The Sports Doc Chalk Talk

Having studied psychology and mental health disorders for many years (as well as being a licensed practicing clinician), I have long been troubled by the trend for doctors to quickly prescribe anti-depressants to their patients without first encouraging other, safer alternatives.  Since the 1990′s, increasingly more doctors have quickly bypassed recommending things like professional counseling, exercise, or trying new hobbies and interests (all things that can really help with mood state), and instead quickly scribbled out scripts for anti-depressants.  Of course, if these new pills worked significantly better than the other ideas I just presented, and if these pills were 100% safe, I don’t think using them would be much of a concern.  Unfortunately, that’s simply not the case.

Last night 60 Minutes ran a segment on the efficacy of anti-depressants versus placebo effects, citing Harvard social scientist Irving Kirsch’s discoveries when evaluating real anti-depressant medications against placebos (or sugar pills).  Kirsch’s findings were really nothing new, and certainly not any different than what other research scientists have known for years — that is, anti-depressants only “work” because of the belief the patient has when using them, and not due to the chemical properties of the drugs themselves.  In other words, the changes patients claim they experience are due to the placebo effect, not the medication.

The problem, however, is that in the United States we are constantly bombarded with really great advertising that tells us if we are depressed, the answer to our problems might just be one quick office visit away.  As one of only two countries in the world that allows for direct drug marketing to consumers on television, these fancy ads coupled with our intense desire to get better provide for the perfect storm, so to speak.  In other words, when we feel depressed and are “ripe” for an answer, and then see a 30 second ad of a Zoloft egg bouncing around happy, it’s easy to see why so many potential consumers light up with excitement and quickly schedule a visit with their doctor as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, the problems we experience in life don’t simply “go away” by taking a pill (similarly to how they don’t go away from getting drunk, either).  The problems at home, mounting bills, and battles with health problems don’t get better by taking a pill — these situations only improve by learning important life coping skills.

So why are anti-depressants so widespread if:

A) they have been scientifically found to not work any better than a sugar pill, and

B) they put the patient at great risk for side-, interaction-, and withdrawal effects — check the black box warnings to learn more

Listed below are some of the big reasons why so many people continue to be prescribed these drugs:

• There is huge money in pharmaceuticals today, and these companies are not afraid to spend money.  This is the reason why we see so many ads today, and the more of the ads we see the more confident we become that these drugs really “work.”  Most people figure that if they see something enough, it must be true – this is called the mere exposure effect.
• Patients often ask their doctors directly for these medications, and often doctors are happy to acquiesce.  In some cases, doctors really believe in the value of anti-depressants, while in other cases doctors assume the placebo effect will “work” and that the potential side effects are worth the risk.  In other cases doctors know that patients expect to be given drugs during medical appointments, and would feel short-changed if the doctor told them the real things that help with mood state – like counseling and exercise programs.
• When clients do experience side effects, in most cases they continue to use these drugs because they blame the side effects on their disorder (i.e. depression), and not the medications!  In fact, in some cases patients take even more of the medication in order to overcome the side effects.

While we would all love to find a quick fix for our problems in life, the reality is these answers are not in the form of anti-depressant pills (as science is revealing through ongoing empirical findings).  Scott Peck, author of the popular The Road Less Traveled, starts his book with one very important sentence:

Life is difficult.

Think about that for a moment — the problems we face in life are difficult, and success doesn’t happen from casual efforts.  We need to also remember that there are no fast “silver bullet” answers when it comes to life’s problems, even if we wish there were.  Anti-depressants, which work no better than placebos and carry many potential problems with them, should not be the first thing we seek when we hit rough waters in life.  Instead, learning life skills like communication skills, conflict resolution, and stress reducing techniques should be tried first, along with developing a physical exercise program.  Most people dramatically improve their mood state from just those life changes, and professional counseling can help round out the self-improvement process for those still looking for even better improvement. 

Check out our Life Wellness programs to help improve mood state and the quality of your life!

