Book review about sport journalism

EAC 955 NBA NBB Week 6

“Responding to the media, or playing to the media, or listening to the fans is the quickest way to start losing.”

Sam Pollack

"Talent sets the floor, character sets the ceiling."

Bill Belichick

“I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle – victorious.”

Vince Lombardi 

Sports Management: The Make-up of a Champion Franchise

Introduction

In a previous lectures, I showed you how sports teaches us valuable life lessons for example, how to boost your performances both at school and the workplace. In this lecture, you are going to see what it takes to be a great manager in the workforce by studying what the best of the best do in sport. Read ahead to find out how.

What makes a championship franchise? Aside from a huge payroll, it’s principally:

· quality administration in terms of management, scouting, and coaching as well as

· superb physical conditioning programs of athletes using state of the art medical and psychological science.

Behind every successful sports franchise is a premium general manager (GM). A GM ultimately decides who will play on the team roster, who will coach the team and who will be involved in its day-to-day operations such as business administration/contract negotiations, scouting of talent, conditioning and medical support.

He or she is the head of the organization. All success and or failure then ultimately rest on his or her shoulders.

What skills and attributes must a superb general manager have? You will discover a number of them by the first exercises provided in this unit.

Coaching is also essential to the success of a championship sports franchise. In this unit, you will discover some of the key traits required for success in this highly demanding, pressure-filled position.

Finally, we will look at the scouting, player development and analytics component of sport. Excellent player evaluations both in terms of drafting, free agent acquisitions and trades make or break a sports organization.

The first two units will be different from most. They will really challenge your critical thinking skills through a series of exercises. This is an alternative approach to learning that I want to experiment with.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this unit, you will be able to:

· Gain a better understanding sports management and coaching and the make-up of championship franchises.

· Gain a better understanding of the use of Sabermetrics (analytics and data mining) for sport.

· Apply and identify this understanding on those in sport who exhibit the leadership traits of a champion. And,

· Consider which of these traits you can apply in your day-to-day life.

Vince Lombardi

The following website is a tribute to Vince Lombardi- the late and legendary coach of the NFL Green Bay Packers. The first half of it displays Lombardi’s wisdom on winning and life. Does his philosophy connect with your day-to-day approach to living?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=87ieKzW0Jhk

Scotty Bowman

Scotty Bowman is regarded by many to be the greatest NHL coach in history. The following is short video on him. Check it out on the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuJYDI1s3Oo

If your computer can’t process online video, simply read the text portion of this online lecture.

If you know of any other links that would be appropriate for this unit, please forward them to me by e-mail. I would be most appreciative.

Once again, just as I’ve said every other week in this course, this is just a reminder that whenever you see words that are capitalized, in big letters, have been bolded, coloured, underlined, or highlighted, I am simply trying to emphasize something. Please don’t assume that I’m writing in anger here. Thanks. (

To help you maximize the learning outcomes of this lecture, you will be asked a variety of questions as we go along. I have broken down this lecture into three parts. Try answering them on your printed lecture notes. Some of these questions will also be made available for the second Discussion Forum. Answering them on the Discussion Forum- though is optional.

These questions will help you discover for yourself what it takes to run a successful sports franchise. As you go along, consider which ones are transferable in the “real world.” If you aspire to take on a leadership role in your future career, you should rate yourself in terms of which of these skills you possess and set out ways to pursue those that you don’t.

Part I: The Traits of a Great GM

“A fish stinks from the head on down.”

Dave “Tiger” Williams

Running a successful professional sports franchise is an incredibly complicated undertaking. It is not a one person job. Nevertheless, success begins and ends with two key elements: ownership and team management.

Smart ownership hires smart people to run their sports teams. At the very top of the management chain is the general manager (GM) who ultimately decides who will be on the team roster; who will coach the major and minor league teams and who will be involved in player contract negotiations and the scouting of talent. He is the chief “strategist” who administers the long term objectives of a team. He initiates 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 year plans as to what the franchise must achieve and administers the necessary measures to make these objectives happen. He seldom interferes in the tactical game day operations of his club which is the duty of a coach. Quality GM’s allow their coaches to coach but are helpful in terms of providing advice and also support them during rough periods.

In winning organizations, ownership also tries to steer free of interfering with the management of a team. They should only intercede if there conflicts or concerns in terms finances. Quality ownership sets agreed upon objectives with their GM and monitors the team’s progress. They also show patience in terms of seeing the objectives being met. They are noted for having “low panic buttons.”

When you think of great managers in sports, names such as Stan Kasten of the Atlanta Hawks, Jerry West of the Los Angles Lakers/Memphis Grizzlies and Jerry Krause of the Chicago Bulls immediately come to mind. Their counter parts in hockey are the likes of Sam Pollack of the Montreal Canadiens, Bill Torrey of the New York Islanders and Glen Sather of the dynasty Edmonton Oilers. In Baseball, former Blue Jay general manager and Hall of Famer, Pat Gillick remains a legend in these parts while in the NFL, Ron Wolf and his past work with the Green Bay Packers evokes the word genius.

The single greatest mistake that any ownership group can make is to hire a “second rate” GM. Great general managers build great teams by first hiring a strong “brain trust” of advisors dedicated towards a singular purpose: winning a championship and nothing less. Second rate GM’s hire second rate personnel. In sports, winning is often based on “fractional differences.” If your key decision maker is not as qualified as a league’s elite general managers, his team will not succeed. As music producers like to say, “Garbage in, garbage out.” Or as former Toronto Maple Dave “Tiger” Williams put it, “A fish stinks from the head on down.” If at any moment you tolerate something that is second rate, then the final product will be second rate.

So what makes for a great general manager?

The following exercise provides point form notes that will help you discover the necessary traits for success in this position. The more of these characteristics that a GM possesses, the greater he or she will be in this occupation. Having just a few of these traits- even at superior levels is not enough. Many gifted evaluators of talent for instance, failed at management because they did not have the necessary people, business and/or organizational skills to excel in this pressure-filled occupation.

Please read this section and then answer the questions below. You Do Not Need To Submit Your Answers To Me. To make this more interesting, pick your favourite team’s General Manager and see if he or she meets this checklist. At the same time, what traits covered here do you possess or might want to work on to help you succeed both here at Seneca and beyond?

