Culture of a TEAM

Posted on August 1, 2022 by Jim Tunney Ed.D
On the TunneySide of Sports
August 1, 2022 #911
Up next… Culture of a T*E*A*M

After further review… The National Football League consistently promotes the theme “Football is family.” This has been of significance to my family since the NFL has fulfilled that role for me for 62 years after I joined in 1960.

With me on the field for 31 seasons, my family has watched with great interest my involvement. I’m not convinced too many families had the same interest. However, I have noticed many times that families do attend their home games. Thus, ‘team’ brings us all in the family together.

The NFL officiating family comprises crews whose lives are interwoven both in the season and after. The seven members in each crew know each other’s personal families and develop their own group culture. In each crew is a referee – the crew chief – who sets guidelines for each member of the crew. Each member of the crew has his/her own style but conforms to the standards set by the crew chief.

I would suspect the same method is used by each of the teams. However, as I observe the behavior of some teams, it is apparent that no one is in charge. Is it the head coach’s responsibility to see that proper guidelines are established to expect conformity?  I don’t need to go back to the rogue behavior of Colin Kaepernick to cite this behavior. I know that Kap wanted to make a statement about his beliefs,  but it was done on “company time” and not with the outward approval of management. Good/bad/right or wrong, in all fairness, it did raise interest in his cause with some good to follow.

Having had the privilege of playing, coaching, and officiating in team sports for my entire life, it has always been my belief that team, family, and officiating crew culture must take precedence over personal issues. Does this mean one devalues or foregoes issues of integrity?  Of course not! It does mean that one needs to accept the culture of one’s team or help his/her team change what is necessary for that culture.

It occurs to me that if one is unwilling to adapt to or is unable to accept his/her team’s culture, then separation from that team must happen for the success of both the individual and the team.

Will you accept your team/family’s structure and work successfully within those guidelines?

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Jim’s Bobblehead is still available for $30. He has added one of his books (your choice – you pick one from his website www.jimtunney.com) at no extra charge. 

Shop here.

To contact Jim, go to www.jimtunney.com  or email jim@jimtunney.com.

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Turning the Corner?

Posted on July 25, 2022 by Jim Tunney Ed.D
On the TunneySide of Sports
July 25th, 2022 #910
Up next… Turning the Corner?

After further review… As we begin the 102nd season of the National Football League (62nd for me since joining as an on-field official in 1960), what changes can we expect to see? Several teams will be changing uniform colors or designs. New players from the 2022 draft will add rookies whose salaries were unheard of in past years. Nine of the 32 head coaches have been replaced as have many assistant coaches. Some others have been moved up into those spots. One always needs to improve his status.

Well, maybe not just his, but hers, as more women are being recruited for NFL administrative jobs. This is not the first year women have been in NFL administrative jobs. An example is Mrs. Virginia Halas McCaskey, daughter of Bears founder George Halas, who serves as owner and attends every game. There are others (some are widows) who perform a variety of tasks. Can they add something that men cannot?

With continued spousal abuse and accusations of groping and unwanted sexual male aggressiveness, can women play a role in helping NFL players treat women with respect? I was fortunate to have had both parents who instilled in me the importance of learning and practicing that value.  Will players listen? Even so, beyond listening will their behavior change? Will some players step-up to be leaders when needed? Some whose background was not as fortunate as mine may need guidance.

Leadership on a team is important for its immediate effect as well as its sustainable future. It isn’t just the coach or the quarterback who needs to be the leader, it’s often the player whose locker is next to yours. One too often reads or sees it in the news of these misdeeds. Is it because the players today are making too much money and thinking they can get away with it?

If players are having marital problems, there are ample counselors to help. In addition, fellow teammates are often good resources. This is a call for others to step up to help. I’ve often thought that three of the most important words in one’s vocabulary are “I need help.” Certainly, it is nothing to be ashamed of since we all need help in some way or the other at various times in our lives.

All too often players (or people) are hesitant because they don’t want to interfere or say to themselves, it’s a personal matter and none of my business. Or maybe the helper is afraid of being rejected. Yet, how many times have we heard “If I’d only said or done something!”

Will you have the courage to help when you see the need?

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Jim’s Bobblehead is still available for $30. He has added one of his books (your choice – you pick one from his website www.jimtunney.com) at no extra charge. 

Shop here.

To contact Jim, go to www.jimtunney.com  or email jim@jimtunney.com.

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What’s In A Name?

Posted on July 18, 2022 by Jim Tunney Ed.D
On the TunneySide of Sports
July 18th, 2022 #909
Up next… What’s In a Name?

After further review… Watching the New York Yankees play the Boston Red Sox recently in Fenway Park, the third baseman for the Sox came to bat – Jeter Downs. He normally plays shortstop, but Sox manager Alex Cora moved Downs to third in his MLB debut.

“Jeter?” I thought to myself – shouldn’t he be playing for that other team? Jeter did well in his first MLB game and received a nice Tweet from the player he was named after – Derek Jeter — or as one of my favorite announcers, Bob Sheppard at Yankees Stadium, would say, “Now batting number two Jeta, number two.” And yes, his mom gave Downs, who is now 23, the name of Jeter.

And why not? “Everything he does has such grace about it,” said A’s General Manager Billy Beane about Derek Jeter. “Every sunrise is a fresh shot at victory – every day an invitation to compete with that same smile and delight of that little boy in the mirror that looks back at you.”

There have been many other great Yankee players that I admired and used to hear their names as I was growing up and listening to on our radio – Red Ruffing, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig along with DiMaggio, Ford, Mantle, Maris, etc. But as I watched Derek Jeter play, what struck me first and foremost was his positive attitude. He looked like he was having fun playing baseball, treating every game, every day, like he was happy to be there.

One of his coaches said about Derek Jeter. “Players gravitate toward him. He is well-liked, has a great disposition, a good sense of humor, and of course that smile, but when it comes to working out that grin melts into a serious look. Do you think that Jeter Downs is capable of adopting that? The name is one thing, the behavior is still to come. Or how about any young ballplayer? The original can be copied.

Certainly, credit must go to Derek Jeter’s mother (Dorothy) and father (Charles) for instilling and nurturing Jeter in the values of integrity, humility, and respect for others. Dorothy and Charles have been in the Yankee clubhouse and were reluctant to go again saying, “This is where you work.”  Proud, you bet! But respectful of him and his place of work. What Jeter dislikes most is an attitude of “not caring.” He believed that you must care about winning. That’s an attitude that every player must have!

Will you practice the Derek Jeter values in everything you do?

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Jim’s Bobblehead is still available for $30. He has added one of his books (your choice – you pick one from his website www.jimtunney.com) at no extra charge. 

Shop here.

To contact Jim, go to www.jimtunney.com  or email jim@jimtunney.com.

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