ESPN: The Uncensored Story

Michael Freeman’s book about the birth of ESPN offers many lessons about entrepreneurship and marketing, largely focused on persistence and the benefits of competition. Many people turned down the concept of a 24/7 sports network yet the founder Bill Rasmussen kept pushing because he believed that he had a good idea. The networks at the time were extremely myopic in their vision for the future of television which permitted cable networks like ESPN, CNN, and HBO to steal countless viewers, talent, and advertising revenue.

Whilst the new blue-chip brand’s humble beginnings were fascinating, the amount of alcoholism, sexual harassment, gambling, and drug abuse were quite dismaying. It goes to show, I suppose, that workplace stress can really take a toll and that it is important to support employees. According to one anecdote, employees who had been drinking in the studio and were forced to continue the habit outside by the satellite dishes only stopped because a rumour spread that drinking near the dishes could cause infertility.

ESPN Senior V.P. and Executive Editor changed a great deal in the company to keep it relevant and innovative and make it more professional. The company is hardly perfect but it identified a target market and catered to it to become a worldwide success. The book was entertaining at times but boring during other chapters. ESPN: The Uncensored Story would have benefited from a more concise writing style, but it was worth the $5.99 at BMV Books.

Fate Helps Those Who Help Themselves

Smokey the Bear persistently preached that “only you can prevent forest fires.” He understood that he could preach until he was blue in the fur about fire safety but he could only succeed if everyone did their part. A coach can make speeches, review game tape, prepare scouting reports, or employ coaching gimmicks but the team can only succeed if every player on the court contributes.

After a Toronto High School Senior Boys Basketball championship game, a West Hill player was heard to remark that the game was “easy.” One teammate concurred but another remarked that “wait, we lost.” Some athletes can’t separate process from outcome or recognize the differences between each definition of success. It is another issue entirely when team can’t figure out that both the process and the outcome are wrong and does not make adjustments.

Maybe the other team isn’t intense or applying pressure but let that be their problem. Beth Mende Conny once said that “if you can’t take control of your life, don’t complain when others do.” Or don’t sit there in the locker room afterwards wondering what happened.

Like work ethic, fear is an emotion that athletes can only conquer themselves. Jim Valvano remarked that “there are 86,400 seconds in a day. It’s up to you to decide what to do with them.” Well, there are 1,920 seconds in a high school game and it’s up to you to perform and leave it on the court without regrets.

Paradigm Shifts

Recently I read War as They Knew It: Woody Hayes, Bo Schembechler, and America in a Time of Unrest and Coach: The Life of Paul “Bear” Bryant. The books chronicled three iconic college football coaches during a time when their profession and the world around them were evolving at breakneck speed. The first book is about the Hundred Yard War and how the coaches reacted to each other and unrest on their respective campuses; the second book focuses on Bear Bryant’s life, especially his time in Tuscaloosa.

Thomas Kuhn, in his book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions talks about how a paradigm - a set of rules and structures - can limit those who make use of it. When scientists encounter information outside their paradigm, they are likely to modify it to suit their needs or ignore it outright.

Hayes, Schembechler, and Bryant coached for many seasons and developed their own philosophies and paradigms regarding coaching. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, players changed along with football strategy. Hayes continued to manage his team with an iron fist while emphasizing defence and the running game, but Schembechler and Bryant kept an open mind an adapted themselves to the new situation. Both the Michigan and Alabama loosened team discipline and made use of new offensive strategies to remain relevant.

All three of the coaches made mistakes earlier in their careers by overtraining their teams prior to critical bowl games - which they lost as a result of fatigue - but Schembecher and Bryant were more perceptive and less likely to repeat their mistakes like Hayes did over the years. At the end of War As They Knew It (and his career), the Ohio State coach was left wondering what was wrong with his campus and his country but his counterparts at Michigan and Alabama were more likely to look inwards and change themselves to keep pace.

All three coaches intimidated their assistant coaches over the years and used their stature as a way to bully younger staff members. Bear Bryant had the right idea about making up his staff, saying: “A lot of coaches are guilty of surrounding themselves with the same old same old. But I never hire a coach unless he knows something about the game that I don’t.” Towards the end of his career, Bryant would delegate a great deal to staff members, partially because of his failing health but also because he trusted his assistants immensely. Hayes may have let his standards slide during his last few years in Columbus but Bryant never did. Throughout his tenure, coaches and players alike dreaded the ominous clanking of the head coach’s tower, meaning that he was coming down from his observation post to give someone a tongue lashing.

Casablanca

Whether on DVD or at the Bloor Cinema, it is always worth watching Casablanca. I find that it is the best film of all time, mostly due to it’s historical significance. The characters are iconic and the performances by a stellar cast are excellent. The screenplay is dramatic but comedic at times. Many of the lines are so memorable that the film screens itself after you start watching. Film in black and white, a microcosm of the world is portrayed in the desert town of Casablanca.

