the road to lead his own NFL franchise.

He played for Nick Saban and then Gary Pinkel at Toledo before starting his coaching career with Pinkel at Toledo and Missouri before breaking into the NFL ranks with the Browns, Cowboys and Colts.

In Indianapolis, he had joined Josh McDaniels’ staff in 2018 and was in Indy when McDaniels backed out of his deal to become the team's head coach. Thankfully, Eberflus had developed a solid relationship with Colts GM Chris Ballard, who told him he had a spot on the staff, and then Eberflus really hit it off with new head coach Frank Reich and became his defensive coordinator.

After a few seasons doing impressive work with the Colts defense, Eberflus earned his head coaching opportunity in Chicago and recently joined the Rich Eisen show to talk about his coaching journey and overall philosophy.

One of the more interesting parts of the interview was when Eberflus had the opportunity to talk about how important the coach-player relationship is and how cultivating that really comes down to four key areas.

Those four areas? Model. Inspire. Challenge. Encourage.

"I believe in this. I believe in the coach and player relationship. I think that's very important to get the best out of players, you really have to have that."

"Well how do you do that? There's really four different ways."

"You model the behavior that you want to see as a coach. You do that with the player, and then the player does that for everyone else. In that, when you model, you also inspire guys. You inspire them to act and do right and work extremely hard.

The next thing is that you challenge. You have to challenge them, and how you do that is you do that in a respectful way.

"So you model, you inspire, you challenge, and at the end of the day, football is hard and it's difficult and the last thing you've got to do is you have to encourage. Encourage yourself to keep going, and encourage others around you."

"That's really my coaching philosophy and the product that you'll see on the field," he ends the interview sharing.

BY DOUG SAMUELS

Here’s a link to more in a video clip - https://youtu.be/nWEIg3jHe2k

The Chaos of Collegiate Sport in 2022

In the rapidly changing, chaotic climate of collegiate sport in the USA, we are privileged to be agents of Christ’s peace, perspective, and comforting presence. Let's lean into this situation.

Here's a excerpt from an article recently posted in Slate.com describing the NCAA and all of college sport's dilemma. The entire article is available at the link below.

"Some measure of chaos has reigned since then, and the NCAA is now scrambling to settle things down with a new rule that, in its view, isn’t really a new rule. The association fought tooth-and-nail for years to keep athletes from getting paid by third parties, and as it scrapped its way to a long-inevitable defeat on that front, it declined to do any planning for what would happen once a new world arrived. Years of living in denial have caught up with the NCAA in a big way. Third-party payments to players have, in the absence of clear rules, given rise to the thing the NCAA really abhorred from the start: players getting paid to play for specific teams. By going all-out against athlete pay of any kind and declining to engage with even a relative half-measure like name, image, and likeness payments, the NCAA played itself."

https://slate.com/culture/2022/05/ncaa-name-image-likeness-athlete-pay-for-play-dilemma.html

The world of sport needs us. Let's serve its people wisely and well.

Pandora's Box is Wide Open

 In collegiate sport in the USA, a couple of relatively new situations are causing tremendous upheaval in the way competitors and coaches interact with their institutions. The NCAA Transfer Portal is a mechanism where players who presently attend a college or university and represent that institution in a sport, can make themselves available to other institutions to offer them an opportunity to join their team/institution, without penalty, once in their college sporting careers. Formerly, a player could leave his or her college and move down a level (e.g. Division I to Division II) and would be eligible to play immediately. However, if one moved up a level or made a lateral move, he or she would have to sit out a year before competing. This was ostensibly to keep the more powerful institutions from poaching players from those less fortunate. Now, all bets are off. Free agency, like in professional sport, has been handed to those in collegiate sport.

 The other factor reshaping the collegiate sporting landscape is Name Image, and Likeness (NIL) money. Formerly, collegiate players were forbidden to profit financially from their name, image, or likeness in product endorsement deals, or in any other way. Amateurism was strictly guarded, though it was generally acknowledged that many players or their families and handlers were paid “under the table” in the process of recruiting. Now NIL has been embraced, Pandora’s box has been opened, and no one knows the breadth of the unintended consequences that will now unfold. Amateurism has been kicked to the curb, and college sport is essentially a developmental level of professional sport.

