Change the reward. Change the game. | Will Cromack | TEDxKelowna

Summary

The video script narrates the transformative power of sports, emphasizing the need to shift focus from a win-at-all-costs mentality to fostering a culture of teamwork, values, and learning. The speaker, a soccer coach, shares a personal story of leading a young team affected by cancer, illustrating how aligning sports with a meaningful cause can motivate players and create a positive impact. The narrative advocates for a paradigm shift in sports culture, where the emphasis is on skill development, resilience, and community engagement, ultimately using sports as a tool for personal growth and social change.

Takeaways

• 😤 'Pressure and expectations from the sidelines can negatively impact young athletes' performance.'
• 🏆 'The speaker believes sports have the potential to solve global issues but need a cultural shift to do so.'
• 🤔 'The speaker, a soccer coach, is frustrated with the current state of youth sports and its focus on winning at all costs.'
• 👶 'A team of ten-year-olds, all affected by cancer, inspired the speaker to use sports as a means to address larger issues.'
• 💡 'The speaker implemented a system where the kids could earn rewards for their performance towards a cause, changing their motivation.'
• 🎯 'By focusing on skill development and a common cause, the team's performance and team culture improved significantly.'
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 'The speaker argues that sports culture should prioritize team values and learning over winning to create a positive environment.'
• 🚫 'The current sports culture, with its win-at-all-costs mentality, is driving kids away from sports and causing issues with health and happiness.'
• 💪 'When kids play for a cause, they learn essential values like teamwork, empathy, and resilience, which are crucial for their development.'
• 🌟 'A small shift in focus from winning to skill development and a common cause can lead to a significant positive impact on sports culture and the community.'

Q & A

What is the main issue the speaker addresses in the world of sports?

The speaker addresses the issue of sports culture and the pressure from sidelines that often detracts from the true potential of sports to bring out the best in humanity, particularly in youth sports.

Why does the speaker believe sports have the potential to change the world?

The speaker believes sports have the potential to change the world because of their infrastructure, reach, and influence, which can help solve global issues if the culture of sports is improved.

What is the speaker's profession and how does it relate to the script's theme?

The speaker is a soccer coach, and his profession directly relates to the script's theme as he discusses the need to fix sports culture and the impact it has on young athletes.

What is the story of the 'little squirrels' team mentioned in the script?

The 'little squirrels' team is a group of ten-year-olds whose families have all been impacted by cancer. The speaker uses this team as an example to show how sports can be more than just a game and can be used as a tool for a greater cause.

How did the speaker involve the 'little squirrels' team in a cause beyond just playing soccer?

The speaker involved the 'little squirrels' team in a cause by tying their soccer skills and performance to raising money for cancer research, turning their efforts on the field into a contribution towards fighting cancer.

What was the impact of focusing on a cause on the 'little squirrels' team's performance and attitude?

Focusing on a cause led to a significant change in the team's performance and attitude. They became more motivated, worked harder, and their games transformed from being just about winning to making a difference.

What is the 'solar eclipse of sports' mentioned in the script?

The 'solar eclipse of sports' is a metaphor used by the speaker to describe the moment when the purpose of sports is put in front of the competitive aspect, overshadowing the win-at-all-costs mentality.

Why is the speaker concerned about the high dropout rate of kids from sports?

The speaker is concerned about the high dropout rate because it indicates a deeper issue with the current sports culture that prioritizes winning over personal development, which can negatively impact kids' health and happiness.

How does the speaker suggest changing the sports culture to better support kids?

The speaker suggests changing the sports culture by focusing on skill development, fostering a purpose-driven team culture, and aligning the values of sports with the desired outcomes for the kids, such as kindness, teamwork, and resilience.

What is the significance of the speaker's call to 'play better' at the end of the script?

The call to 'play better' signifies a broader call for improvement in sports culture, where the focus shifts from winning to personal and team development, creating a more positive and impactful experience for all involved.

