Football hierarchy--the importance of feedback and role clarity

Building upon my last blog post, regardless of how the team culture is established by coaches—all participants*** emphasized the hierarchical nature of football teams and organizations.The players indicated the hierarchical structure can be formal/explicit or informal/implicit; the value of the hierarchy also differs between teams depending on coaching values and the corresponding team values.

The participants all agreed that the hierarchy in a football organization is structured as follows: ownership and management/college athletic director is at top and is responsible for hiring coaches and personnel; next is the head coach and then other coordinators and position coaches who are responsible for setting team culture, determining style of play and playing time for players; next are the team captains and veteran players who are responsible for maintaining the team culture and partially responsible for modeling and enforcing expected behaviors; next are the exceptional players and the starters; next is the rest of the team who are either fighting for a starting spot or trying to solidify their roles as key role players; finally are the players on the scout teams and those on injured reserve. 

Importantly, all of the participants felt their value as a football player (and place within the team’s hierarchy) was determined week-by-week according to their performance on the field. Oftentimes participants (as many athletes do) used specific quantitative statistics to illustrate their value, and they shared the stress of becoming hyper-focused on their stats. Most of the participants described the constant pressure to maintain or improve their position within the team. As a result, most participants described the roller coaster of emotions week-to-week, and several participants described players’ increased focus on trying to control their environment, which led to some teammates using substances to cope with the ups-and-downs.

As a clinician, I find myself helping athletes cope with the stress of within-team competition just as often as external competition. In order to thrive and be successful, athletes must be able to strive for individual success while making the success of the team a priority. One of the most important lessons I can help an athlete learn is the importance of seeking feedback and role clarity. The unknown can be a paralyzing force. Seeking feedback from trainers, teammates, and coaches is a fundamental skill that can help reduce the worries associated with the unknown. Athletes can be hesitant to seek direct feedback about their performance or areas for growth, but doing so will help the athlete improve and will provide clarity about their role on their team. With that information, the athlete can then decide whether they are satisfied with their role or whether they would like their role to change. 

***Based on results from my dissertation: "No pain, no gain: American football players' attitudes towards help-seeking and barriers to mental health service utilization" (2015).

The importance of team values

My dissertation unearthed several perceived barriers to seeking mental health services. One of the major barriers identified by participants had to do with the culture of sport itself. Generally, participants identified the culture of football as the predominant barrier to seeking professional mental health services.

As discussed in the previous post, sports play an important role in developing our sense of self—who we are and what we believe in—and most athletes will integrate lessons they learn from their coaches, teammates and sports participation into their personal values. Many of the participants stressed the importance of picking a school/football program that fit their individual strengths, and where they felt they would have a competitive advantage as a football player. Importantly, however, participants reported the best experiences when the team culture created by their coach mirrored their own personal values. Similarly, participants described the frustration and confusion, both as an athlete and as an individual, when it became clear that there was a mismatch between an athlete’s personal values and team culture.

Participants all felt that it was the coach who set the team culture, either explicitly or implicitly, and that the captains played a unique role in enforcing the culture in the locker room and on the field. They indicated some coaches are more intentional in setting the team culture and expectations for players through team meetings and setting team mottos for the upcoming season, while other coaches set the team culture implicitly by their recruiting and hiring decisions, their preferred style of play, playing time decisions, and punishment for various behaviors.

When players felt they were playing for a coach who shared their personal values and athletic values, they felt more supported, more confident, more trusting of the coach's decisions, and generally reported feeling a positive playing experience. However, when there was a mismatch between the player's values and those of the coach, they felt more insecure, more isolated, had worries about their success on the team, and were less likely to trust the intentions of their coaches. It seemed, in talking with the players, that transparency was a highly sought after value in coaches--players wanted to play for someone who was open and honest in their communication and decision making. In other words, they wanted to play for someone who they understood and who was consistent. 

When working with younger athletes, I often try to help them think through and identify what values are important to them so they can then identify which coaches and programs would be a good match. The process of identifying important values can help the athlete set their own goals and mindset regardless of whether they have the luxury of choosing a team/program. When working with coaches or teams, I often start with a hypothetical --imagine it's the end of the season and a sports writer was writing an article about your team and the season...what do you hope they will write? What would you want them to notice was different about your team? This way of thinking helps folks start brainstorming what is at the core of their organization, team and their players. Once you can identify your values, how to set meaningful goals and standards for the season becomes much more clear and allows players to compete with intention. 

***Based on results from my dissertation: "No pain, no gain: American football players' attitudes towards help-seeking and barriers to mental health service utilization" (2015).