Great Sports General Mangers Possess Most of the Following Traits:

Knowledge & Intelligence

· Possess exceptional intelligence. They do not necessarily need a university education or possess a superior vocabulary. What they need is an obvious mental sharpness evidenced by the way they perceive, create, and respond things.

· Know every facet of their sport in every conceivable way.

· Played their sport professionally or at some elite level.

· Have a minimum of 5-7 years of experience; and if very young, are shrewd enough to surround themselves with very wise, highly experienced counsel.

· Have learned from their administrative mistakes as well as those of their peers.

Leadership Skills

· Decisiveness.

· Low panic buttons. Are patient but opportunistic. That is, they do not make rash decisions but if an opportunity presents itself, and there is little time to decide, they’ll pounce on it. They know when to roll the dice.

· Excellent gut instincts.

· Can be ruthless if necessary or make tough decisions for the greater good of the team.

· Can be compassionate when necessary.

· Understand the importance of being discrete be it with player issues or trading partners.

Character Attributes

· Winning is first and foremost on their minds.

· They are unwilling to do anything that’s second rate. They will not just collect a paycheck. They will only work with owners who are committed to winning.

· Confident but not arrogant.

· Are not publicity hounds.

· Keep their emotions in check and have a thick skin with regards to both the fans and media.

· Exude patience and calmness- especially under pressure scenario’s such as losing streaks or poor seasons.

· Creative and innovative. They do not wait for new trends; instead they create them. For example, baseball’s Billy Bean and his use of “money ball”/sabermetrics for the Oakland A’s has not only revolutionized this game but sport in general. In hockey, Former Boston Bruins’ GM Peter Chiarelli (now with the Edmonton Oilers) shrewdly built a very tough and skilled 4 line non-superstar team. Each line consisted of B+ to A- players making it hard for opposing clubs to send out checking lines and thus, reduced player injuries; as there were few members of his team for opponents key in on and try to injure.

· Incorporate successful ideas outside of their sport.

· Willing to change- are not living in the past and will do whatever is necessary to win- including putting their egos in check. They do not repeat making the same mistakes over and over again out of sheer stubbornness.

· Adaptability. As the game changes, they readjust their views to stay one managerial step ahead of their competitors. They spearhead change to give their team a competitive advantage. They innovate and do not remain stagnant.

· Wisely devise contingency plans (plan B’s) to deal with “unexpected” scenarios such as key injuries.

· Are not into instant gratification but instead build for the future in order to win championships. Are constantly replenishing the stockpile of young talent on their rosters.

· Are always freeing-up unnecessary players (assets) and their salaries for the potential to obtain others via trade or free agency.

Risk Aversion

· Very Gutsy. Not afraid to be wrong.

· Willing to risk some of their future for the present- i.e. make a trade that increases the odds of winning a championship.

· Focus on doing great work and not on preserving their jobs.

· Can pull the trigger if necessary- i.e. trade players, send others to the minors, and not cave-in to unreasonable player demands.

· Make more smart moves than mistakes- indeed, the biggest mistakes fans make is to judge a GM by his mistakes rather than his over all results.

· Are not concerned with the way they are perceived- i.e. trying to win over the media rather than produce a championship franchise. They have backbone.

Business Acumen

· Have a VERY firm grasp of business matters. They understand the financial bottom-line. The fully know that they are first and foremost involved in a business enterprise which means paying close attention to containing costs, working with-in budgetary constraints and being completely aware of and able to exploit detailed matters involving contracts and collective bargaining agreements.

· They would be excellent business people who could build a successful enterprise from the ground up if they were not running a sports franchise.

Assessment Skills

· Have a keen eye for talent at the minor and professional levels.

· Superb traders.

· Trade with the vulnerable and are always on the hunt for bargain deals and astute free agent pick-ups.

· Know how to bluff- have excellent poker faces.

· Understand the importance of team chemistry- talent alone will not win you championships. They know how to put together the right mix of foot soldiers, leaders, veterans, and stars.

Administrative Skills

· Extremely organized.

· Set goals with measurable results. They have a vision of what needs to be done with benchmarks and have the guts to see the vision through.

· Understand the importance of administration by hiring excellent scouts, coaches, trainers, negotiators and advisors.

· Can quickly clean-up a previous general manager’s mess.

· Do not micromanage. They monitor their employees and advise them on how to maximize their duties but they allow the people that they have hired to do their jobs.

· Surround themselves with quality people and clearly delegate responsibilities.

· Are not afraid to hire people who might replace them. They are not insecure individuals. They know that great people around them will make them “great.” By doing so, this will secure their jobs. No great GM operates under the fear of getting fired. Insecure ones do and guess, what; they do get fired.

· They create a collegial work atmosphere in which respect is earned from highly qualified co-workers because of their accomplishments in the business. Great GMs do not hire “friends” or former teammates (if they played the game) mainly because they like or “trust” one another. Far too many sports franchises are run by “buddies” working together rather than colleagues focused on one and only one goal: winning championships. There's an old saying that goes: "First rate people hire first rate people. Second rate people hire third rate people." Hiring friends is the surest way of failing- as it is very hard to fire or reprimand such people if they do a poor job. Sports franchises are a business- not a neighbourhood barbeque.

Motivational Skills

· Excellent motivators.

· Superb communicators with players and staff.

· Make players and staff believe that the organization is committed to winning and that they are part of something very special.

· Will use fear or rewards where necessary.

· Excellent readers of personalities.

· Have the skill to keep ownership from interfering in the running of the team.

· Manage expectations of fans, media, and ownership.

· Understand that development is just as important; if not more than good drafting. They see draft picks like you and I might see an excellent tree in a garden store. We know that if you grow it in bad soil and don’t water it, it will wither away. Great GMs apply this principal in player development.

· Believe in healthy competition. There is an expression by wise King Solomon, “iron sharpens iron.” Competition, under the right circumstances can get the most out of people. The key here, though, is the “right circumstances.” Sometimes, a team environment can be quite toxic. A good GM that right type of coach who knows how to manage/harness this very useful development tool.