 Both of these factors are stressing coaches and administrations in many ways. Most have no idea how to handle either, and many are choosing to leave their sport, throwing up their hands in frustration or disgust. Both of these factors have tremendous potential for good and for harm. They both present powerful challenges to matters like team cohesion, coach-player relationships, and relationships between coaches and players’ families. It also presents new challenges to character coaches and sports chaplains.

 Below is a set of questions I have crafted for character coaches and sports chaplains to use in discussing either of these matters with players considering entering the transfer portal or being offered NIL money. Outside the USA, these could also be applicable to players in developmental levels of sport in similar situations. I hope they are of value to you. Please reply with your suggestions for edits, deletions, or additional questions. Thank you.

 Have  you thought about how this decision will affect your development as a player?

• Have you considered how this will affect your academic progress toward a university degree?
• Let’s suppose you enter the transfer portal but no one signs you to join their team, what will you do then?
• Have you thought about how this decision will affect your teammates and coaches?
• What or who are the strongest factors in leading you to make this decision? Are you sure they are really in your best interest?

 

Ministry at the Final Four and Moldova / Ukraine

During the recent NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four and its accompanying NABC Convention in New Orleans, three sports ministries serving the basketball coaching community each had a booth in the exhibition hall and they collaborated to host several ministry events. Athletes in Action, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and Nations of Coaches worked together on the events which included a meeting for coaches’ wives on Thursday evening, a Coaches Edge event on Friday afternoon, a Sunday morning worship service, and then a Coaches and Spouses marriage luncheon on Sunday afternoon.

One of our colleagues, Coach Terry Murphy of FCA Ukraine, was hoping to be in attendance, but was in Moldova. His changes were all abruptly changed on Thursday 24 February when Russia began shelling Ukraine and then invaded the nation. Coach Terry sent me a message one day saying, “We’re headed to the bomb shelter right now. I’ll talk with you tomorrow.” I was just hoping there would be a tomorrow. In a couple of days he, his wife, and mother were on the way to the Ukraine/Moldova border. He sent me a message as they were into their 25th hour at the border, a process that eventually took 30 hours to complete.

As I have been sending Psalms to my Ukrainian friends daily by WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, Coach Terry and I were in touch daily. Along the way we discussed the possibility of his coming to New Orleans for the Final Four. This is the place to look for coaching jobs, and as he’s planning to return to the USA to find a job, it would be perfect timing. However…war.

Coach Terry said he had decided to stay in Moldova to help relief supplies get into Ukraine and to help Ukrainians get out. I was stunned by his selfless attitude, sacrificial love for these people, and his courage to stay and serve. He and others load up vans with relief materials, drive them hours to the Ukrainian border, meet Ukrainians with their vans, transfer the materials, then the Ukrainians drive double digit hours to embattled and largely destroyed Ukrainian cities. I am very proud to know Coach Terry Murphy.

During the Final Four weekend in New Orleans, I was pleased to have Coach Terry join us via Zoom. At the Coaches Edge (4:00 pm New Orleans time, 1:00 am Moldova time) Terry joined us to hear the speakers, and he participated in a discussion at my table with four young basketball coaches. On Sunday morning, Terry and his wife Ruth joined us for worship with my phone propped up against a hand sanitizer dispenser at the rear of the room. They persisted through my repeated and frequent loss of internet connection. I am very proud to know Coach Terry and Ruth Murphy. Ruth has been a part of this season’s Nations of Coaches Wives Bible Studies. She joined each meeting via Zoom from Kyiv, Ukraine.

The persistence through internet issues, the early morning Coaches Edge attendance, and the regular participation in Coaches’ Wives Bible studies speaks to their devotion to Christ, their hunger for fellowship, and their dedication to coaching as a life calling. I pray that Coach Terry and Ruth Murphy serve as a challenge to us, in our relative safety and security. May we each and all strive to serve as selflessly and to love as extravagantly as they do.