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As a college sports fan, do you ever wonder where all the corruption, loss of integrity, and sometimes outright cheating originates?  More specifically, I am talking about the stories about student athletes receiving improper benefits followed by extremely light penalties  from the university?  Alvin Kamara’s recruiting experience with the University of Alabama might just provide us with many of those interesting answers.

It should be noted that to date Kamara is still an uncommitted high school junior RB from Georgia and has done nothing wrong, nor has he been accused of any wrongdoings to my knowledge.  Similarly, as bizarre as the story you are about to hear sounds, apparently Alabama has done nothing wrong yet, either.

It was reported today that Alabama is so incredibly interested in recruiting Kamara that they sent him 105 recruiting letters…in one day.

The Invincible College Recruit

Of course, in this day and age where amateur athletes receive many more valuable “gifts” than recruiting letters, this story seems at first to be nothing more than funny.  Upon closer inspection, however, it becomes much easier to see where the future potential problems lie after this stunt, and how blurred the paradigm between university and student athlete has just become due to Alabama’s actions.  Some might say this “genie” isn’t going back in the bottle anytime soon.

When student athletes are recruited to colleges there is a normal ego rush in learning that they are one of the select few to be chosen to play at the next level.  The job of the coach, and athletic department at-large, is to entice the athlete to choose their school, and to do this they usually give the recruit the royal treatment.  As you might expect, there are always potential problems during this process, most notably when the psychological paradigm between college and player shifts so dramatically that the player knows he actually calls all the shots.  In these instances, the athlete becomes infallible, invincible, unstoppable, and inevitably “the man.”

Assuming Alabama lands Kamara, can you see how upside-down this relationship has already become — even before he has attended his first practice??  How do you say “no” to the kid you gushed over so badly that you sent him 105 letters in one day??? How do you maintain the same discipline measures for this player as you do the walk-on players, or even any of the other scholarship student athletes from the other teams at Alabama?  This kid’s “different,” remember?

The Difficulties in Enforcing Discipline

If Kamara chooses Alabama and he eventually messes up, is it fair to hold him 100% responsible for his actions after his college treated him like Elvis during the recruiting process?  After all, this young man has been developed into a superstar by Alabama’s letter writing campaign (amongst other things) — and when 18 year old student athletes feel like this, it’s pretty easy to see why they sometimes make really bad decisions based on their self-perceived invincible status.

For the institution (Alabama in this case), how will they play by the rules if Kamara chooses their school and then goes out and breaks rules and laws?  How do you come down on a guy when this is the same guy you laid rose pedals at his door?  He came because of the royal treatment you gave him, and now you want to discipline him??  You want him to play by the same rules as every other player, but you didn’t treat him like that during recruiting — so why now the change? You did everything you could to make him feel immortal, and now you want him to be held accountable and responsible?? I mean, you sent him over 100 letters in one day telling him that he could walk on water, eat fire, juggle chainsaws, and leap tall buildings in a single bound —- and now you want him to comply with those silly NCAA rules and regulations???  If I’m Kamara and this eventually happens, I want to know who changed the game?

Kamara and Alabama are not the only examples of this warped psychological paradigm that often develops.  Letter writing campaigns like what was recently done at Alabama happen at other schools, too (or some other similar practice).  The student athlete is given the keys to the castle, while the university sports administrators and coaches nearly break their collective necks trying so hard to not look or notice when rules are broken.  I mean, how do you crack down on the new “money man” for your school?

How Does a Responsible Coach Really Act “Responsibly?”

Responsible coaches know the importance of playing by the rules and maintaining the integrity of the sport, but they also know that you don’t just roll up that red carpet you had out for the top recruit, throw it in the back of the van, and then all of a sudden crack down on him.  No, it doesn’t work that way — remember, this kid can transfer so you better learn to become aloof and look the other way — it pays better if you do.

Coaches also know that if you don’t roll out the red carpet and surf & turf dinners, then you probably won’t land him, as there are hundreds of other coaches out there that will spoon feed his every need if it results in an eventual signing.