Intangibles

· Some are just plain “lucky” or having fortuitous timing. This includes trades that they tried to make that would have been catastrophic somehow failed to happen. Other teams win the draft lottery and get a Lebron James, Connor McDavid or Austin Matthews. Some acquisitions fall right on their laps. Take for example, Boston Celtics GM Danny Ainge who was about to lose a job when out of the blue he was able to acquire stars Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. These trades happened at the perfect time for the Celtics and led to an NBA championship. Sometimes, a team may have all its ducks lined-up for a championship and then key injuries quash its dreams. Stuff happens.

Answer The Following

(You Do Not Need To Submit Your Answers To Me)

A) Name a general manager of a sports team who possesses at least 4 of the key “champion” traits outlined in your lecture notes. Please make sure to include the sport, as well as the team that he or she either manages or used to manage. Explain your reasoning.

B) Are there any other traits would you add to the list key traits for a successful sports team general manager that you were provided in the lecture notes? Explain your reasoning.

C) Name a general manager of a sports team who lacks any of the key traits outlined in your lecture notes. Please make sure to include the sport, as well as the team that he or she either manages or used to manage. Explain your reasoning.

Part II: The Traits of a Great Coach

“The art of transforming a group of young, ambitious individuals into an integrated championship team is not a mechanistic process,” Jackson writes. “It’s a mysterious juggling act that requires not only a thorough knowledge of the time-honored laws of the game but also an open heart, a clear mind, and a deep curiosity about the ways of the human spirit.”

Phil Jackson

If quality general manager puts together a championship caliber team through shrewd drafting, trades and free-agent signings, all his efforts will amount to nothing if his coach is unable to lead these players to greatness in game action.

When you think of great coaches or mangers in sports Vince Lombardi, Bill Belichick, Phil Jackson, Joe Torre, Bear Bryant, George Halas, Don Shula, Tom Landry, and Scotty Bowman immediately come to mind.

It is the job of a coach to motivate his players to play to their utmost. He needs to devise strategic game plans to defeat opposing teams through set plays and then implement them on game day by executing individual tactics.

For those of you unfamiliar with the terms “strategy” and “tactics,” strategy involves “the big picture” plans while tactics involve undertaking single actions that will lead to making this bigger plan work.

A coach devises his strategies and tactics by intensely studying his opponents in the hopes of finding weaknesses that can be exploited. He monitors every conceivable detail from time remaining on the clock, to observing new or unexpected league and sports trends to improvising new and innovative tactics.

A coach adjusts his personnel and matches certain of his own players with specific opponents on other teams. He tries to control the “tempo” of a game either through psychological tactics or through the use of “timeouts.”

Good coaches are often excellent evaluators of talent and help their GM when it comes to making decisions on trades and free agent signings. These decisions need to work in terms of not only assessing a player’s talent but on his impact vis-à-vis team “chemistry.” Some players play better for certain coaches than others. A quality GM then has to be a good “match maker” for his coach.

A great coach is like a great chef. If he does not have all the necessary skills for success in this profession, his efforts will leave a team’s fans with a very foul taste.

Just like the exercise in Part I, the following is intended to help you discover the necessary traits that make for a great sports coach. The more of these traits that a coach possesses, the greater he will be in his sport. What traits covered here do you see in your favourite team’s coach? Which of these do you possess or might want to work on to help you succeed both here at Seneca and beyond?

Please read this section and then answer the questions below.

Great Sports Coaches Possess Most of the Following Traits:

There are many similarities between coaches and general managers. And this makes sense; after all, at the end of the day, a great coach “manages” people towards winning a championship. The biggest difference involves the business side of running a sports franchise. The similarities through are quite striking and it is for this reason that many coaches eventually move on from the bench to the front office when their coaching days are over. In my estimation, coaches are like “jockeys.” Great ones can make any horse better. However, they do have limitations. That is, you can’t make a lousy horse a champion. You might be able to drastically improve it but that’s as far as you can go. Likewise, a great horse can realize its full potential when guided by an amazing jockey.

Knowledge & Intelligence

· Like general managers, great coaches possess exceptional intelligence. They do not necessarily need a university education or possess a superior vocabulary. If you have ever heard Detroit Red Wing coach Mike Babcock speak and knew nothing about him, you wouldn’t know that this man is an absolute genius at what he does. He like other great bench bosses has a razor sharp mind evidenced by the way he perceives, creates, and responds things.

· Have a minimum of 5-7 years of experience; and if very young are shrewd enough to surround themselves with very wise, highly experienced counsel.

· Played their sport professionally or at some elite level.

· Have learned from their mistakes as well as those of their peers.

· Intimately know both the strategic and tactical components of the game and constantly devise and revise offensive systems and defensive schemes/plays.

· Can read trends on the field or rink during a game and can make the necessary adjustments.

· Know every facet of their sport in every conceivable way.

· Command the respect of their dressing rooms through experience, knowledge and personality.

Leadership Skills

· Exceptionally organized. Extremely prepared- nothing surprises them.

· Set goals with measurable results.

· Surround themselves with quality people and clearly delegate responsibilities. Every assistant coach should be either a former head or potential head coach. Are not afraid to hire people who might replace them. No great coach operates under the fear of getting fired. Insecure ones do and guess, what; they do get fired.

· Low panic buttons. Are patient but opportunistic. That is, they do not make rash decisions but if an opportunity presents itself, and there is little time to decide, they’ll pounce on it. They know when to roll the dice.

· Decisive.

· Excellent gut instincts.

· Can be ruthless if necessary or make tough decisions for the greater good of the team. Can pull the trigger- i.e. can make difficult or perhaps necessary, yet unpopular, decisions.

· Can be compassionate when necessary.

· Understand the importance of being discrete concerning player issues and bad mouthing opponents.

· Understand the physiological component of the game in terms of state of the art training techniques and nutrition.

· Can quickly clean-up a previous coach’s mess and refuse to make excuses for losses.

Character Attributes

· Exceptionally passionate about their profession. They live breathe and eat their sport.

· Winning is first and foremost on their minds. They are unwilling to do anything that’s second rate.

· Decisive- they do not “over-think” so as not to give the opposing team’s the advantage of additional time.