Register soon and Call for Papers - 3rd Global Congress on Sport and Christianity

Registration is open for the Third Global Congress on Sport and Christianity in Cambridge, England. It will be held 18-21 August. This will be an outstanding event as it is the only global intersection of the academic and practitioner communities of ministry in sport. Below is a link for registration (booking).

 Book now for The Third Global Congress on Sport and Christianity (3GCSC) at Ridley Hall, Cambridge, Thu 18 Aug 2022 6:00 PM - Sun 21 Aug 2022 1:30 PM (tickettailor.com)

 In addition, you may be someone who has a paper or presentation to offer at the congress. The event’s leadership is really keen for people to speak about their ministries - and especially the challenges of leadership from a practitioner viewpoint - and to find out how academics can better serve the needs of those on the ground. The link below opens to information on how to submit an abstract for submission of a paper or presentation.

 Call for papers: Global Congress on Sport and Christianity - Ridley Hall (cam.ac.uk)

 Thanks. I hope to see you in Cambridge. 

Excellent Ministry in a War Zone

Since the early days of the COVID-19 lockdown in early 2020, I have been serving with some Russian speaking sports chaplains in Eurasia in monthly Zoom discussions about various facets of this ministry. Many of those people are from Ukraine, and recent events have certainly strained their lives. I was both surprised and thrilled when my colleague from Kyiv, Pavel Tian (Pasha), sent me WhatsApp message asking to schedule a meeting in mid-March. My first thought was, “Your nation is at war and being invaded by its neighbor. You are a refugee in Germany at the moment. How can you even think about hosting a meeting?” After gathering myself, I replied, “Outstanding! What shall we have as our topic?” Pasha wrote, “Ministry in times of crisis, difficult circumstances, and the importance of serving.” I wrote, “Perfect.”

On 25 May I prepared a few discussion questions to guide our time together and after greeting our friends, we launched into our Zoom meeting. Joining Pasha and me that day was a collection of amazing people. Our interpreter (best ever) was in the FCA offices in Kansas City, Missouri, one chaplain was in Donetsk, Ukraine (a war zone since 2014), another was in the foothills of the Carpathian mountains in western Ukraine, Pasha (our host) was in Germany, Carl Dambman of Athletes in Action (pioneer of sports ministry in Eurasia for over 40 years) was in Seattle, Washington, and I was in my home office in Carbondale, Illinois.

Our discussion followed this series of questions:

1. How are you serving coaches and players in these trying days?
2. Who is serving you well in this season of life? How are they doing it?
3. What are some ways we can serve our friends, family, coaches, and players in the coming days?

To that final question, my friend and colleague, Andrew Chernenkov of Rivne, Ukraine listed these four simple and brilliant ways of service.

1. Empathize (feel what those you are serving feel).
2. Listen (not just waiting to respond, but intently listen).
3. Help them physically (do what needs to be done, with them).
4. Provide spiritual service (prayer, sharing the gospel, etc.).

Andrew is chaplain to a rugby club, and though displaced due to the war has been in touch with coaches and players of the club by phone. One of the players who had joined the Ukrainian Army was killed in the war. The rugby club coach called Andrew to inform him and to seek his guidance for what he should say at the funeral. Andrew’s love for the player, for the coach, and faithful service of the team made room for all four points of his ways to serve in this painful and grievous season of life.

Andrew’s concise list is most prescient in light of his nation being a war zone, but it also serves us for whom life is a little less perilous. Let’s all commit ourselves to this these imperatives: Empathize, Listen, Help them physically, and Provide spiritual service. These activities are always proper for sports chaplains or character coaches, in times of peace, and in time of war.

End of Season Review with the Head Coach

The end of a sport’s season provides unique challenges and opportunities for ministry with coaches and competitors. There is the obvious finality that comes with the end of players’ careers, the disappointment of goals they failed to achieve, or even the emptiness in the hearts of champions who realize their achievements’ thrills last very briefly and are often followed by emptiness and despair.