“Amateur” sports are really an impossibility when you think of them in these terms.  In order to get the best kids you have to be over-the-top, outlandish, endearing, and full of promises.  Some might even say you have to sell your soul to the devil. But after the young man signs, it is expected that you alter the landscape and coach-player dynamics 180 degrees, and “hold the young man accountable” for his actions.  Then, when a kid screws up, society wants to blame him and hold him accountable — but the reality is he was never held accountable from the start of the recruiting process!

Unfortunately, this model simply doesn’t work, and it’s really obvious the reasons why.

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Millions of kids each year compete in youth and interscholastic sports, and there are many different reasons why they elect to devote their time and energy to playing on a sports team (Sport Success 360).  For some, they play sports to be with their friends, while others enjoy the identity that comes with wearing a sports uniform and being part of a team.  The main reason kids play sports, however, is actually a pretty simple one – to have FUN!

Every research study I have ever read has clearly shown that the number one reason kids play sports is to have fun, and, as you might have guessed, the number one reason why kids voluntarily quit playing sports is when they no longer have fun.  Interestingly, while many adults might guess that “winning” is a big reason why kids play sports, in most cases it doesn’t even make the top ten lists of the polls surveyed.

As adults, we sometimes forget this most basic lesson about why kids play sports, and the result of our oversight can lead to a less-than-exciting experience for kids.  When adults make youth sports a very serious experience and at the cost of having fun, kids often lose their motivation for playing – and usually quit a lot sooner as a result.  Therefore, it makes a lot of sense to think about the many ways in which you as a parent or coach can make youth sports a fun (and meaningful) experience for kids:

• Bring your “A-Game” when it comes to attitude and emotion!  When you get excited about sports, kids will, too.
• Make sure to keep sports interesting and find ways to offer your positive reinforcement and hearty praise whenever possible — even if it’s just for effort.
• Balance instruction with fun, especially with the younger kids you coach.
• Laugh and have a sense of humor.
• Ask the team what things you can do that would make the sport experience exciting for them – you may not be able to do everything they suggest, but if there’s an idea or two you can make it happen it can really make a difference!
• Do fun team bonding things outside of sports if you can – like taking the team to a college or professional sports game, or establishing team dinners.
• Create a team identity the kids can be proud of, maybe a team nickname or a slogan that matches your team’s character.

Obviously there are many different things that you can do to make sports a fun experience for kids, so be sure and do your part and capitalize on the number one reason they play – TO HAVE FUN!!

The Parents Playbook is a great resource for helping kids maximize the sport experience – pick up your copy today!

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Athletes of all ages, levels, and sport types know from personal experience that having uncontrollable nerves (anxiety) can be a terrible hindrance when it comes to playing well.  Making things even more frustrating is when they play with comfort and confidence in practice, then seem to lose their mental toughness and fall apart in real games as their thinking becomes distorted and their bodies become filled with nervous energy.  Anxiety, therefore, can be the mediating variable when it comes to whether an otherwise talented athlete succeeds or fails in sport competition (Sport Success 360).

Today I would like to remind athletes of three important points about how anxiety directly (and negatively) impacts athletic performance.

1. Anxiety disrupts the perfect mind-body synchrony needed for sports success. When athletes are on their game, their success largely relies on automatic “muscle memory” movements that develop through their synchronized thoughts and actions.  What this means is that they trust their previous experience and success and allow themselves to simply play. Unfortunately, when athletes become nervous, self-doubt creeps in, and the result is almost always an overly-cautious, second-guessing, unsure competitor.  The result?  Previously synchronized mind-body movements become disrupted and the athlete usually tries too hard, or plays “not to lose” rather than plays to win.

2. Anxiety negatively impacts focus. When an athlete experiences high anxiety he will almost immediately begin to think internally about the symptoms rather than externally toward the next play.  This is what we call a cognitive response to anxiety.  Of course, the physiological symptoms of anxiety are tough enough to overcome, but when thinking becomes distorted and focus is directed toward the last bad play rather than the next play ahead, it’s obvious the athlete will almost always perform below his abilities.