· Very analytical.

· Keen eyes for talent or potential.

· Exceptionally observant.

· Confident but not arrogant.

· Are not publicity hounds.

· Keep their emotions in check and have a thick skin with regards to both the fans and media.

· Exude patience and calmness- especially under pressure cooker scenarios such as losing streaks or poor seasons.

· Seldom panic.

· Disciplined.

· Willing to change- are not living in the past and will do whatever is necessary to win- including putting their egos in check. They do not repeat making the same mistakes over and over again out of sheer stubbornness.

· Willing to correct their mistakes work with and develop players that they may have personality conflicts with.

· Work harder than their players.

· Know when to “lose it.” That is, have an emotional outburst.

· Creative and innovative. They do not wait for new trends; instead they create them. They Incorporate successful ideas outside of their sport.

· Adaptability. As the game changes, they readjust their views to stay one managerial step ahead of their competitors. They spearhead change to give their team a competitive advantage. They innovate and do not remain stagnant.

· Are not into instant gratification but instead build for the future in order to win championships.

Risk Aversion

· Very Gutsy. Not afraid to be wrong but do not make foolhardy, high risk decisions without giving them calculated thought.

· Coach to win- not to avoid losing.

· Are not concerned with the way they are perceived- i.e. trying to win over the media rather than produce a championship franchise. They have backbone.

· Focus on doing great work and not on preserving their jobs.

Motivational Skills

· Are skilled motivators that push players to greater levels. In a team sport, they can take a group of individuals and get them to somehow work within his system in order to get them work towards a common goal.

· Instill team pride and a strong work ethic.

· Superb communicators with players and staff.

· Make players and staff believe that the organization is committed to winning and that they are part of something very special.

· Know the psychological component of the game in terms of motivating their players, controlling their emotions, manipulating and intimidating of the opposition.

· Excellent readers of personalities. Know how to stroke egos and work with different personality types.

· Will use fear or rewards when necessary. They know that some players ease-up if openly praised while others need more coddling due to their more fragile psyches.

· They find ways to maximize the productivity of crazy/flake stars ( for example, Phil Jackson’s masterful work on Denis Rodman) while minimizing their disruptions.

· Are able to convince players with big egos to work collaboratively and be less selfish. For example, it took Michael Jordan 7 years before he won a championship and the turning point occurred when Phil Jackson convinced him during the ’91 finals to “not try to win the game by himself.” That is, Jordan allowed guard John Paxton the opportunity to do so by drawing the defense to him and opening up space for his teammate to sink the winning basket.

· Know when to crack down on players. Possess a “thick skin” and are not easily rattled by opposing coach’s head games or when experiencing bad breaks. In general, they exude calm which trickles down to the player personnel.

· Believe in healthy competition. As mentioned re: GMs, creating a healthy competitive environment can get the most out of people. A good coach who knows how to manage/harness this very useful development tool for both young prospects and aging players.

· May evoke a fearful respect and definitely know what boundary needs to be set in terms of their relationships with players.

· Do not tolerate laziness.

· Can influence referees or game officials.

· Understand that they are a key link in the development chain and cannot just selfishly think short term but must pay attention to the team’s long term interests- even at the potential expense of losing their jobs by burning-out young prospects.

· Help the GM in managing the expectations of players, fans, media, and ownership.

Assessment Skills

· Have a keen eye for talent at the minor and professional levels and know how to develop the players on the roster.

· Understand the importance of team chemistry and how to maximize it.

· Know how to bluff- have excellent poker faces.

Please Answer The Following

(You Do Not Need To Submit Your Answers To Me)

A) Name a coach of a sports team who possesses at least 4 of the key “champion” traits outlined in your lecture notes. Please make sure to include the sport, as well as team that he or she either coaches or used to coach. Explain your reasoning.

B) Are there any other traits would you add to the list key traits for a successful sports coach that you were provided in the lecture notes? Explain your reasoning.

C) Name a sports coach who lacks any of the key traits outlined in your lecture notes. Please make sure to include the sport, as well as the team that he or she either coaches or used to coach. Explain your reasoning.

Greatest Coaches of Sport

Who do you consider to be the greatest coach in the history of sport? This is a difficult question to answer. More often than not, it depends on where you grew up and how old you are. Few people, for example, immediately will name a great coach from the 1920’s on their top ten lists. Others, born outside of Canada or the United States would immediately include coaches of sports that are not popular here in North America.

Some might base their choices on statistics. The problem with statistics though is that they can be easily manipulated or misinterpreted. Some great coaches were given “great” players to work with. How much of their success was based on who was on their roster and how much was the result of their managerial skills? Indeed, it has been argued that some coaches are better at coaching teams with exceptional talent than with average player rosters.

These are the types of coaches who seldom, if ever, “drop the ball” in terms of winning championships when given superstar players to work with. Scotty Bowman, Joe Torre and Phil Jackson tend to fall under this category.

Conversely, the Jacques Lemaire’s or Philpe Alou’s of the sporting world had a knack of producing winning teams with “no name rosters.” Neither of these two types of coaches seemed to thrive in opposite circumstances.

So who were the greatest coaches of the past century? In the year 2000, ESPN entered this debate by producing its top 12 list. You can visit ESPN’s Century of Sports website to review its rationale. This is an optional reading.

If you do visit this site, you will notice a huge American bias here- with a particular emphasis on football. Not a single soccer coach was included on this list and hockey’s Scotty Bowman was ranked at number 12. It would be interesting to see where he would have been ranked if this same list was compiled by Canadian sports broadcasters and writers. Perhaps the large representation of football coaches has to do with the incredible role that they play in this game. Is there any other sport where coaching is more important? Perhaps baseball.

Right up to the 1980’s, most major league sports were driven by talent. Football, though was the exception. This may explain ESPN’s selections. Here is ESPN’s Top 12 List:

1. Vince Lombardi

He took a Packers team that was 1-10-1 in 1959 and made it into a dynasty - the small town of Green Bay, Wisconsin, soon became known as Titletown, USA.  In Lombardi's nine seasons, the team went 98-30-4, including 9-1 in the postseason.  Among the five championships was a stretch of three straight from 1965-67. No team has matched that streak since.