Rick: How can you close me up? On what grounds?
Renault: I am shocked … shocked to find that gambling is going on in here.
Croupier: Your winnings, sir.
Renault: Oh. Thank you very much.

Slumdog Millionaire

Danny Boyle successfully adapts a little-known novel to create a compelling story that is tremendously enjoyed by many. So does that make Slumdog Millionaire the best film of the year?

Perhaps. Well, at least I had fun. Despite the fact that I wanted to vomit during the first thirty minutes, I wanted to see how the story would turn out.

Not Really. There was too much sensory overload. The direction was overdone and I felt that the game show presentation of the film was a gimmick. It could symbolize the collective attention deficit disorder faced by society but I don’t think so. I would have preferred to see the cast’s reaction to certain moments instead of being inundated with countless flashbacks in case I had forgotten what happened fifteen minutes ago.

Sorta. The film certainly illustrated the gap between rich and poor in today’s world. The slums of Mumbai are overrun with development and an indigent youth wins twenty million Rupees because of an esoteric selection of questions that matches up exactly with the traumatic events in his life. Winning the game show prize is secondary to finding true love for the protagonist’s happiness.

Something Lacking. Some have said that crimes committed by the impoverished characters should are justified because of the appalling circumstances in which they live. What exactly did Jamal Malik do to become sympathetic aside from having a crush on a girl and falling someone in the middle of the good and evil spectrum relative to others in the film? The film portrays him as the only righteous person in a sea of people who are at least somewhat morally corrupt. Jamal could work as a tragic hero who participates in situations that are so shocking that alternate between absurdly comical and intensely heartbreaking but Dev Patel lacks the ability to pull the audience in.

I’m Not Yet Convinced. Although the Best Picture Oscar is occasionally awarded to spectacles, such as Titanic or Return of the King, there are often instances of a lesser, low-key film triumphing over a more widely seen favourite, such as Crash over Brokeback Mountain and Dances with Wolves over Goodfellas. Slumdog Millionaire left me feeling less than fulfilled afterwards: I have seen films with better direction and performances (Frost/Nixon and Milk) that are also nominated in this category. Shouldn’t that count for something?

O'Neal and Moon for Marion and Banks

The Toronto Raptors acquired Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks from the Miami Heat in exchange for Jermaine O’Neal and Jamario Moon. Bryan Colangelo has made his team much more like the Phoenix Suns, obtaining an upgrade in speed and scoring at the expense of defense and rebounding.

On Wednesday, the Raptors beat the San Antonio Spurs with above-average half-court execution and satisfactory defence. Led by Roko Ukic, Toronto was much less predictable; although they mostly alternated Flex-Ball Screen-High Rub, it seemed that the ball ended up in different hands and that there was more penetration. I’m not a fan of Chris Bosh holding the ball as the shot clock winds down before shot-faking thrice and shooting a fifteen foot jumper so I that that this was a positive development. Another difference between O’Neal and Bosh is that screens were set more solidly and post defence against Tim Duncan appeared tougher.

Now, the team will certainly run more and play more athletically. Marion’s numbers have continued to decline this year although he is an above-average rebounder from the wing. Down the stretch, the team will likely put the ball in Bosh’s hands and I’m not sure how that will work out. The Raptors don’t need to put the ball in Parker’s hands as much so he can focus more on creating his own offence. As a corollary of that, I suppose Jason Kapono will get less run unless his shooting heats up.

Post defence has improved - which is good because it was previously horrendous - but post defence is very shallow and soft. The Raptors have some options to prevent players like Manu Ginobli from dropping 37 points on them. Instead of size, the defence has more speed. Hopefully Bosh and Bargnani never foul anyone and never injure themselves.

The Raptors have some cap flexibility to get a free agent this summer and convince Chris Bosh to stay. Banks’s contract is as bad as his point guard play but it’s only five million a year, which is manageable. Moon was gone for sure anyways and needed to be moved to clear minutes for Marion. In a perfect world, it would be good if Kapono started shooting well; maybe he could be moved for a back-up post.

Potential Rotation: there are a lot of guys to whom Jay Triano can turn to for contributions. Not that there are a lot of great players but there are a lot of players with similar PERs on the bench. They are very much a European-style team. These guys should help Triano run more of his sets.
PG: Calderon/Ukic
SG: Parker/Kapono/Banks
SF: Marion/Graham/Kapono
PF: Bosh/Humphries
C/F: Bargnani/Voskuhl

The Raptors better start scoring about 85 point in the first three quarters because they will be holding on for dear life down the stretch. And fans need no longer fret whilst nervously awaiting the imminent explosion of Jermaine O’Neal’s knee.

