Sport and the Growing Good

Why should coaches work with compassion? How can they do it? We discussed the science of compassion and how Coach Jackson centered compassion in his leadership.1. Coach’s perspective on coaching clinics and professional development. “It’s a collaboration of thought and ideas.” “You have to go there with intention on what you want to learn.”2. The importance of storytelling in coaching. “We are telling stories to ourselves all the time…So stories are part of our brain’s activity.”3. Cataloguing stories that lend deep insights into key points you want to make.4. Framing a team’s journey as a story: “We have a journey to make…What kind of story are we going to tell ourselves?”5. Why is compassion relevant as a coach. “As a coach, you are called to drive people farther than they think they can go. To give more effort than they are capable of. And, in the process of doing that, they’re putting their lives and limbs in jeopardy a lot of times. They are playing with this controlled abandon…You’re trying to extend that level of energy to a point where they will be able to change the contest that they’re involved in…In the process, players overextend themselves, they get injured, they lose. You have to commiserate in loss and there is compassion.”6. Shaquille O’Neal aspiring to be like Wilt: Being able to play heavy minutes. John Salley serving as a “go-between” for Shaq: “He wonders, do you think he’s doing a good job?”7. Connections between Buddhism and Christianity: “In Buddhism, compassion is the response from the Buddha. In Christianity, love is the response from Jesus. The two come together.” 8. “We all suffer…Suffering is part of human nature.”9.   “It doesn’t have to be the big hug, but it has to be the understanding and the care. It can even be in the eyes.”10.  Compassion: “to suffer with.” It has an action element with it.11. Compassion can “come from some basic things: a touch, a greeting, a ‘job well done…’”12. Acknowledging challenges as a coach is important.13. The critical nature of turning points. 1) newness; 2) injury; 3) not going well; 4) critical incident.14. “Every coach who has done this for a while knows his way around a training room. Being there to support and commiserate.”15. Elvin Hayes’ injury at a critical time.16.  Kobe Bryant ankle sprain during the finals: Handling it with compassion and firmness. “I’m so sorry that you’re not going to be able to do this.” Energy in coming back from the biggest disappointment of his career led to a big victory two days later.17.  Compassionomics book.18.  The details of compassion. Wording of questions. Touch. Physical presence.19.  The team supporting Scottie Pippen after a personal loss. Brought him to the middle of the room and putting a hand on him.20.  Johns Hopkins University study: Compassion reduces anxiety.21.  Showing a team “we’re in it together.” Example from a hostile environment. Sacrificing himself for the good of the team.22.  Virtuous cycles. Virtue compounds.23.  Coaches are “Riding the racehorse…The team is running the race. You can rank at the reins and yell… but the reality is, we’re in this together…You need to do it in a humanistic, compassionate way.”24.  Getting Michael Jordan to be patient with Steve Kerr, who’d been struggling to contend with John Stockton.25.  “Some of it has to be, ‘How compassionate can we be with ourselves?’” 

In this session, Coach Jackson discusses his background with visualization and how he used it with his teams over the years. Visualization is a powerful tool in sports, backed by extensive research on its neurological, psychological, and performance benefits. By incorporating vivid, goal-oriented, and emotionally engaging imagery into their routines, athletes can enhance their physical and mental preparation, ultimately improving performance. Its effectiveness is maximized when combined with physical practice, tailored guidance, and consistent repetition.1.     Coach Jackson’s first experiences with visualization. His mom took a friend into his room: “Watch this child, I don’t know what this child does as a three year old”…She said, ‘it looked like you were catching balls, going through those motions.’ Probably there was something to that. There was some imagery going on in my brain as a child.” 2.     “One of our issues as human beings is that we’re moving on to next instead of living with now. So, living in the now is really the ideal…However, visualization has a purpose when goals are to be attained and things have to be planned, visualization becomes practical at that point.” 3.     Using visualization as a fifth grader in Great Falls, Montana. And later as a pitcher in baseball. “You imagine what it’s going to be like…It became part of my prep.” 4.     Using downtime for visualization. 5.     Coach Jackson’s brother using hypnosis on him to get him ready for pitching in high school after an injury. “I went out and had a two hitter…It was another event that led into the idea that the mind is a big participant in the athletic experience.” 6.     Tex Winter using visualization. What did he visualize?  7.     Pairing video with visualization. Show video and then tell the team. 8.     The learning curve. Developing muscle memory – neurons and synapses in the brain.  9.     A game against San Antonio in the playoffs, when things were tough.  10.  Bringing other senses into practice. Touch. Sioux and the “counting coup.” Example with Pat Riley. “That feeling or touch or using physical presence is beyond the mental.” 11.  Visualizing both success and failure. Gaining perspective and context. 12.  Visualizing what is about to happen. Bulls vs. Jazz in game 6. Talking to MJ. “You know exactly what their go-to play is ... (we will get the steal vs Malone)…” 13.  “We all knew in our mind’s eye what it looked like for our opponent to do what they do.” 14.  “What you’ve been doing is dropping your hand because you’re tired.” On the winning shot, MJ held his hand high. “That was something that was just already an image.” 15.  Visualizing individually. Having a conversation with a competitive skier.  16.  Is visualizing still a part of Coach’s routine? Yes. “One of our problems as human beings is that we’re not involved in the current moment of totally doing the task that we’re doing. And, so, as a consequence, we’re moving on to the next task…And that’s part of human nature. I think one of the things that meditation does is it puts you in the moment doing the task you’re doing fully. So, next has to take a backseat until it’s useful. Until you need to actually be prepping or planning for what your activity is going to be…To always be moving on to the next task means you don’t complete the task you’re doing. And that’s the thing that’s really important, is that you fully engage in the task that you’re doing. So that you’re completing it with nothing left undone…You need to complete the task that you’re doing fully.” 17.  Visualizing the drive from Montana to California.  18.  Metacognition and visualization – how do they interact? 19.  Differences in visualizing as a player and a coach.  20.  How far ahead to you visualize? “I used to do two weeks…There’s a goal and there’s a timeframe.”