2. John Wooden

  

UCLA's basketball program gained the worldwide reputation of being rated number one. The major reason was head basketball coach John Robert Wooden, who announced his retirement in 1975 after his 27th season as the Bruins' head coach with the winningest record in basketball history.

3. Red Auerbach    

Red Auerbach retired as the winningest coach in NBA history with 938 victories (against 479 defeats) in his 20-year career, the last 16 with the Celtics.

4. Dean Smith

The Dean of Coaches retired with 879 victories in 36 years - the winningest NCAA Division I coach of all time. His 64 NCAA Tournament victories tops the list there as well, ahead of UCLA's John Wooden (47) by a country mile. he was ACC Coach of the year in 1967, 1968, 1971, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1988, 1993, and had 26 All-Americans play for him at UNC, including Michael Jordan, Larry Miller, James Worthy, Jerry Stackhouse, and Sam Perkins.

5. Bear Bryant

Paul "Bear" Bryant, the longtime football coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide finished 323-85-17 (232-46-9 with the Tide) and won 6 national championships.

6. John McGraw   

For three decades John McGraw truly dominated the National League. He invented the hit-and-run, and was a strategic genius with the Giants from 1901 to 1932. He was probably the first manager to truly use relief pitching, and his strategic acumen earned him the nickname "Little Napoleon."

In his 29 full seasons as Giants manager he finished first or second 21 times, winning 10 pennants and 3 World Series titles. His 2,840 career wins leaves him second all-time behind Connie Mack.

7. George Halas

A pioneer of professional football, he organized, owned, and coached the Chicago Bears.  He coached them from 1920 to 1929, 1933 to 1942, 1946 to 1955, and from 1958 to 1968 - his Bears won six NFL championships.

                

8. Don Shula

Perhaps the sharpest football coach ever - he is the winningest coach in NFL history. In 33 years at Baltimore and Miami, Shula compiled a record of 347-173-6 - a winning percentage of .665. he coached in a record six Super Bowls, winning the 1972 and 1973 crowns, and guided the Dolphins to a perfect 17-0 record in 1972, the only undefeated season in NFL history. Shula was the youngest coach to win 100 games, 200 games and 300 games. He reached the playoffs 20 times and won 10 or more games 21 times.

                 

9. Paul Brown   

Brown was an exceptionally successful coach at all levels of football.  He coached Ohio St. to national title in 1942, and built the great Cleveland dynasty with a 167-53-8 record - he had four AAFC titles (1946-49), three NFL crowns (1950, 1954 and 1955), and had only one losing season in 17 years.

10. Knute Rockne

University of Notre Dame football under Rockne was a powerhouse. As the head coach of the Fighting Irish, from 1918 to 1930, he set the greatest all-time winning percentage of .881.  This mark still ranks at the top of the list for both college and professional football.  During those 13 years as head coach, he collected 105 victories, 12 losses, five ties, and six national championships.  Rockne also coached Notre Dame to five undefeated seasons without a tie.

On March 31, 1931 this great coach's reign came to an end when an airplane en route from Kansas City to Los Angeles crashed into the Kansas farmlands.  There were no survivors and Knute Rockne was dead at age 43.

11. Tom Landry  

Tom Landry built the Dallas Cowboys from scratch, then coached them for three decades — including 20 consecutive winning seasons (1966-1985), 18 playoff appearances, 13 division championships, and five Super Bowls12              

12. Scotty Bowman   

The all-time winningest NHL coach in both regular season and playoffs over 26 seasons, Bowman coached a record-tying eight Stanley Cup winners with Montreal (1973, 1976-79), Pittsburgh (1992) and Detroit (1997, 1998).  In February 1997, he coached his 1,000th NHL victory, and now has over 1,150 (Al Arbour stands second on the list with 781); in May 1998, he became the first NHL coach to coach three different teams to a Stanley Cup championship.

Part III: Scouting And Development

Some Wheeling and Dealing On Video

Ever wonder what happens behind the scenes during an NHL draft? If you have the time, check out the following 20 minute video shows you what takes place as cameras follow Columbus Blue Jacket GM Jarmo Kekäläinen and his staff prior to and during the 2013 draft.

http://video.bluejackets.nhl.com/videocenter/console?catid=231&id=263713&cmpid=embed-share-video

Scouting: The Lifeblood Of Any Franchise

While great general managers and coaches are essential, the lifeblood of any franchise is the scouting and development staff. These people advise on player acquisitions via trade and free agency. A lot of time, resources and brainpower goes into this area. And, yet, despite this, success in this area is generally limited. Take draft picks for instance. Great teams, with staffs of 40-60 scouts who scour the globe for talent, are very lucky if they can get 1-2 of their picks per year to play on their rosters. Some may have to wait 5 years before one pick becomes an everyday regular.

As discussed in a previous lecture, intrinsic and extrinsic psychological motivational factors determine a player’s success. Once again, to quote Bill Belichick, "Talent sets the floor, character sets the ceiling."

In terms of cost control, it is absolutely crucial that a team be able to draft and develop player personnel from the amateur, junior league or college levels. Signing star players is very expensive. It is much more cost affective to sign young prospects that generally do not make the same amount of money as established players.

Scouting of course is not only conducted at the amateur, junior league or college levels. Teams employ a number of pro scouts who assess players at both the professional and semi-professional levels. GM’s rely on their assessments to make successful trades and/or free agent signings.

Great teams are usually comprised of a combination of young and veteran players placed into a “mix” of “skilled” and “role” players. Scouts play a pivotal role in determining this “mix” that produces either successful or unsuccessful “team chemistry.”

Determining this “mix” is more of an art than a science. Indeed, some have likened it to alchemy. (During medieval times, alchemy was a chemical “science” or speculative philosophy that tried to change inexpensive metals into gold and sought a universal cure for diseases).