"This Is Russia”

Dave King wrote King of Russia during the 2004-05 season when he coached Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the Russian Super League. The diary contrasts the professional hockey systems in Russia and North America and records observations about daily life in Russia. In post-Communist Russia, the country is modernizing from Moscow outwards but it is not quite there. Despite all best intentions, transportation and distributions quandaries occasionally arise and corruption remains a problem. King encounters some bizarre situations where it is best not to ask questions because “this is Russia.” Unfortunately, King is also able to chronicle how the Russian economy is distilling into two classes: the very rich and the destitute (a problem occurring in other cities and countries, including Toronto).

King often admires the work ethic of players at all levels of the club program (echoing Gladwell’s 10,000 horus theory) and the Russian/Soviet ability to mesh different sport tactics and training methods together in order to better their teams (Lloyd Percival’s The Hockey Handbook receives a shout-out). Russian players work on physical conditioning (especially quadriceps muscles) from a very young age and skill is developed over thousands of repetitions. An hour practice might be divided into only three drills. Despite this work ethic, King finds that the team finally hits its stride after Russians with N.H.L. experience model the way and lead by example on the ice.

Questions abound at first about how the Canadian will survive in the Super League but King successfully introduces North American ideas such as power-plays and penalty killing systems and line match-ups. Even in the K-League there is not a single answer to every problem.

My Bad

Taking responsibility and finding ways to improve team performance is entirely different from taking responsibility and repeatedly making the same mistake. Saying that it is your bad doesn’t make it better. We’ve all been coaching for years and know it’s your bad. Furthermore, anyone who has been playing the sport for more than twenty minutes should know it’s your bad.

The phrase has become cursory and trite like cocktail party conversation; on some teams, it is as incessant as a broken record. Coaches don’t say that it is their bad when the bench is uncomfortable.

David Frost: President Nixon, do you regret the invasion of Cambodia which may have triggered the militarization of the Khmer Rouge?

Richard Nixon: My bad.

Self-evaluation is an important part of mental training and the first step to serious improvement. But self-evaluation without follow-up is nothing. Serious people take steps to improve every day.

Coaches should help players realize that there is a problem, show them how to identify ways to correct it, and plan practices with quality repetition at high intensity. There are limits to what coaching can accomplish (extrinsic motivation). Players should buy into the process (intrinsic motivation), instead of putting another coat of primer on a cracked foundation by saying that it’s their bad. Of course it is and it is also their bad that they aren’t taking initiative to get better.

Superbowl XLIII

Most people would say that Superbowl XLIII was an exciting game and largely well-played. Is that true?

How do casual fans evaluate success? Kurt Warner likely performed better than Ben Roethlisberger (112.3 to 92.3 passer ratings) and Larry Fitzgerald likely outplayed Santonio Holmes. Yet the Steelers’ performances will linger in the memories of the masses because they succeeded under pressure and created defining moments. A more arbitrary P.E.R. might have shown that the Cardinals played more consistently. If Arizona assesses their season properly and plugs the right holes, they have many building blocks for future success.

Why do teams play conservatively under pressure? It took the Cardinals three quarters to figure out that they should try a hurry-up offence. Hadn’t they learned that preparation can beat talent (the Patriots made adjustments and shut down the Greatest Show on Turf for fifty minutes during Superbowl XXXVI until the Rams overwhelmed them with volume and almost came back)? Why did the Steelers back-off and play a prevent defence? Normally they introduce multiple defensive adjustments as the game wears on. Coaches may have been affected by the pressure and let their players down.

Pressure can rush decisions and cause mentally weak players to fold. I’ve always felt that emphasizing Intensity and Quality in practice leads to excellent performance under pressure during games.

Outliers

Like Blink and The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell weaves a number of seemingly unrelated pieces of anecdotal evidence to create his latest work Outliers. The fundamental premise of the book is that conventional wisdom about success is flawed: factors publically praised are irrelevant and success or failure can be determined by a few core factors.

Gladwell raises a salient point that many of athletic and academic cut-off dates favour those born early in the year. Basketball Ontario and other organizations have realized this and have implemented strategies to provide more coaching for those born late in the year and recognize reliable indicators of talent not based on age. The author also mentions that nobody reaches a gifted level unless they put in ten thousand hours of practice. Then Gladwell talks about the nebulous nature of opportunity and how many diligent workers never receive a key chance to succeed.

The final half of the book includes a half-baked chapter about how Southerners may have short tempers and self-control may be passed down through the family like speech tendencies. Apparently, communication errors cause most plane crashes and the clarity in the relationship between supervisor and subordinate depends on culture. Lastly, it is argued that Asians perform better at math because of a more logical naming system for their digits and more hours of schooling.

Some of these points seem sensible when explained, even though they may be superficially counterintuitive. The problem with picking evidence in order to create an entertaining, quirky book is that sample size is very small. Gladwell interviews a partner at the firm who is his literary agent; many of the examples are not arbitrarily selected. The first hundred pages are more solid than what follows - which is highly inconsistent - and relevant for coaches and player development. The rest of the book is largely for entertainment only and does not absolutely prove the thesis it set out to establish.