3. The impact of anxiety on resiliency. Sport psychologists know that resiliency, or mental toughness, is often the difference when it comes to athletic success or failure.  When athletes succumb to nerves and anxiety, it literally zaps their bodies of the energy needed to pull through tough times, physical pains, and sometimes even nagging injuries.  Instead of an endorphin rush, nervous athletes actually experience the opposite — that is, they lose the energy needed for stamina.

Anxiety is not unique to sports, and is actually something that we all experience in various times of our lives.  Whether it’s the nerves associated with a first date, waiting on a test grade, or preparing for a job interview, we have all felt the impact of nervous energy at different times in our lives.  For athletes, learning to prepare for and control nervous energy is key, as it may be the single most important – yet often overlooked – variable when it comes to mental toughness and athletic success.

If you know an athlete struggling with anxiety, be sure to help him or her learn about proven strategies and techniques that can help – the Mind of Steel program is designed to do just that!

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If you were thirsty, would you eat a piece of bread?

If your feet hurt, would you buy a new shirt?

If you didn’t have much money, would you go out and spend more money?

In all of the examples above I have given silly potential “solutions” for the problems that were presented — obviously none of the answers provided make any logical sense.  There is a sports connection in these examples, however, and one that applies specifically to the question millions of athletes face nearly every day of their lives.

“If I struggle with mental toughness, then I should do _______ to fix the problem.”

Ironically, what people put in the blank is as varied as there are people who compete in sports — and in the vast majority of cases, the “solutions” they come up with work just about as effectively as eating a piece of bread when you are thristy.

In other words, the solutions most people come up with when it comes to mental toughness don’t work.

Common Errors

When it comes to mental toughness, loosely defined as an athlete’s ability to develop self confidence, improve focus, and strengthen resiliency, I can provide a short laundry list of common things people do that simply do not work:

• Practice more. Sure, more practice is usually a good thing when it comes to skill improvement, but if you think simply increasing practice time in an empty gym will help an athlete better perform under pressure in front of thousands of people you are likely mistaken.  As we all know, practicing alone is not a “pressure” situation, so the challenge of performing in front of crowds will not improve by just adding more practice time.
• Yell at the athlete. Usually after seeing an athlete choke enough times most coaches will eventually respond with some kind of heated verbal communication – which can be encouraging or belittling.  Sure, this might get a kid’s attention, but it does nothing to teach him how to improve his confidence the next time he is called upon to help his team.
• Try any and all unorthodox ways to magically help the athlete improve mental toughness. Rather than obtain authentic sport psychology mental skills training, some coaches and parents will resort to literally anything for some kind of a magical answer, including hypnosis, energy drinks, power bracelets, and just about any other new craze or fad that sounds good.

What’s really interesting about this discussion around improving mental toughness is that the overwhelming majority of athletes today (especially youth and interscholastic athletes) regularly experience challenges when it comes to confidence, motivation, focus, and resiliency — yet only a small fraction of these athletes are able to actually find (and use) good sport psychology-based scietific training that specifically address these concerns!

So if your feet hurt, would you buy a new shirt?  Of course not — but that’s exactly what you are doing if you think your son will magically all of a sudden learn how to control his emotions by simply having him shoot 100 more times in an empty gym.  In this example, the extra shooting might help his hand-eye coordination, but it will do little, if anything, for how he responds negatively when he misses shots in games.

Why Mental Toughness Matters!

What’s even more interesting about the concern of improving mental toughness is how invaluable it is as it applies to athletic proficiency and success.  Without perfect mind-body synchrony (that can only be achieved by controlling arousal, attention, and focus), thousands of athletes each day perform below their capabilities not because of their potential talent, but rather their inability to successfully improve their mental toughness!

If you are a coach or parent of an athlete, have you witnessed mental breakdowns, “choking,” struggles with anxiety, anger outbursts, or athletes who perform much better in practice than they do in games?  If you answered yes to any of these, what have you done to help improve the situation?  Did you pick up a piece of bread when in fact you needed something to drink? If you told the kid to “practice more” or to start wearing a power bracelet, in essence, you did.