Outlines

00:00

😀 The Power of Sportsmanship

The speaker, a soccer coach, passionately discusses the potential of sports to change the world for the better. They emphasize the need to improve sports culture and infrastructure to unlock its full potential. The coach shares their personal experience of coaching a young team dealing with the impact of cancer, highlighting the importance of teamwork and values. They recount how they motivated the team to practice and improve by linking their efforts to a cause, showing that sports can be a tool for more than just winning games.

05:01

😃 Transforming the Game with Purpose

The coach narrates how they transformed a soccer team's approach to the game by focusing on development and a cause rather than just winning. They recount a specific instance where the team aimed to achieve a hundred passes as a way to contribute to fighting cancer. This shift in focus led to a remarkable improvement in the team's performance and a change in the overall atmosphere, demonstrating the impact of a purpose-driven approach on team culture, values, and the learning process.

10:02

😄 Cultivating a Purpose-Driven Team Culture

The speaker delves into the importance of creating a purpose-driven team culture in youth sports. They argue that the current win-at-all-costs mentality is detrimental to the development of young athletes and can lead to negative behaviors. By choosing a cause to play for, the team's values become more than just words, and the players learn essential life skills such as teamwork and resilience. The coach emphasizes that focusing on skill development and overcoming adversity is crucial for building a winning mentality and a positive sports culture.

15:05

😁 Changing the Game for the Better

In the final paragraph, the coach calls for a change in the way sports are approached, advocating for a shift in focus from winning to learning and personal growth. They highlight the positive outcomes of this approach, such as reduced bullying, environmental awareness, and community building. The speaker encourages others to become a part of this change, emphasizing that a small shift in focus can lead to a significant paradigm shift in sports culture, ultimately benefiting the players and the community as a whole.

Keywords

💡Sportsmanship

Sportsmanship refers to the fair, respectful, and ethical behavior displayed by athletes and coaches in sports. In the video, the speaker emphasizes the importance of sportsmanship as a core value in sports culture, suggesting that it should be more than just winning. The video highlights how sports can be a tool for teaching values like teamwork and respect, which are exemplified by the coach's approach to involving his team in a cause beyond the game.

💡Cancer

Cancer is a group of diseases characterized by the uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells. In the script, the coach's team is affected by cancer, which becomes a unifying cause for the players. The video uses the example of the team's dedication to fighting cancer to illustrate how sports can be more than just competition and can serve as a platform for community engagement and support.

💡Team Culture

Team culture refers to the shared values, attitudes, and behaviors that characterize a sports team. The video discusses the need to fix the prevailing 'win-at-all-costs' culture in sports and replace it with a culture that fosters development, values, and learning. The coach's initiative to have his team play for a cause exemplifies how team culture can be shaped to promote positive outcomes beyond the game.

💡Development

Development in the context of the video refers to the growth and improvement of players' skills and understanding of the game. The speaker argues for a focus on development over winning, suggesting that this shift can change the game for players, coaches, and parents. The video shows how emphasizing development can lead to a more positive and effective learning environment.

💡Sidelines

Sidelines in sports often refer to the area where coaches and spectators watch the game. The video script uses the term to describe the pressure and expectations that come from coaches and parents during games. The speaker criticizes the 'win-at-all-costs' mentality that can come from the sidelines and suggests that changing this mentality can lead to a healthier sports culture.

💡Cause

A cause in this context is a principle or goal that a team or individual supports or works towards. The video emphasizes the power of having a cause to motivate and unite a team. The coach's initiative to involve his team in fighting cancer serves as a cause that gives the players a sense of purpose beyond winning games.

💡Resilience

Resilience is the ability to recover quickly from difficulties or to cope with change and adversity. The video suggests that focusing on skill development and overcoming challenges in sports can build resilience in players. This is illustrated by the coach's approach, which aims to prepare his players not just for sports success but for life challenges.

💡Skill Acquisition

Skill acquisition refers to the process of learning and mastering a skill or technique. The video argues for a focus on skill acquisition over immediate results like winning or scoring. The coach's emphasis on passing skills as a way to contribute to the team's cause illustrates how skill development can be a central part of a team's culture and success.