Virtually all teams now employ the services of sports psychologists and psychiatrists to evaluate a potential draft pick’s mental “character.” While skill is important, if an athlete does not have the drive to become the best that he can be, this trait will amount to nothing- just ask the Ottawa Senators scouting staff on their pick of Alexandre Daigle or the San Diego Chargers with Ryan Leaf a few years back. (If you are interested in reading Leaf’s perspective on his rise and fall, visit his column titled, “Letter to My Younger Self” in The Players' Tribune at: https://theplayerstribune.com/ryan-leaf-nfl-letter-to-my-younger-self/ )

Scouts do their best in terms of psychologically assessing prospects. That is, does this person have the necessary psychological wherewithal to make the cut into the big leagues? These assessments are weighed against “inside” information reports gathered by scouts. Knowing the attitudes of a parent and also what role they will play in pushing their child to the next level is absolutely pivotal in predicting their future success. So too is doing some intel on their close friends. After all, you are the people that you hang out with. Of course, scouts also check out a player’s “locker room presence.” How well do they get along with other teammates and coaches?

Aside from gauging character, teams also use a variety of high tech instruments to base their decisions. Player statistics are run though computer programs; video taped footage of them in game action with a specific focus on their movements, agility and strength. Analyses are also conducted on their family histories relating to physical traits such as height and weight potential. Some hockey teams for instance, draft 5 foot 7 inch hockey players because they are aware that one of the parents of a potential prospect had a significant growth spurt in his or her early 20’s. These moves, usually in the lower rounds of a draft are calculated gambles on a player’s genetic potential.

In addition, players are often invited to “combines” or “prospect tournaments” where they are asked to play against other potential draft picks. At these venues, where they go head to head with the best of the best, they are examined by a variety of physicians on matters including their weight, height and injury potential.

At the end of the day, all of this data is assessed by a general manager and/or his head of scouting where ultimately, a “gut” decision is made as to who to select. All of this hard work is then passed on to those in charge of player development- a very significant aspect of a franchise’s infrastructure.

Bobby Orr: The Big Fish That Got Away!

Now it’s time to bring both Hab and Leaf fans together in common misery. Both franchises could easily have signed the greatest hockey player (yes even better than Wayne Gretzky- and I’ll explain why below) to play the game: Bobby Orr.

Back in August of 2013, Bobby Orr was promoting his autobiography, Orr: My Story. On one television interview with CBC’s Peter Mansbridge, Orr told him that he could easily have played for either the Montreal Canadiens or Toronto Maple Leafs. Seriously!!!!

In 1959, at just the age of 11, he was approached by both the Leafs and Habs about acquiring his rights. Back in 1959, there was no NHL Draft. Teams would acquire the rights of children by having their parents sign off on a “C Form” when they turned 14; hoping they would develop over time.

Bobby Orr was a huge Toronto Maple Leafs fan. It would have been a dream come true for him to wear the blue and white. Anthony Gilchrist, his coach in Perry Sound Ontario at the time, wrote a letter to then Toronto GM Punch Imlach. Imlach never responded but Leafs chief scout, R.E. Davidson contacted Gilchrist saying that Orr was too young to be added to the protected list, but would keep his name “on file”. Go ahead Leaf fans, say it: DOH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Could you imagine how dramatically, sports history would have been altered if Bobby Orr were a Maple Leaf? The man would OWN this town. These rabid fans would probably change the name of our city to “T orr onto.”

Now my beloved Habs fans, we too must shed some tears. Orr could have been one more player addition to our the pantheon of the great hockey stars.

The following year, 1960, Bobby Orr was noticed by at the time, lower tier Montreal Canadiens’ scout named Scotty Bowman- yes the legendary Scotty Bowman. Bowman submitted a report to Habs executive, Ken Reardon advising him to sign this kid. He too, brushed off Bobby Orr as a “baby” who was just too young to sign to a contract. My turn Leaf fans: DOH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Double DOH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Triple DOH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quadruple DOH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (I believe you get my point). What the heck. One more: DOH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Unfortunately, neither the Habs nor Leafs were hungry for such un-ripened talent at this point in time. Both Montreal and Toronto were dominating the NHL at the time. The Maple Leafs had won 9 Cups and would win another in the ’61-’62 season while the Canadiens had already won 12 championships including one in 1960. The Bruins, though, well they were not as impressive. They were perennial bottom feeders. The franchise had won just 3 Cups; with their last championship being all the way back in 1941. They needed to take some gambles to catch-up to these two hockey powerhouses.

Bruins scout Wren Blair was at the same game that Scotty Bowman attended. He too was taken-back by Orr and his incredible skating abilities. Blair convinced owner Weston Adams to take a chance and sign Orr when he turned 14 to a C form. How much did this cost the Bruins?

1. His mother’s house would be stuccoed.

2. His father would receive a vehicle no newer than a 1956 model (it was 1962).

3. $1,000 and,

4. Orr would received a charcoal colored suit as his “signing bonus.” Ah the good old days.

Does anyone have a time machine handy? There’s some unfinished business that I NEED to attend to!

Who Was The Best? Orr, Gretzky, or Lemieux?

In my humble opinion, no one-and I mean, no one- ever played the game of hockey as well as Bobby Orr- not even Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux. As a result of incredible medical advances, if Orr had sustained his career ending knee injury today, he would have been out of the Bruin’s line-up for just two weeks. Surgeons removed half of his kneecap which ground into his leg bone.

Had he played a regular career, there is no doubt in my mind that there would be any question as to who was better between him and Gretzky. Likewise, I wonder if Lemieux played for the Oilers and the Great One for the Penguins if the greatest player ever moniker would have flipped to Super Mario? In terms of raw talent, I believe that Lemieux had more than Gretzky. What he lacked until the 1986 Canada Cup was heart. Somehow, Gretzky got Lemieux to elevate his game to a much higher level. From that point onwards, he was absolutely incredible.

Finally, we should also remember “the Gretzky Rule.” He received significant protection from opposing players. I remember one incident in which Mike Bullard of the Calgary flames gave the Great One a clean check and one of his personal goons (I’m not sure whether it was, Dave Semenko or Marty McSorely) immediately went to Bullard and was ready to beat him up. Gretzky stepped in and told one of these enforcers “It’s O.K. Keep playing.”