Faisal Abdu’Allah is a Professor of Art at UW-Madison and a BIOS Fellow. Faisal’s art has been shown around the world and he’s also a beloved teacher. Some of his recent work unfolds in athletics settings. He’s an important partner for BIOS in our work on “the representation of sport in society.” In this episode, we discussed:1.     Faisal’s work at UW-Madison – balancing art and administration.2.     Growing up in London.3.     The formative influence of home-based barbershops.4.     His early experiences with art, and the important role of his teacher in opening new opportunities.5.     Attending art school. Working as an artist.6.     Faisal’s background as a semi-pro soccer player.7.     Similarities and confluences between art and sport. Dedication. Premonition.8.     How environment affects work. Order. Intentionality.9.     Art projects with UW Athletics. Being a storyteller with art.10.  His current exhibit, “Family Ties.”11.  Developing relationships while making art. Partnering with Ron Dayne and other teammates.

All coaches and leaders face conflict in their groups. We never seek conflict or problems, but these times can be defining times for our teams. Leaders need to have skills in leading through conflict. In this session with Coach Jackson, we discussed the research on leading through conflict and gained Coach’s perspectives based on his extensive experiences. We discussed:1.     Circling back to the Shivas Irons quote on coaching as a “serious and solemn act.”2.     Being settled personally before being able to coach a group.3.     “You never can step in the same river twice…Every incident, every process, every relationship with a team is always new.” 4.     Being flexible and in the moment.5.     Michael Jordan’s competitiveness and the associated challenges of keeping back-up guards.6.     The Lakers wilting when attempting to finish games. Speaking about it directly. No response from team… so directly addressing it again the next day. Kobe defending himself. 7.     “Sleeping on problems.” 8.     Anger as “an opportunity.”9.     Team play emphasis when coming through conflict. “We can do this together.”10.  Role modeling during periods of conflict.11.  Having conversations on the team about world events and things going on in society.12.  Getting rid of ego.13.  Demonstrating putting yourself second to players. “I sat in the front of the bus, but I got in the back of the line.”14.  Self-control is a leadership quality.15.  Knowing when to step back as coach. Bill Cartwright’s example of leadership.16.  Narcissism is challenging.17.  Feeling alone as a leader.18.  Taking care of ourselves physically and mentally as leaders. 19.  Doing the right thing at the right time. “Appeasing the basketball gods.” 20.  Having someone who’s not part of the leadership who can be a valuable sounding board or pressure release.

Jason Lopez joined us for an excellent conversation on his latest research and teaching. As a BIOS fellow, Jason contributes expertise in the areas of sports media and cultural studies. We discussed:1.     What Jason studies as a professor of sports media. Athlete activism and speech. The unscripted nature of sports. Sports games: fantasy sports, sports gambling.2.     Jason’s journey to academia. Philosophy studies. Key people along the way.3.     Being a third generation Dodger fan. Allegiance to L.A. sports teams.4.     Media literacy. How it’s made, how it’s communicated, what’s done with it.5.     New book about sports betting. Gambling has always been a part of the business. “Games are good for sports business.” 6.     The power of education in the area of sports gambling.7.     Student interests shift. More talk about sports betting. More interests in different sports. F1. WNBA. More students wanting to work in sports media. There are more opportunities.8.     Serving as a BIOS fellow. “BIOS has been really inspiring for me…Going to talks and hearing people work on aspects of sports that I never would engage with otherwise, I really come away really energized. Also, it’s helped me have conversations and make connections that I don’t think I would have had otherwise.”9.     A new paper with BIOS fellow Professor Julie Stamm.10.  Sports don’t have to be the way they are. 