The pressure and intensity players feel is even greater for their coaches. For most of them this is a career or a calling, much more than a job. Should they fail to achieve as expected, they stand to be privately criticized, publicly shamed, or fired from their positions.

All of these factors lead to both challenges and opportunities for us who serve them.

For many years of service in sport, one of my best strategies for development of ministry has been to hold an evaluation meeting with the head coach being served. Following are some suggested questions for such a meeting. I would strongly suggest getting an appointment for 15-30 minutes in a place you’re not likely to be interrupted for this meeting.

Ask questions like:

• Coach, with what about our service this season were you pleased?
• What could we do better in serving your team?
• Is there anything you would like us to add to our service?
• Is there anything we should discontinue?
• Would you like to have me serve your team next season?
• What are some ways we could serve you, your staff, and your team in the off-season?
• May I take you and your staff to lunch to say, “thank you”?

I hope these questions and the discussions deepen your relationships with coaches, players, and teams.

Five Commitments of a Godly Man Study Series

A few weeks ago I sent a note with the report from Nations of Coaches Character Coach, Billy Dunn at Lehigh University. In the note he mentioned a series of studies he had been leading title, "The Five Commitments of a Godly Man." Billy sent me a copy of the study and it is below. I hope it serves you well.

The 5 Commitments of a Godly Man

A question that I often face (both personally and in ministry) is this:

How do I become a Godly man? Where do I start? What does it look like? The pursuit of godliness was framed incredibly well by Timothy in the NT:

“For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”
I Timothy 4:8

His message: Train yourself in "godliness." This requires rigorous self- "discipline." However, Timothy should direct his "discipline" at the development of spiritual, rather than physical, strength. Physical self-discipline ("bodily exercise") has value but

Godly character takes a lifetime to build and a moment to destroy. We are always growing. Always striving. Always learning and the walk to be a Godly man is one step in front of the other…one day at a time.

The temptations we face, plus the pressures we experience, can lure us to deep regret without the discipline of strong character and trusting God to help us do what we cannot do on our own. God helps us, but He expects us to do our part too.

The framework for Becoming a Godly Man.

Study #1
Step Up
Be a man of action. Do not retreat and do not accept neutral. Be the man who believes that this is their time and moment. We live in a world where the need for men to step up in more important than ever. Some will retreat and some will stay neutral but a man pursuing God will STEP UP.

“I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one.” – Ezekiel 22:30

The world we live in is faced with a culture that has moved far from God. These are the days where we need more so than ever, for men to step up and be an example of Christ. Don’t wait for someone else to do it, don’t rely on your parents’ faith and commitment…

This is your time.

Study #2
Be A Voice
Silence in the midst of sin is a sin. Be courageous. Fear God, not man. Speak the truth in love.
Words really do matter. Jesus himself says, “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:36–37).

Men of God learn to trade careless words for thoughtful ones. While many today speak, text, and tweet whatever they think or feel without a second thought, these men weigh the serious weight of what they say. They speak as if God is listening, because he is.

Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all the unfortunate. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and defend the rights of the afflicted and needy. – Proverbs 31:8-9

But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence. – 1 Peter 3:15

Study #3
Guard your heart.
The character that will sustain you for a lifetime of leadership starts with God. The world will pull you in one direction, God draws you back to Himself, and makes the path clear.

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.
Proverbs 4:23-27

Godly character, patterned after Jesus example for us, does not hold perfection over our heads; instead, it places grace and ability in our hearts.

The character that will sustain you for a lifetime of leadership starts with God. The world will pull you in one direction, God draws you back to Himself, and makes the path clear.

“Now behold, I have made you today as a fortified city and as a pillar of iron and as walls of bronze against the whole land, to the kings of Judah, to its princes, to its priests, and to the people of the land. They will fight against you, but they will not overcome you, for I am with you to deliver you,” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 1:18-19

Study #4
Faith Travels- Be Proactive
The practice of pre-making important lifestyle decisions (Being Proactive) can radically alter the trajectory and outcomes of your life. If you wait until you’re at the moment of decision, when the pressure is on and perhaps your discipline or willpower is low, it almost always results in a less than ideal outcome and regret kicks in.