Help the kids you coach and parent with their mental toughness by checking out our entire line of sport performance products, only at Advanced Human Performance Systems

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While it is true that a small percentage of parents today view the youth sports experience as a training grounds for a future college athletic scholarship (and possibly a professional sport opportunity), most parents are more grounded with their thinking and set more realistic goals for their kids (The Parents Playbook).  For these parents, the ultimate goal is to simply have a positive experience with youth sports, one that will help their children grow in healthy physical and emotional ways.  If a college scholarship is eventually awarded to their child, it’s viewed as a “bonus,” and not the final destination after years of competing in youth sports.  This, of course, is a very healthy way to approach the youth sport experience, and one that offers the best chance for the child to learn important life lessons as a result.

In order for a family to fully experience all the potential benefits that youth sports provide, I am providing a short list of important learning points to focus on throughout your child’s athletic career so that she will not only play to her highest potential on the field, but also use the sport experience to maximize her overall human development as well:

• Process Goals – Most parents encourage their child to play hard enough to one day become the best kid on the team (or league).  There’s nothing wrong with this encouragement, of course, but keep in mind that all outcome goals (like becoming an All Star or team MVP) always begin with process goals. When thinking about process goals, keep in mind these are the types of goals that are fully under the control of the athlete (like maintaining a strength training program, running, mastering plays, etc.).  Outcome goals are not completely under the control of the athlete, especially if the goal is to win an award thats voted on by the coaching staff or league.
• Focus - Parents can help their children with focus at very young ages by teaching the basics — like learning how to pay attention to relevant cues (i.e. the next pitch) while ignoring irrelevant cues (i.e. the people in the crowd).  The skill of focus is an important one, and can also be transferred to many other areas in life — including the classroom.
• Resiliency – The old saying of “It’s not how many times you get knocked down, but how many times you get up” may be one of the greatest lessons that can be learned through sports.  Resiliency, or mental toughness, is a terrific skill to help your child master as there are countless sport experiences that involve stress, frustration, adversity, and losing.   Resiliency also helps with motivation — another great life success skill!
• Humility – Winning with grace and keeping the ego in check are skills parents can teach their kids through various successful sport experiences.  Humiliating, taunting, and embarrassing opponents are never good things – on or off the field.
• Sportsmanship – Similarly to winning with grace, kids can also learn to be good sports during those tough times as well – like after a humiliating loss, or after experiencing a blown call by a referee.  Sports, like life, aren’t always “fair,” but what’s most important is to respect the rules and opponent at all times – even when spirits are down.

Sport psychology studies have revealed countless life lessons that can be learned through youth sports, but the five skills presented here are at the top of my list.  Conduct your own family audit and see how your gang stacks up — are you fully capitalizing on the youth sport experience, or missing out on some of the big take-aways for your son or daughter?

If you want to help your child get the most out of his or her sport experience but feel you could use some help in accomplishing this task, check out Sport Success 360 and begin setting your family sports goals today!

www.drstankovich.com

Having had the great fortune of teaching, counseling, and mentoring literally thousands of athletes in my career, one of the toughest things for me to watch is when an athletic career ends and the athlete (now former athlete) overlooks or disregards the importance of parlaying the athletic experience into new life endeavors and success.  More simply, while some athletes use the athletic experience for future life success, far too many others compartmentalize the athletic experience and ultimately do not use it to get ahead in life (AHPS).

There are a few truths that every athlete should think about:

1. Every athletic career will eventually end

2. During this transition the athlete will need to decide how much he or she will cull from his or her previous athletic experiences and apply to future life experiences (including career)

3. Athletic transferable skills, or the skills learned in sports that can be transferred throughout life, are there for every athlete to use and help with future life success

Unfortunately, and likely because the sport retirement transition is often abrupt and unpleasant, the majority of former athletes miss out on the real value of sport participation — that is, to learn invaluable life skills that will help across every life domain, including interpersonal relationships, academics, and career.  In other words, sports can serve as a vehicle for future success, rather than an experience that ends when the athlete has played his or her final game.

The point is to remind you to help remind your kids or the kids you coach that the sport experience is actually a “first step” on the road of life, and one that can help trampoline kids into really great future life success!  In order for kids to learn this, we must be overt and direct with our teachings and praise, and help kids actively learn the many sport-life connections.