Both Bobby Orr, like Mario Lemieux, fought their own fights. The Great One always needed someone to protect him his entire career. Indeed, one of the stipulations in the LA Kings-Edmonton Oilers trade of 1989 was that McSorely had to be part of the deal going to the Kings as Gretzky wanted him to be his personal body guard on the ice. For most of the 80s and 90s, you would rarely see someone give Gretzky a body check. For this reason, I believe that his stats were padded.

I’m sure many of you disagree with my arguments. Feel free to throw in your two cents in our discussion forum. Just keep it clean and be nice. Thanks.

Interesting Links On Scouting

Well, enough sad talk on missed opportunities in scouting. For those of you interested, here are some optional links to review on this profession. If you have some spare time, read them. They are quite interesting.

“Life of an NFL football scout more than game film” http://www.columbiamissourian.com/a/120439/life-of-an-nfl-football-scout-more-than-game-film/

“Life as an amateur hockey scout not all glamour” http://www.torontoobserver.ca/2012/10/11/life-as-an-amateur-hockey-scout-not-all-glamour/

“An Inside Account at the Life of a Junior Hockey Scout” http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/juniorhockey/blog/ept_sports_juniorhockey_experts/post/an-inside-look-at-the-life-of-a-junior-hockey-scout?urn=juniorhockey,wp1137

“Life of a baseball scout” http://roundthird.blogspot.ca/2009/05/life-of-baseball-scout.html

“Traveling Man: Rockets Advance Scout Pat Zipfel chronicles life on the road”

http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/An_Inside_Look_at_the_Life_of_-295509-34.html

Player Development

Getting a top notch player is only the first step. Developing him or her to be as good as they can possibly be is equally as important. Think of this process by using the following analogy. Take a seed from a spruce tree pine cone and plant it in a pot. Now take another seed and plant it in a forest where it has just the right amount of shading, wind protection, soil and water conditions. Which one will grow-up to be 70 metres in height? Hint: Which one will be at best 1 metre? Hint: The seed may contain genetic information that can make a tall tree but ENVIRONMENT plays an even bigger role. This in a nutshell is why player development is so important.

In the past, franchises would draft players and just leave it to them to become the best that they could be. Those days are gone. A poor development staff will literally “kill” your tree. It will also cost you millions in wasted salaries and resources.

The standard aspects of player development include:

· Player progress in both the majors and minors

· Psychological training and support

· The monitoring of physical fitness, proper diet, treatment and prevention of injuries

· Improvements in skills and

· The supply of quality equipment

As you will see below, the growing area of analytics is playing an increasingly important role in a number of these areas.

Part IV: The Use Of Sabermetrics/Analytics/Data Mining For Sport

As we have seen throughout my lectures, it’s the little things in totality that make an athlete or team a winner or loser. One area that focuses on these small details is the use of statistical analysis known as analytics/sabremetrics or data mining.

The use of player stats has been around forever- for example, ERA’s or GAAs, Interceptions, etcetera. The use of statistical analysis known as analytics/sabremetrics or data mining is the next level in the gathering and processing of information/data for drafting prospects, acquiring players through trade or free agency or devising winning strategies against opponents.

Analytics/Sabermetrics And The Future Of Sport

We are only at the early stages of this new science. To date, analytics gives general managers an additional, less biased set of “eyes” in terms of deciding which players to acquire either through trades, free agency or drafting. Any tool that can give their team an edge, even a slight one, is a good thing. Knowing this growingly important component is therefore crucial for both management and coaching staffs. Here are a few examples in which it is being currently used.

Analytics And Player Development

Analytics is a great development tool. It shows athletes their vulnerabilities and then which areas they need to put more focus on. It also shows them the science of how they need to do these things.

As mentioned in a previous lecture, GPS data worn by NFLers is being used to track player movements during games and practices. This is not only to maximize player performances but to generate predictive models to minimize injuries. (Guryashkin, “Can GPS devices”)

Analytics is most successful in more “static” sports, like baseball, tennis and auto racing, where performers tend to stay in certain areas more often than not- and thus, data can be more easily tracked.

Ray Hensberger, a technologist in the Strategic Innovation Group at Booz Allen Hamilton, modeled MLB data to show with an amazing 74.5% accuracy what a pitcher is going to throw—and when. (Hunter, “How Sports Data”)

Analytics And Salary Cap Management

Most sports leagues operate under salary caps. What this means is that managers can’t just acquire talent; they have to do so under the wise management of the cap. In the good old days, you traded player A for B and someone won the trade. Today, player A may be better than player B but his salary is such that you now also have to get rid of player C from your roster. Today’s GMs now have to find players that have more upside with reasonable contracts and trade away the ones that are more costly. Analytics does the number crunching not only on the salary end but the player evaluation one as well.

Analytics And Coaching

In time, I believe that analytics will take on a more prominent role in decision making for personnel and coaching. For example, American football, as a result of this number crunching, NFL coaches such as Bill Belichick are now taking a more daring approach to fourth downs by running offensive plays.

The 2016-17 Pittsburgh Penguins won two Stanley Cups trusting the analytics community’s push to focus on puck carrying defensemen over old schoolers principally known for their hitting and shooting the puck off of the glass. As a result, “dump and chase” systems are being gradually phased out of this league.

Analytics And The Changing Of The Guard

Right now, there’s a generational divide on the topic of analytics. Old-school coaches and general managers (those 50 years old and up) tend to be skeptical while younger ones are more open to it. Part of the problem is that many GMs were former players with limited educations. Yes, a lot of them have “university” degrees, but many of them just got by in their schooling. Others were high school dropouts.

It’s hard to trust something that you struggle to understand. In general, people who are less educated, miss out on the critical thinking skills training that those who attend both college and university get to receive. These skills help one to interpret things more complexly. The data that is generated from analytics appears to be less intimidating. At the very least, they tend to be more open to the findings.

In due time though, we will increasingly see more and more well educated coaches and general managers being hired. It’s already happening. Listen to the way most of them speak today versus 20 years ago. The majority sound like they could be professors.

The shift to more educated personnel will likely be driven from the top down. That is, owners of franchises tend to be very educated and are already using analytics in their own successful business enterprises. I can see them pushing their GMs to at the very least hire assistants with both “old and new school” backgrounds. These people will likely be groomed for the next level.