You can pre-make decisions about:
Your budget
How you treat people
Your physical health and regular exercise
How you demonstrate generosity
Your prayer life
Church
What role your faith will

What 3-5 lifestyle decisions can you pre-make so that when you come to them daily, weekly, or monthly, you waste no time deliberating toward success or failure, you just do the smart thing? The practice of pre-making important lifestyle decisions can radically alter the trajectory and outcomes of your life.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.
I Corinthians 15:58

STUDY 4.5
Salvation
After the fourth study I actually took time to share the Gospel message with players and basically said that it is impossible to strive to become something that you do not know. You cannot become a trust man of God unless you know God and when you know God you never walk alone…

Romans 3:23
Romans 5:8
Romans 6:23
Romans 10:9-10

Study #5
Stay Humble
One of the great challenges that many of us face in sports is the challenge to stay humble. Most kids dream of the opportunity to play College basketball and you have been given this gift and opportunity and it can be VERY easy to allow pride to take root in our lives. We must fight this and avoid the ways that pride can took a foothold in life.
Be ok with apologizing. Accept responsivity when you make a mistake. Be quick to offer the accolades to your teammates. Be quick to listen. Live with the conviction that your skills are a gift from God and steward them well.

You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.
1 Peter 5:5-7

Report from College Basketball (USA)

 Last week I received the report of a remarkable movement in a men’s college basketball program served by one of my Nations of Coaches colleagues. I asked him to send me more details and he sent me several paragraphs. I’d like to share them with you. We don’t often receive reports like this one. Please give it a read and be encouraged. I have omitted the names of the character coach and the university so as to not overexpose them.

Serving as a character coach for a Division 1 Men’s Basketball program brings me some of the greatest joys of my ministry career and it also brings some of the greatest moments of trust in the Lord. I count it an honor each day to be able to serve the ........... Men’s team and so grateful for the vision Nations of Coaches has to place men and women in these roles.

God has been at work in our program over the past 4 years and this investment has started to pay off in deep spiritual ways. We hosted the men’s and women’s team to dinner and a Christmas message where we showed the Peanuts Christmas segment where Linus drops his “security” blanket and declares in Luke 2…FEAR NOT. This was a voluntary event and God was good to us as all of the players from both teams came with the exception of one. (I think the total was 29 players plus most of the coaches and their families). I thought this might be the mountaintop of our year only to once again, see God work.

I lead a weekly Bible study/chapel time for our players, coaches and staff and it was been well attended this entire year. I was teaching in a series called “Character Traits of a Godly Man” and we had finished four of the five teachings and God laid on my heart that I should delay the fifth message and simply share with the guys the salvation message and frame it around the idea that you can’t “become” what you do not know. I also shared with them that Liverpool (English Premier League soccer team) has a famous saying that when you are fan you NEVER WALK ALONE”. While this is a great way to describe the Liverpool soccer experience, only Jesus can make that promise and deliver on it.

 

At the conclusion of our study in a conference room in Worcester, MA God moved in great ways and seven of our players made a decision to follow Christ and make Him the Lord of their lives. It was powerful. It was one of the great moments of my entire ministry career and in a humble way these seven young men crossed the line of faith. The important work of follow up and discipleship now begins and I have not lost the BIG smile on my face to see God work in such powerful ways. These moments are precious and you could sense that God was working in that room in ways that only God could orchestrate and your investment into Nations of Coaches give those of us with teams this incredible opportunity to point players, coaches and staff to Jesus.

 

Character Coach Profiles

Last week I visited a couple of veteran Nations of Coaches Character Coaches at their universities. I observed these men and their ministries for just a little while, but I was able to get a glimpse of why each of them is so effective in serving their coaches, players, and support staffs. A brief profile of each one is below. I will not list names or universities so that we don’t create a culture of celebrity or encourage foolish comparisons.