When young people realize that they already have many tools in their possession that will help them in the big picture of life (i.e. athletic transferable skills like motivation, resiliency, focus, developing mental toughness under pressure, and working successfully with teammates), only then will their sport retirement transition become a facilitating step in their life, as opposed to a debilitating one.

You can learn more about the sport retirement transition, as well as how to use athletic transferable skills by checking out Sport Success 360, or The Parents Playbook!

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Players don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care

That quote is one that has been around for a long time, although the author of it is in question (I have seen it attributed to a number of different people).  Regardless of who first coined the phrase, it’s one that every coach should think about when developing their own unique coaching philosophy (Sport Success 360).  Borrowing from the field of sport psychology, it’s clear that when players feel respected they are far more apt to pay attention to the coach, and they increase their motivation and mental toughness as a result.

Think about it for a moment – people care a lot less about your knowledge in most cases than they do your authenticity and true intentions. Similar to how we often hear the music before we take in the lyrics of a song, human beings more quickly “tune in” to see if you have their better interest in mind before they make an appraisal of your knowledge base.

Some coaches are masterminds of the X’s and O’s, but don’t seem to “connect” with their players.  Other coaches, however, might be light on the strategies of coaching, but terrific at building strong relationships with players on the team – often propelling them to believe in themselves and reach new athletic heights as a result.

How a coach builds rapport with his players is a unique experience, but if he has genuine and true intentions the steps needed to do this really don’t need to be scripted.  What I mean by this is that as human beings, it seems we have a built-in homing device when it comes insincere communication.  With that said, coaches who truly believe in their players don’t really have to do anything except be their genuine, caring selves.

Developing plays and running practice drills are certainly important, but perhaps the biggest job for any coach is to build the trust necessary for his players to believe in him, and more importantly, through that coach-player relationship come to believe in themselves. It is in these moments where players will push out another set in the weight room, run another lap on the track, and study a few more minutes of film.  Players who believe in their coach increase personal motivation, have more fun playing, and develop mental toughness for when times are tough.

Think about the significance of developing strong interpersonal relationships with the players you coach and watch how your team blossoms – if you need some help, check out our popular “Peak Performance for Coaches”audio pro0gram!

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Human fear can be a really tough thing to deal with, and this is especially true in sports.  In fact, sport psychology studies regularly show that when athletes become fearful they often change their entire outlook and paradigm with respect to mental toughness - quickly going from “playing to win” to “playing to avoid losing.”  If you are an athlete, then you already know that when confidence decreases and anxiety increases, the chances for success become greatly reduced.

Acknowledging that fear impacts sports performance is probably not much of a surprise to anyone, but did you know that fear can be broken down into two types — real fear and irrational fear.  In both cases otherwise talented athletes can be reduced to average (or even below average) if they are unable to adequately respond to the fear they experience.

The first type of fear, real fear, is the type of fear that is you might think of when you are legitimately in harms way.  For example, in contact sports there are certainly things an athlete might fear, including the pain associated with a crushing tackle or block.  Interestingly though, this is not the type of fear most athletes struggle with in my experience.

The second type of fear, irrational fear, is when an athlete allows non-threatening factors to impact his or her thinking.  Examples of irrational fear — or threats to one’s ego, not necessarily physical well being — include worrying about the other team, the athlete’s coach, or even the fans in the crowd.  As you can see, in each of these examples there is no physical threat, yet many athletes still experience fear nonetheless.

Fear > Anxiety

What is truly amazing is that regardless of the type of fear an athlete experiences, the body will respond in the same exact way with physiological anxiety. Think about that for a moment – your body will react with the same increased heart rate, shallow breathing, butterflies in the stomach, and tense muscles whether you are running to safety or simply nervous about what the coach might do if you mess up a play!  In other words, anxiety has no preference when it comes to whether human beings are experiencing real or irrational fear.