Do I see a total takeover by the “geeks” in sports though? Not likely. Future GM’s will still need “street smarts.” Talent is one thing. Managing human capital (motivating and enabling people to achieve) requires a very human touch. Likewise, spotting or identifying talent is not always numbers driven. People who can spot out great works of art are better than computer software programs. Great scouts or evaluators of talent can “see” certain things that others, even their own peers just can’t. Their research on the “human” component of any acquired player- including personality conflicts with teammates or coaches and other “intangibles” simply can’t be quantified in numerical form.

80% of athletic success is mental. “Diamond in the rough” talent might be spotted by analytics, but development will always be done by human interaction. No machine or algorithm is going to help a person in a slump in the same way that comforting motivational words or a kick in the pants are capable of doing. So the two need to work together -much in the same way as an artist works with his or her tools or brushes.

I just can’t imagine trades among teams happening between one team’s proprietary algorithmic Veggimatic 2000 computer with another. What you will likely see is a combination of “geek” and “street smart/sly as a fox” blend of future General Managers.

The one league where I see analytics playing a lesser role in the acquisition of player personnel though is the NBA. Superstars are becoming the new General Mangers of this league. Super team franchises – first started in Miami then Golden State are being put together by players themselves. Lebron James is the principal reason for this trend.

To be an amazing team, you need three (four if you’re Golden State) super duper stars. You don’t really need a bunch of MIT trained statisticians to figure out how to build an amazing roster. Money, chemistry and collusion among elite players is all that is principally required. I really believe that GMs in this league are far less significant than star players.

Common Analytic Terms

Finally, there are a ton of analytic terms out there. Here are some key ones that you might want to become more familiarized with.

In Baseball

Sabermetrics, a term coined by Bill James is the mathematical and statistical analysis of baseball records. The term is derived from the acronym SABR, which stands for the Society for American Baseball Research. Most sports use the term Sabermetrics in place of analytics or data mining but as you can see, this term was intended for this sport. Whatever. Sometimes a term gets confiscated and re-defined. Obviously, the best source of information on this topic is Michael Lewis’ book, Money Ball.

In Hockey

Corsi Number is the number of shots directed towards the net while the player is on the ice. It was created by former NHL goalie and Buffalo Sabre goalie coach Jim Corsi. A Sabre who invented a form of Sabermetrics. Interesting twist.

Fenwick Stats was invented by a Calgary blogger named Matt Fenwick. It is almost the exact same as Corsi, but it doesn't count blocked shots. Fenwick sees blocking shots as a skill and a deliberate defensive strategy by players and teams in the place of a check for example. So the shot being released is deliberately being blocked to prevent a shot on goal. If done well, this brave technique reduces the number of shots on net and is therefore not a negative thing. To me, this method of statistical analysis is superior than the Corsi Number.

A very good website to bring you up to speed on Sabermetrics/analytics in hockey is an article written by Andrew Berkshire of SB Nation entitled “Fancy Stat Summer School” at: http://www.habseyesontheprize.com/2013/7/17/4520794/fancy-stat-summer-school-fenwick

If you are looking for a list of quality fancy stat hockey websites, then visit: https://www.pensionplanpuppets.com/and-now-you-know/2017/7/19/15994176/toronto-maple-leafs-data-visualization-analytics-chart-cult-useful-sites-that-make-site-possible

In Football

For those of you interested in the use of analytics in football, including the Bellman Equation, Defense-Adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA) and Total Quarterback Rating (TQR), read Reeves Wiedeman’s, “The Sabermetrics of Football” at:

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/sportingscene/2011/09/the-sabermetrics-of-football.html

In Basketball

For those of you interested in the use of analytics in basketball, Michael Lewis, yes the same person who wrote Money Ball, did an article on this for the New York Times entitled, “The No-Stats All-Star” at: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/magazine/15Battier-t.html?_r=2&ref=magazine&

In Soccer

If soccer is your game, you might want to read Brian Philip’s, “Numberless Wonders

The trouble with soccer's statistical revolution” in Slate Magazine and his take on the isue of analytics/sabermetrics in soccer at: http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2011/01/numberless_wonders.html

Summary

Championship sports franchises are built through superb administrators. Teams that have the best GM’s, coaching, and scouting staffs working for them are perennial winners. Franchises that compromise in any of these areas seldom, if ever get the privilege of hoisting a championship banner.

Now that you know the key traits that make for a “champion” in the world of sport, what next steps do you have planned in terms of developing these transferable characteristics for yourself in the “real world”?

Works Cited

“Builders, Sam Pollack” Hockey Hall of Fame < http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/LegendsMember.jsp?type=Builder&mem=B197802&list=ByName#photo >.

ESPN’s SportsCentury Project. “SportCentury’s greatest coaches and games.” ESPN.Com Jan.2000 < http://espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00134700.html >.

Carucci, Vic. “Sizing up prospects is a year-round job.” NFL Insider Magazine Online April-May Ed. 2000 < http://ww2.nfl.com/ce/feature/0,3783,5192903,00.html >.

Gawronski, Glenn. “Inside the Eyes of a Scout” Hockey’s Future 2003

< http://www.hockeysfuture.com/InsideTheEyesOfAScout/ >.

Guryashkin, Igor.“Can GPS devices prevent sports injuries?” October 19, 2012.

< http://www.espn.com/blog/playbook/tech/post/_/id/2707/new-tech-predicts-injuries >.

Hunter, Leah. “How Sports Data Analytics Is Upsetting The Game All Over Again.” Fast Company. July 21, 2014.

< http://www.fastcompany.com/3033324/how-sports-data-analytics-is-upsetting-the-game-all-over-again >.

Roose, Bill L. “Love of game keeps baseball scout going at 75,” Detroit Free Press Online May 30, 2002 < http://www.freep.com/sports/preps/pextra30_20020530.htm >.

Summary Checklist

Did you:

· Read the online materials for this unit?

· Did you work through the lecture exercises?

Are you now able to:

-Understand the key traits necessary for championship success in sports management and coaching?

-Apply and identify this understanding on those in sport who exhibit the leadership traits of a champion?

-Consider which of these traits you can apply in your day-to-day life?

If so, you are now ready to proceed to the next unit.