Character Coach A – he has been serving at this university for nine years, now with his second coaching staff. The transition from one staff to the next was neither automatic nor easy. It did not, however, take long for the head coach to see the character coach’s gifts and skills. As I talked with the character coach, knowing the nature of the head coach, I saw why he was quickly found to be of great value. The character coach is a tremendous complement to the head coach. The head coach is very driven and intense, but his character coach is incredibly relational and projects no agenda at all. The players love him, therefore the coaches love him. It’s a perfect fit.

Character Coach B – he has also been serving at his university for nine years, all with the same staff. I watched a team meeting with video review, and a practice on one afternoon. Both were very good and during the practice I was able to chat with the character coach. I asked him, “What is the most important key to your service as a character coach?” He said, “Building relationships.” That’s it. Simple. He said further, “Don’t pretend, be genuine, cultivate vulnerability.” The next day I watched shootaround, more video review, a scouting report review, a character moment, and the pregame meal. During a conversation over the pregame meal, I heard the character coach say, “I affirm people. I affirm who they are, what they do well, how they’re gifted, who God has made them to be. I affirm them.”

Bottom line – It’s all about relationships. Both of these veteran character coaches are committed to building relationships and that’s why they are very good in their roles. One is serving well because he is very different from the head coach. The other is serving well because he is perfectly aligned with the head coach’s stated values and goals. Both are excellent because building genuine, vulnerable relationships is at the center of how they serve. Let’s follow their examples and be great at building relationships. Let’s affirm people. Let’s not pretend. Let’s be genuine. Let’s watch the Lord do His great work in all those we serve.

Great Leaders...

Today’s note is excerpted from a devotional on leadership shared by Nations of Coaches Executive Director, Tommy Kyle. I hope it is an encouragement to you.

1. Great Leaders are Highly Motivated. “When God calls a person, He gives him/her mountain matching abilities.”

The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, while I was in Susa the capitol, 2 that Hanani, one of my brothers, and some men from Judah came; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped and had survived the captivity, and about Jerusalem. 3 They said to me, “The remnant there in the province who survived the captivity are in great distress and reproach, and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates are burned with fire.” When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; Nehemiah 1:1-4a

2. Great Leaders Lead from the Knees Up. “Prayer is Central for them.”

4 When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. 5 I said, “I beseech You, O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who preserves the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, 6 let Your ear now be attentive and Your eyes open to hear the prayer of Your servant which I am praying before You now, day and night, on behalf of the sons of Israel Your servants, confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have sinned against You; I and my father’s house have sinned. 7 We have acted very corruptly against You and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses. 8 Remember the word which You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful I will scatter you among the peoples; 9 but if you return to Me and keep My commandments and do them, though those of you who have been scattered were in the most remote part of the heavens, I will gather them from there and will bring them to the place where I have chosen to cause My name to dwell.’ 10 They are Your servants and Your people whom You redeemed by Your great power and by Your strong hand. 11 O Lord, I beseech You, may Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and the prayer of Your servants who delight to [c]revere Your name, and make Your servant successful today and grant him compassion before this man.” Nehemiah 1:4-11



3. Great Leaders Must Have Thick Skin. “You will have opposition.”

Now when it was reported to Sanballat, Tobiah, to Geshem the Arab and to the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall, and that no breach remained in it, although at that time I had not set up the doors in the gates, 2 then Sanballat and Geshem sent a message to me, saying, “Come, let us meet together at Chephirim in the plain of Ono.” But they were planning to harm me. 3 So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” 4 They sent messages to me four times in this manner, and I answered them in the same way. Nehemiah 6:1-4

The Jesuits (the company of Jesus) say, “We’re all leaders, and we’re all leading all the time. The question is whether we’re leading well or poorly?” Let’s join Tommy Kyle, Nehemiah, and the Jesuits in being great leaders by: being highly motivated, by leading from the knees up, and by having thick skin.