💡Accountability

Accountability in sports means being responsible for one's actions and performance. The video suggests that when players are part of a cause, they become more accountable to their team, themselves, and their cause. This sense of accountability can lead to better performance and a stronger team culture.

💡Winning Mentality

A winning mentality refers to the mindset and attitude that focuses on success and achievement. The video argues that a shift in focus from winning to development and learning can actually foster a winning mentality that is more sustainable and beneficial in the long run. The coach's approach to teaching his team to play for a cause exemplifies how a winning mentality can be cultivated through a focus on growth and contribution.

💡Community

Community in the context of the video refers to the group of people who come together around a common interest or cause. The video highlights how sports can bring communities together, as seen in the team's collective effort to fight cancer. This sense of community extends beyond the team to include parents, coaches, and spectators, all of whom can contribute to a positive sports culture.

Highlights

The speaker passionately argues that sports can change the world but needs a cultural shift.

The need for sports to be more than just games to address global issues.

The speaker's personal experience as a soccer coach and the challenges faced in youth sports.

The story of a young team dealing with the impact of cancer, highlighting the potential of sports to provide support.

Innovative coaching technique: using sports to raise awareness and funds for cancer.

The impact of a purpose-driven team on changing the culture of sports.

How focusing on skill development rather than just winning can transform the sports experience.

The importance of creating a supportive and positive sports environment for children.

The speaker's realization that sports can be a tool for teaching life values and resilience.

The concept of 'Eclipse of Sports' where purpose is put in the way of the win-at-all-costs mentality.

The speaker's experience of how a single focus change can lead to a significant cultural shift in sports.

The role of parents and adults in shaping the culture of youth sports.

The alarming statistics on children quitting sports due to a toxic culture.

The speaker's call to action for coaches and parents to change the reward system in sports.

Examples of how sports can be used to teach important life skills and values.

The potential of sports to bring communities together and create positive change.

The speaker's vision for a future where sports are used to develop better people and players.