Irrational Fear in Real-Life

Have you ever been nervous about going on a date?  Or how about a job interview?  What about going to watch a scary movie?  In each of these examples there is obviously little “real” fear we should experience, as none of these examples should put us in harms way.  Still, we often become very nervous in these situations, even though when we think rationally we really shouldn’t be worried at all.

Goals for Athletes

Since we know irrational fear can be a major hindrance to athletes and their athletic success, it is imperative that dedicated efforts be made to prepare for and respond to the times when irrational fear rears it’s ugly head.  “Forewarned is Forearmed” is one way to approach the situation — in other words, if you know that you will likely feel nervous playing in front of big crowds, then it makes sense to develop skills to help for when those situations occur (relaxation skills work very well).  Athletes who do nothing to prepare for this type of stress usually experience it time and time again (as you might expect).  This is sad as often it is the anxiety, and not the athlete’s true talents, that play the biggest role in whether the athlete succeeds.

Think about the impact that fear has on athletic success — and especially how irrational fear prompts the same type of response as real fear does.  If you want to take your game to the next level, it is imperative that you work to minimize irrational fear, and as a result confidence will increase (which is a variable closely associated with athletic success!).

Check out Mind of Steel for help with relaxation strategies and techniques, as well as many more sport science training skills!

www.drstankovich.com

In all my years of being around sports, I cannot ever recall witnessing what happened in Columbus (OH) over the weekend.  As a Columbus resident, it has been no secret that our local NHL team (Blue Jackets) have struggled terribly since entering the league over a decade ago.  Since the franchise first entered the league they have only made it to the playoffs once (losing the to Red Wings 4-0), and have been one of the worst teams in the league annually in the years before and after that sole playoff appearance.  Apparently, some fans have had enough, as evidenced by a recent protest designed to prompt ownership to oust the guys working in the front office argued to be responsible for the ongoing losing culture.  Talk about one hot mess.

The Columbus Blue Jackets (CBJ as they are known to local folk) have been one of the worst franchises in sports history when you compare their futility against other traditionally bad NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL teams.  The CBJ have made coaching and front office changes, as well as player personnel changes, yet still finish each regular season as one of the worst teams in the league. Some fans have clearly had enough.

The CBJ are certainly not the only losing franchise in pro sports, and there have been many other teams from the big four (MLB, NFL, NBA, and NHL) who have had longer losing stretches.  The Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, New York Rangers, Cleveland Browns, and LA Clippers are teams that immediately come to mind when thinking about long droughts of sport futility (although some of these teams have since won championships).  Still, I cannot ever remember fans assembling outside an arena to try and bring a front office down in this manner.  This move, of course, prompts many questions around professional sport franchises and their cultural and potential fiduciary responsibilities (if tax payers are involved in financing the team and/or venue).

In the case of the CBJ, do fans have the right to protest?  And is the current streak of futility entirely the responsibility of the current management team?  And perhaps most importantly – should ownership tune in and listen to what some of the fan base is up in arms about?

In defense of the fans who protested this weekend, it’s easy to see why they assembled – over a decade later and the CBJ have  consistently been one of the worst teams in professional sports.  On the other hand, sports owners know that making quick GM, coach, and player changes isn’t always the answer, either.  Of course, one thing cures all of this – winning.

In these tough financial times the CBJ have witnessed a declining fan base who attend games, and the “branding” of the team around town is almost invisible.  There certainly isn’t a “hockey feel” around central Ohio, which may be the cause of some of the team’s problems — or maybe it is a result of their losing ways.

The fans have spoken, and now it’s time to see what, if anything, ownership will do to appease the growing number of people who are fed up with the CBJ and their losing ways.  Will the team stick with their current team and management, or blow everything up and start from scratch (again)?  Interestingly, there’s an even bigger concern to think about that may play into all of this — that is, does the team even need to win in order to be successful? As hard as it might be to believe, some professional sports franchises have done quite well over the years even though they rarely win (the Chicago Cubs are a perfect example).  Granted, losing teams who maintain a strong fan base are the exception and not the rule, but it will be interesting to watch the coming months to see if the CBJ are serious about winning, or instead content to remain a professional team with a “punchers chance” of making the playoffs every couple of years.

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