The Sports Doc Chalk Talk

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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One of the most challenging duties a coach is faced with is keeping his team upbeat, positive, motivated, and optimistic after losing a game (or enduring a losing streak).  Coaching is a lot easier when the team is winning, but what about the times where the team is dejected, frustrated, and with little confidence for the future (Sport Success 360)?  It is in these moments that the overall success of a coach is often measured.

I have always liked the saying “forewarned is forearmed,” with the implication that if we have a good idea of what is ahead we can responsibly prepare for the experience.  In sports, it is inevitable that you will lose, so it is important for coaches to think ahead about the strategies that might be considered when dealing with dejected players who seem to have lost their hope and confidence for future team success.  By spending a few minutes thinking ahead of time how to handle these types of situations, the likelihood for a faster bounce-back increases dramatically – as does the team’s resiliency and chances for future success.

As with most things in life, the way a coach handles defeat with his team is about as unique as each coach and his players.  Still, there are a few important aspects of team dynamics as they relate to future team success that are worth considering, including the following:

• After a loss one of the most important things a coach can do is to emphasize effort (assuming the team didn’t quit).  By positively reinforcing effort, you will essentially be shaping future behaviors that, in all likelihood, will lead to future success.
• Re-frame the experience. It goes without saying that losing is never fun, but often when we lose in life we tend to make the experience more catastrophic than is necessary (or accurate).  Losing a big game can be deflating, but is it the end of the world?  Are there experiences to build on, or ways to use the experience to come back stronger later in the season?  If it is an early-season loss, how can you keep it in perspective so that the rest of the season isn’t lost?
• Even in losses, there are always important points to build on for the future. What did the team do right?  Were there specific plays that went well, or periods in the game where you were more competitive?  Great coaches find those moments and use them to build positive future scaffolding to use to improve the team as the season wears on over time.
• Teach the team to develop a short memory for losing. Great athletes have incredibly short memories, and instead channel their focus and motivation toward the next practice, training session, or game.  This is not something they are “born with,” but instead a skill they have developed over time that has allowed them to learn from their previous frustrations, adversities, and failures.
• Ask the team for their input. Authoritarian coaches out there may not like to hear this, but when people (in this case, the team) are solicited and encouraged to share their thoughts and perspectives in a democratic-type manner, they often begin to take even more ownership of their experience (and play harder as a result).  This perceived “loss of power” does not imply that the coach should sit back and allow the team to take over in the film room or when looking at ways for improving in the future, but instead suggests that coaches find a delicate balance between their own instruction and soliciting input from the team.  How could we have done that better?  What play might have been more effective in that situation?  Ask the team and listen closely – you might be surprised at what you learn!

To learn more about effective strategies for coaching kids, check out our popular audio Peak Performance for Youth Sport Coaches

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As a sports fan, there’s nothing worse than getting ready for another long season when you already know before the season starts that your team will be in the basement – again. Some professional teams are annual losers, including the LA Clippers (who still need to prove they will be a winner this year), the Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Columbus Blue Jackets to name a few (AHPS).  Of course, there are plenty more professional sport franchises that excel in futility, so today’s blog goes out to you, the die-hard true fan of an annually terrible sports team.

Unlike the front running fan, the die-hard usually starts each season with a glimmer of guarded hope, thinking this year might be different – that those years worth of high draft picks will finally pay off.  Unfortunately, be it due to economic hardships of the team, poor scouting & development, poor on-field management, or any other conceivable reason (injuries?), the team ends up out of the race within the first few weeks of the season.  It is at this point where the loyal fan must “suck it up,” deflect criticism from friends and co-workers, and somehow find a way to carry on through the rest of the season when about the only excitement he will have will be to think about what possible first round draft pick his team can get in the upcoming draft.

For you Celtic, Laker, Patriot, and Yankee fans, can you only imagine how horrific this sports experience is compared  to yours?!

Have no worries fans of bad teams, the Sports Doc is here to help by providing some quick tips to help you get through the season(s):

• Make a joke out of it. It is widely accepted that humor is a great tool to help ward off stress, so make it a point to let your guard down and roll with the punches whenever possible.  Face it, your team is rotten, so you might as well have a good laugh, right?!
• Don’t take it to heart. Sports fans are famous for taking ownership of the teams they follow, often cultivating a personal identity tied to the team.  While this is interesting for sport scientists to study, it’s typically not good to put so much value into your team that your overall attitude and well-being are greatly mediated by your team’s success (or lack thereof).  Instead, roll with the punches and remember that it’s just a game.
• Don’t be a fair weather fan.  Yes, there is no doubt it’s tough to continue to follow a crummy team, but it’s also a very admirable and worthwhile pursuit.  Sure, it would be easy to be like LeBron James and just pick all the good sports teams to follow, but you don’t want to be like that do you?!
• Take even more pride in your team when they lose. If you really want to confuse the people in your life – and have some fun amidst a trying season – buy some new gear and wear it proudly.  Sure, it probably won’t help your team in the standings, but it’s a fun way to deal with losing.
• Balance your team’s success against other important things in your life. Remember, sports are entertainment, so no matter how long the season becomes with ongoing losing, try to keep it in perspective by balancing sports against your family, friends, and other important people and things that you like to do.