Transcripts

what are you doing are you kidding me

that is ridiculous listen get up off the

bench he's gonna play like that

seriously you're going in don't want it

to cash if you score a goal we got to

have this win man I need the trophy I

mean we need the trophy run hard

pressure left no right no down no up no

right you'll skate hard in the corner

pressure no not down the middle

come on sports everyone super fun have

you ever been to a court like that for

field maybe you've been on the ice if

you remember that day someone you loved

was on the sideline maybe sometimes

that's even you the world is full of

many challenges but few arenas bring out

the worst in humanity quite like sports

but I still believe that sport can

change the world we just need it to be

more with its infrastructure its reach

its influence Sport has the potential to

help us solve so many of these global

issues but first we have to fix sport

culture to truly unlock all that

potential I think it's time we learn to

play better so I'm a soccer coach and

plan for all my life that's what I do

morning noon and night I wake up I think

about sports I think about what I'm

gonna do tonight with the kids how I'm

gonna help I'm gonna teach them stuff

about teamwork values bring them some

skills maybe some tools they can take

with them

I talked to coaches I read articles I am

the quintessential soccer nerd in fact

there's a game going on right now and I

can't wait to get off to go watch it

that's what I do that's what I think

about but I have to be honest with you

it's frustrating you show up on the

weekend you've done all this work and

practice you've really helped

everybody's paying attention and then it

all the roads the second the whistle

goes that when it all cost sideline

pressure just comes to bear

and the kids do what the kids do they

listen they freeze up nothing happens so

really we have to fix sport in order to

bring out some of these things that we

need to happen in the world for our kids

sport can be a tool I'm gonna tell you a

little story about an awesome little

team I had a few years back ten year old

fantastic little squirrels you know the

kind that have like no attention span

but they bring you like great energy all

you can do is like where you come over

here you're trying to teach them

something but they're really kind of

teaching you to be fit because you got

to run around after them this was my

favorite team of all time

they taught me more about life than any

group of people any articles anything

I've ever done before they were all of

them all their families had been

impacted by cancer it was ridiculously

shocking top to bottom a group of 10

year olds that were coming to practice

and at home they were dealing with

massive issues this is when I knew sport

needed to be more sport needed to be

something bigger than just the game we

had to do something we had to give them

escapes to come just hang out run

release that's a big issue to be dealing

with when you're 10 anyways I asked

these guys I said hey guys I know you're

dealing with a lot of home but who's

interested in fixing cancer of course

those little squirrels who are all going

to be professional athletes astronauts

firemen doctors they all said yes

obviously coach that's easy just put it

on the list

and by the way will you drop the ball

already we're kind of getting bored now

what now what do I do

I've convinced a whole bunch of 10 year

olds that we're gonna go fix cancer then

we're gonna have to teach in the play of

soccer as well and then I thought this

is the moment that everything changed I

thought what if we took all those skills

those demonstration of tasks and

techniques that teamwork and instead of

Asuna go school growls and get points on

the weekend instead of rewarding them

for that sort of stuff we said hey

demonstrate this stuff and we'll give

you a small little rewards towards your

cause towards fixing cancer just show up

on the weekend and do this stuff will

make a difference I had 10 bucks in my

jeans I said hey guys I got 10 bucks

I'll give you 10 bucks if you get a

hundred passes this weekend that's what

we've been working on 10 bucks

that's like a million licorice --is when

you're like 9 and 10 we're in we got

this coach we got this so off we went

off we went

now I'm looking in the mirror going

here's my next problem how we gonna get

to a hundred passes we hadn't got past

30

in fact when everybody's yelling we

don't do anything except kick it and get

it out of the way and oh my god but we

went to work it maybe look in the mirror

and I said I'm gonna help these guys all

our coaches did all the adults did we

started focusing this is what you got to

do and then in the flow of practice

something interesting we just tell him

hey don't forget why you're doing this

don't forget why and what you're up to

nothing more nothing less

of course millisecond is this long so we

can't really talk forever can we

weekend's come and there we go

we've got the whistle about to blow one

last cheer one last reminder hey this is

what you're up to and out they go and oh

my word it was like angels that blessed

our little squirrels with soccer powers

Pass pass move move shake shake I

couldn't believe it and I wasn't just me

that was dumbfounded the sidelines

almost quiet what's going on out here

and then the really funny part the fun

the fun stuff at the end of the game the

whistle blows and off they sprint just

like usual but not to me their coach not

to their parents to the stats dad what

do we get what do we get what's the

number what's the number did we do it

just with that one little shift that one

little focus change the game had change

for them there was a new victory in town

one tiny little shift towards

development Oh

and a cause to motivate had changed the

game for the players for the coaches for

the parents and now the community and

that one little shift had made a massive

impact on three key areas necessary for

great sport team culture team values and

the learning process culture is king

that's what every great business is

gonna tell you every great team every

great player you got to have the right

culture points standings stopwatches

pressure rides to the game are you gonna

win today are you gonna score a goal

scholarships Pro contracts money

registrations fees pressure come on you

got to be the one you should get picked

is it her is it me are we gonna make the

team stress that's your default culture

a win it all costs sidelines don't

address that every moment that's what

you're gonna get

it's like a full-time job for a

volunteer coach they love that they love

the emails as well just send more emails

about your kid fantastic these phone

