Performer

Where Do We Draw the Line in Elite Sport?

Where Do We Draw the Line in Elite Sport?

Recent scandals, including multiple allegations and criminal cases of serious abuse, have rocked sport around the world. Arguably the most egregious example is the case of USA gymnastics, which should serve as a cautionary tale for everybody involved in sport at all levels. Against this backdrop, there has been something of an avalanche of allegations of bullying and improper conduct that are presently playing out in the public sphere. In turn, this has prompted calls for national sporting bodies to be less obsessively driven by winning medals. The perils of the ‘winning at all costs’ mentality have been cited as the reason behind the toxic environments and climate of fear that has been alleged in multiple sports, notably in the investigations that are presently ongoing within the UK. But of course winning on the world stage does come at a cost, both financial and personal. So where should we draw the line?

Achieving an ‘Integrated Support Team’

Achieving an ‘Integrated Support Team’

Multi-disciplinary support teams have become ubiquitous in Olympic sports and institutes of sport, and professional sports teams in Europe and elsewhere have since used their impressive budgets to assemble ever-growing support casts who increasingly outnumber the performers on the field. More recently the major professional sports in North America have followed this trend, with more and more teams in the league transitioning to a high performance model for their staffing and provision of athlete support. Whilst it is relatively straightforward to replicate an organisational structure, the central challenge that everybody continues to grapple with is how to make this work in practice. Coordinating a disparate group of individuals to provide seamless support to performers is no small task. Integration is what everybody still seems to be searching for; true collaboration is the holy grail that we all aspire to, but that is several steps further down the path. With this latest offering we explore these questions and consider lessons from other realms such as the special operations forces that might help us to achieve these elusive outcomes.

The Evolving Role of Coaches and Coaching Beyond Sport

The Evolving Role of Coaches and Coaching Beyond Sport

The Last Dance is a very recent example that illustrates how a glimpse into elite sport at ground level has the power to enthrall so many. In particular, the world of sport and coaching holds a fascination for leaders in business and commerce. Sport serves as a metaphor for much in the business world and the language used in meeting rooms across all sectors tends to be rife with sporting references. The growing use of the terms ‘coach’ and ‘coaching’ within organisations and different professional realms seems to be the latest example of this phenomenon. Or might there be more to this development?