a minipost
I was listening to a panel discussion of elite sports psychologists, sports scientists, and a sports anthropologist when a question was posed:
Could a Ted Lasso exist?
If you haven't seen the show, Lasso is an American college football coach who is suddenly hired to coach an English Premier League team. He had success in his D-II school, but it was clear he was hired to fail. It turns out he didn't.
There was some laughter among audience members, but the panel members took it seriously. It could work. You'd need someone who was an incredible learner with success leading a team of some kind. Someone great at listening, observing and thinking. They've need a Beard - a character who happens to be a serious soccer expert (among other things), but would never cut it as a coach. Creating a bond with the players, listening to them, and be willing to experiment is key. You'd also need management willing to put up with the time required to create a success.
The anthropologist noted some of these qualities are missing in NFL, NBA, MBA, and NHL coaching. Coaches tend to be extremely confident of themselves and there is pressure to win. Team culture can suffer and creativity is low compared with some other types of teams. He pointed out some women's teams - particularly soccer and indoor volleyball - are extremely innovative with positive team cultures well beyond any men's pro team he's seen.
There was general agreement among those in the panel. Coaching has a way to go in the big pro leagues, but the types of coaches selected are an issue. A great women's soccer or indoor volleyball coach (several were mentioned) could be a Ted Lasso if they had a Beard at their side and the time to create change. As an example a women's volleyball coach was mentioned. Something of a household name in sports, he's as passionate figuring out how to coach a team of pre-teens as he is his countries national team. He's experimenting and learning and might make a discovery with some twelve year old kids that works with his olympians.
It's culture all the way down at the top. Maybe some of these multimillion dollar coaches aren't worth it, but it's unlikely the culture that selects them will change.
It's an interesting game to think about the question in teams outside of sports.
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