Every coach wants a superstar on the team! But coaching and leading a great player is not always easy as leaders attempt to foster an entire organization. Lionel Messi was the greatest player in the history of the game, and his journey illustrates some complex leadership decisions that Barca needed to make in order to sustain success during and beyond his tenure with the team. In this fourth episode on the Barca case with Professor Jordi, we discussed:1.     Review of past weeks – the history of Barca, the impact of Cruyff, and the importance of La Masia.2.     Messi’s journey to La Masia and the club as a young player. “It was a perfect environment for him.”3.     “The talent is enhanced by the system.”4.     Messi’s early success with the club.5.     Messi as a leader. “He was shy…He was a leader in a different way…He didn’t speak very much in the dressing room…but the place where he was speaking was on the field…He created the glue that sustained the team in many ways.”6.     “He understood very well that the system needed to be in place in order for the team to evolve.”7.     Dilemmas that faced the team during Messi’s later years with the team. Balancing salary, fit, and other variables. Long-term vision.8.     Post-Messi, the club re-invested in its values and La Masia – to reach the championship again.9.     The importance of belonging, belief and connectedness. 10.  The enduring legacy of Barca as it plays out through Guardiola, Xavi, Iniesta and others.

Our coaching class discussed the importance of individual and collective identity formation. We also addressed Coach Jackson’s notion of “telling a story” as a team. We discussed:1.        Erving Goffman’s – “presentation of self in society” – front stage selves and back stage selves. We think there are “scripts” we need to follow.2.        4 types of Identity formationa.        incremental formation – Vance Walberg – hard workers – everyday evidence.b.        dark night of the soul – through challenge – “everyone has a plan until you get punched in the face”– St. John of the Cross.c.        in relation to opponents/context – Bulls “peaceful Warriors” – storytelling, engagement. d.        punctuated equilibrium – a noteworthy event reveals who we are – Example: Bulls vs. Pistons.3.        As all of these types of identity formation may be playing out, coaches are critical in shaping the trajectory as “a story we’re writing.” We are the authors of the script. 

La Masia is one of the leading youth academies in the world. It prepares elite athletes, while emphasizing holistic growth and development. As the primary educational system for the FC Barcelona club, the Academy has evolved over the years. The program is rooted in sound educational and developmental research. Professor Jordi Diaz Gibson guided us through some of the key aspects of La Masia. We discussed:1.     La Masia (“farmhouse”). Its history and how it’s changed over the years. 2.     Cruyff put La Masia and “learning” at the center of FC Barcelona. “This is the way we understand the game (total futbol) and this is the way we will train.”3.     Holistic development at La Masia: “Masia 360.” The learning process is central. “It is the heart of the club.”4.     Carles Folguera. Striving to develop elite players and elite human beings. “We need to make a project for the ones who don’t make it.”5.     The experiences of Andres Iniesta at La Masia.6.     Alignment around a “common language.” 7.     The importance of physical spaces that foster interaction.8.     La Masia’s production of top Barca players (65% of its players). Developmentally effective and economically efficient. “We are proud of investing in innovation and development.”9.     The Barcelona Innovation Hub.

In this session, we continue discussing the leadership of FC Barcelona (Barca), one of the great sports organizations in the world. Barca’s emergence as a leading club was deeply influenced by Johan Cruyff. In this conversation with Professor Jordi Diaz Gibson, we discussed:1.     Cruyff’s background as a player and coach.2.     “Cruyff created the DNA of the team … not only the way the team plays, but the way the organization flows.”3.     Barca before Cruyff. Real Madrid as the main team historically. Dictator Franco as Real Madrid fan – the cultural importance and seeds of the rivalry with Barca.4.     Cruyff’s vision. Intelligence. Space. Ball possession. “Total futbol.”5.     Creating a learning academy: La Masia.6.     Team culture, community investment. “He wanted to have the roots of the team in the values of Catalonia.”7.     What was Cruyff like as a leader? 8.     Cruyff’s key decisions and actions relating to the political and cultural context of the times. Grounding in Catalonian values. Arts, creativity, collectivity.9.     The importance of knowing and understanding the context of where we lead. The values and strengths of the setting.10.  The example of Pep Guardiola. Others in the Cruyff legacy.11.  Cross-sport collaboration. Multi-sport influence. The exchange of ideas between coaches.12.  Homophily (the tendency to spent time with people who are like us). Propinquity (the disproportionate influence of what’s nearest to us). Being purposeful about getting beyond our silos.

In this session, we discussed the importance of having a system to give your team focus and direction. Coach Jackson also gave many other words of wisdom for aspiring coaches and leaders as we seek to impact others in sports.1.     The importance of physical surroundings and living by water.2.     Situational awareness. 3.     Having a system. “It allows a team to focus.”4.     “The first 30 minutes of practice are the most important because it’s what the player remembers.”5.     The importance of “entrances and beginnings.”6.     Gathering in a circle at the beginning of practice.7.     “The moment of truth” when bringing the ball up the court.8.     The importance of the physical space and what it represents. Bulls meeting room: The White Bull. A head dress. Arrows and bows. 9.     Finding the balance in “sticking to the system” vs. adapting.10.  Putting in constraints in practice to encourage player development.11.  Coach Jackson’s journaling. An “event journal.”12.  Off-season reflection routines.13.  “You have to be a salesman if you’re a coach.”14.  Teaching the team how to breathe together.15.  Keeping scrimmages competitive in practice. Mix-up the lineups. E.g., matching up Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.16.  Being more patient as a more experienced coach. 17.  Keeping players calm. Breathing.18.  Rooting.19.  Snapping the rubber band to get back to yourself.20.  “Know yourself. Be yourself.”