#122: Sidney Moncrief on using the private and public platforms of sports to work for justice

We continue our SGG conversations with Sidney Moncrief, whose perspectives on leading for justice are rooted in years of competing, leading, and learning at the highest levels. In this episode, we discussed:

1. What Made Don Nelson special: he understood the value of having a good support team and he made sure to be authentic during his interactions with both his assistant coaches and his players to create sincere relationships with them. (9:08)
2. “The wisdom that I had when I played came from humility and self awareness” (13:30)
3. “When he became a leader on the Bucks he eliminated hazing because he wanted the new players to be able to come to him and not be looked down upon or pass judgment… he would just give them the facts” (15:23)
4. “It’s easy for anyone to become insecure about a number of things and as a coach you really need to guard against that.” (19:38)
5. The negative effects of social media on athletes. (24:47)
6. His perspective of diversity, equity, inclusion throughout the sports landscape while playing at Arkansas. (28:30)
7. Learning from his experience playing tennis with Sam Walton. (32:27)
8. “When you're in your 20s you really don’t have the wherewithal, it’s all about ‘me’ and … you are not leveraging potential relationships to do good things for others” (36:00)
9. “I don’t care how famous you are or how many followers you have, always speak from an educated perspective know both sides.” (38:24)
10. You have to use both your public and your private platforms. (39:58)
11. Learning from his conversation with Senator Kohl. (41:33)
12. Learning about intentionality as a part of his GRIT concept. (43:00)
13. How sports give him the platform today. (45:47)
14. “Our job as older players is to make ourselves relevant… take current issues and collaborations to make things better. (46:39)
15. The effect of his mom keeping composure during times of crisis. (48:28)
16. Why coaches have to guard their players too much information. (52:23)