Whether you follow good teams or bad, be sure to check out our always-expanding product line of sport performance products only at www.drstankovich.com

I wrote an article for The Examiner today about how the Cleveland Cavaliers can improve their sports performance and break their current 26 game losing streak (the longest in sports history).  The advice I gave was for the team to use present focus orientation rather than get caught up thinking about the length of the streak (past focus), or looking too far ahead toward the end of the season when everyone can look toward next year (future focus).  While it may seem like incredibly simple and obvious advice, the reality is that directing and maintaining ones focus on the only thing important in sports — the next play — is something that can be very difficult to do (Mind of Steel).

In the field of sport psychology this is an example of a skill designed to help improve mental toughness.Similar to how millions of people struggle with weight loss, and as a result tend to look “outside the box” for quick fixes and cures, athletes often do the same thing when it comes to superstitious ideas about how to break a slump.  For everyday people battling weight, many look to extreme diets or even radical surgeries to fix the problem, when all they really have to do is the same thing that has worked since human beings first walked the earth – eat less food and move your body more.  The same is true with sports — there are no “quick fixes,” but when athletes really pull all their focus together and direct it toward in-the-moment experiences many good things happen.  In addition to having greater concentration and focus acuity, athletes also become more resilient toward stress as they don’t stop and dwell on bad plays (they are already looking toward the next play).

Unfortunately, when it comes to focus life often gets in the way, making the task of staying on focus a much more difficult proposition than what it may appear.  By the way, this is not unique to professional sports — if you are a parent, how many times have you looked out toward the outfield and noticed a youngster picking dandelions instead of getting ready for the next batter?!

When athletes struggle with focus the biggest problem I see is that they tend to over-correct perceived problems that may not even exist.  For example, many athletes will immediately want to tweak their swing or shot – sometimes even obsessively -  even though their real problem stems from something entirely different (like a focus, anxiety, or anger problem).  Still, the false thinking is usually “fix my swing” rather than working toward improving attentional focus.

For the Cavs, the real task they face right now is minimizing outside distractions (like the daily media cycle that features their losing streak at the top of the news).  Of course, adding future talent will also help, but even with the guys they have right now they can still win a few games.  Coach Byron Scott has many hats to wear right now, inclduing teacher, coach, mentor, and disciplinarian, amongst others — but his real task will be getting his guys to direct their focus on the next play.  Yes, simple advice, but sometimes it is simple advice that pays the biggest dividends in life!

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Did you happen to see the Derek Anderson post-game interview blowup last week? In case you missed it, Anderson was questioned by a reporter about his mental toughness and why he was laughing on the sidelines while he team was getting beat up on the field. Anderson vehemently rejected accusation that he was “having fun on the sidelines,” even though video footage clearly showed him sharing a laugh with a teammate. For some fans, it was akin to inappropriate laughing at a funeral.

If you missed the Derek Anderson story from last week, you had to have seen the LeBron James return to Cleveland, where yet again fans were left puzzled watching James hug and joke around with his former Cavalier teammates (which only became more bizarre as the Heat mounted a 30 point lead on the Cavs). Similar to the Anderson story, fans expected one thing but saw the exact opposite. Rather than shun the self proclaimed “King,” Cavalier players warmed up to him – at times even appearing to be joking with him. Anderson Varejao hugged LeBron moments before tipoff, and Cavs players were caught on camera throughout the game laughing and smiling with James.  Needless to say, fans wondered about how the Cavs could have a positive sports performance on the court while laughing and joking around with James.

Both the Derek Anderson and LeBron James stories prompt us to think about one really big question:

Should losing and laughing ever go together?

Fans want to believe that games are fueled by hatred and animosity between players, which largely explains why certain cities have such heated rivalries between one another. Fans want to believe their teams will do anything to win, and that the other team is the enemy. The reality, however, may be far different than fans would ever want to imagine.

Professional athletes are part of the same fraternity and professional players union, and many are actually good friends. In fact, some athletes have even played together or against one another well before the pros, often through high school, college, or premier club teams. Fans often forget about this, instead believing that athletes on opposing teams actually hate one another — which may be why so many fans are bothered by these recent stories.

Athletes face a real sports psychology conundrum when it comes to pleasing fans. Much like “pro” wrestling, athletes sometimes have to fake their disdain toward each other in order to generate fan interest – and revenue for the league. When fans believe that athletes are only competing recreationally amongst buddies, the illusion of hatred evaporates – and so does fan interest and support.

The business model of professional sports depends heavily on fans spending money on games and apparel. When fans believe athletes compete as if they don’t like one another, fan interest level increases – and so does fan spending. On the other hand, when fans believe athletes are more interested in having fun with one another than they are winning, fan support can dwindle in a hurry, dramatically impacting the bottom line (just ask Cleveland about this after last week’s odd interactions between current Cavalier players and LeBron James).

Of course, when teams lose money, leagues are hit as well, and the decrease in fan support (and revenue) eventually trickles down to the players as evidenced by lower salary caps and revenue sharing. All of this goes back to how athletes are perceived by fans. It is for this reason that athletes today may need to be more covert in their friendly relationships with one another, at least during game days.

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