calls as well especially on Sundays now

when we injected as a cause right into

our little soccer team what we did was

we invited a conversation in a language

our parents and adults already

understood we didn't try to teach them

about soccer they didn't really know

every layer of all the things to do with

sport development that takes years but

they did understand giving caring

empathy working towards a common outcome

in fact we didn't eradicate that when it

all cost sidelines nor did we even

reprimand parents for having pride in

their child no we just met them at a

place that they already knew a culture

of giving it was like we created a solar

eclipse of sports we put purpose in the

way now consider that same team we're

just talking about one of the lads makes

a bad pass

normally that sideline gets a little

louder a little more tense you can kind

of taste it but on that team if you knew

that that pass was intended to make a

difference to friends and family if he

knew it was to help the team out do you

think adults would think twice about

yelling even for just the split second

it takes to regain some perspective I

think they would I know they would I've

seen it

that's the Eclipse the truth is kids are

spinning quitting sports in droves up to

70% quit before the age of 14 this isn't

a sport issue this is a health and

happiness issue a win at all costs

sideline drives people away and then all

the problems come from their health

happiness etc a culture that's Purpose

Driven that retains now we've got a

place where people can show up and be

themselves do the best they can be know

that they're a member of a team that has

to be doing something together it's

about better playing environments now

we've got a culture to build from well

wanted kids to be great people don't we

grow up to be nice happy healthy all the

things that we wanted when they first

came into the world now go take a look

at youth sport websites they tell you

the exact same thing happiness

friendship teamwork cooperation learn to

work together so we throw our kids

willingly in there at five years old and

say get at her go learn all that stuff

now go to a rank a gym or a court field

somewhere and tell me what you really

see the same screams we heard before

adults yelling at youth referees

individualism my kids got to make it I

got to get to the next level we got a

win there's a scholarship at the end of

this road quick Kula search reveals the

disgusting status for today thousands of

911 aid on behalf of youth referees

adults fighting on the sidelines

just do a little youtube search

fantastic theater and even murder

seriously people are killing themselves

over youth sports hardly the values

proclaimed and certainly not building

better humans using sport but when you

have a purpose-driven team those values

have to show up moment to moment it's

not just a conversation or a billboard

or a brochure no you have to actually

live it because you're playing for it

these values actually show up and you

have to be a part of them because the

team is up for it the truth is

scientists know that kids who perform

kindness acts on a regular basis are

more accepted more liked and grow up

with greater self-esteem and that's

actually what we wanted in the first

place for our kids wasn't it

when you choose a cause to play for you

actually have to learn teamwork you

actually have to learn about how it is

that attain goals to help one another to

make a difference now sport is being

used to its potential grade four to

grade five grade six to grade seven

that's how you do it in school it's a

process that's what we do

but not so much in sports when it all

costs culture is there it disfigures

that learning perspective it disfigures

the process you see wins scores points

they're all just too tangible they're

immediate feedback we love that hit an

instant gratification got to get that

hit nice little drug of did we win we

being us as adults with the kids mmm

they don't really care unless you do so

really at the end of the day we have to

change that mentality because mastery

and learning a skill is actually

difficult it takes forever time and

effort and practice that

what we really want them to learn those

are tools that people can take with them

for the rest of their life to truly be a

master is not easy but we're people we

love the easy way it out so much so

we've been paying for it for years $5.00

for a goal $10 for a win ice cream if

you bring home the cup but when you

choose to have a cause involved and you

focus in on the development process the

things that are necessary for that age

or that level of player they work hard

because they know they're going to make

a difference they work hard because they

know they're learning never been a

player in the history of sport that ever

came home and said God that was terrible

I learned something today scientists

know that skill acquisition is the basis

and foundation of having confidence as

you grow up early ones have never proven

to do that when we reallocate the donut

money and we focus on the skills we're

truly saying that we're looking at the

basis and foundation of long-term sport

success and when they have to fight to

overcome some of the more difficult

things to do the mastery they actually

are overcoming adversity that's the

foundation of a winning mentality

resilience those are tools we want our

kids to have in every arena for the

future now sport is really reaching its

potential better people that are players

and the funny thing is this if you've

actually mastered a skill and you've

really worked hard to gain the necessary

tools in the long run you'll probably

even win team culture values overcoming

adversity skill acquisition learning

accountability to your team yourself

your cause all with one little shift one

little focus change one massive paradigm

shift for our kids

change the reward and you breathe life

into you sport culture we do see sport

change in the world in fact every

weekend we're in awe as teams play

better

that's wort bullying to help the

environment to help each other to play

for their families to make a difference

we see coaches teaching really bringing

out that winning mentality because they

care about their kids learning we see

people and cultures coming together

that's what sport can do but millions

and millions of kids go out every

weekend to their sporting event waiting

for someone to guide them to give them

the tools to help support them make a

difference in their future you can be

that difference you can make that change

with just one little process shift

change the reward and you change the

game it's time we all go play better

you