Hi JVL...long time listener and reader, first time commenter. I generally observe and don't engage in public platforms, but you spoke to me here. I was a bad college athlete but a pretty successful Olympic and Division I head coach. While coaching at Stanford I decided to pursue a doctorate in leadership with a focus on process vs. outco…
Hi JVL...long time listener and reader, first time commenter. I generally observe and don't engage in public platforms, but you spoke to me here. I was a bad college athlete but a pretty successful Olympic and Division I head coach. While coaching at Stanford I decided to pursue a doctorate in leadership with a focus on process vs. outcome orientation because I hoped to continue nudging the conversation in elite athletics away from outcomes, particularly in college, where we should be prioritizing human development. Sadly, Division I college athletics is quickly moving toward a ruthless, zero sum approach that is more akin to professional sports. I fear for grassroots and youth development sports because so many coaches and parents learn their lessons about sports from ESPN and the pros, rather than folks that are expert in how sports can develop all people. And 99% of people who benefit will never be pro or elite athletes but can have their lives fundamentally impacted by someone like Coach Anthony. I love that you took this on and really appreciate the transparency of your experience from a variety of angles. If you'd like to discuss or exchange ideas on this topic, I'd be elated to help. You can find a little of my approach at www.lorenzencoaching.com
Thank YOU. I’ve been a Pod Save guy for a long time but you, Tim and Sarah have become my go to regulars. Your ability to balance good and bad JVL is helpful and entertaining :) And don’t hesitate to reach out if you could use support/guidance in the recruiting process.
Mike, kudos for taking on the issue of the process vs outcome in contemporary leadership lore. If ever there was an urgency for a process orientation in human development education it is now when the lived context is chaotic, outcomes are impossible to predict and where elites appear to believe that their narcissistic ends more than justify means.
One more thing about fairness. It is not overrated. It is misunderstood. Fairness is not an individual good, it is relational . It is one of the earliest social sensibilities babies show. Toddlers will often object if one of their friends miss out on a treat. Fairness is social glue that holds communities and teams together as “we”. Good coaches know that and balance individual agency with fairness .
According to a 2024 UN report, “by 30 March 2024, over 600 female athletes in more than 400 competitions have lost more than 890 medals in 29 different sports" to men who believe they are women. Almost 900 medals. Try telling those 600 female athletes that fairness is overrated.
If this is true, then these competitions are clearly at different skill levels, in different places, under different governing bodies. In other words, these lost medals are clearly not all at an Olympic/elite level, else it would have been the only news to come out of last year’s Olympics (and the main “trans” athlete discussed last year was biologically intersex, not actually trans).
Whether history determines trans participation in sports to be “fair” or not, the fear of a cis person losing an athletic competition to a trans athlete has ludicrously led to real dehumanization of trans people as a whole.
I'm happy to review primary research if you cite your source or have a good faith debate about the challenges surrounding transgendered people in competitive sports, but your framing is prima facie nonsense and I suspect you have limited experience participating in or coaching at that level?
Hi JVL...long time listener and reader, first time commenter. I generally observe and don't engage in public platforms, but you spoke to me here. I was a bad college athlete but a pretty successful Olympic and Division I head coach. While coaching at Stanford I decided to pursue a doctorate in leadership with a focus on process vs. outcome orientation because I hoped to continue nudging the conversation in elite athletics away from outcomes, particularly in college, where we should be prioritizing human development. Sadly, Division I college athletics is quickly moving toward a ruthless, zero sum approach that is more akin to professional sports. I fear for grassroots and youth development sports because so many coaches and parents learn their lessons about sports from ESPN and the pros, rather than folks that are expert in how sports can develop all people. And 99% of people who benefit will never be pro or elite athletes but can have their lives fundamentally impacted by someone like Coach Anthony. I love that you took this on and really appreciate the transparency of your experience from a variety of angles. If you'd like to discuss or exchange ideas on this topic, I'd be elated to help. You can find a little of my approach at www.lorenzencoaching.com
Thanks for this Mike.
Thank YOU. I’ve been a Pod Save guy for a long time but you, Tim and Sarah have become my go to regulars. Your ability to balance good and bad JVL is helpful and entertaining :) And don’t hesitate to reach out if you could use support/guidance in the recruiting process.
Mike, kudos for taking on the issue of the process vs outcome in contemporary leadership lore. If ever there was an urgency for a process orientation in human development education it is now when the lived context is chaotic, outcomes are impossible to predict and where elites appear to believe that their narcissistic ends more than justify means.
One more thing about fairness. It is not overrated. It is misunderstood. Fairness is not an individual good, it is relational . It is one of the earliest social sensibilities babies show. Toddlers will often object if one of their friends miss out on a treat. Fairness is social glue that holds communities and teams together as “we”. Good coaches know that and balance individual agency with fairness .
According to a 2024 UN report, “by 30 March 2024, over 600 female athletes in more than 400 competitions have lost more than 890 medals in 29 different sports" to men who believe they are women. Almost 900 medals. Try telling those 600 female athletes that fairness is overrated.
If this is true, then these competitions are clearly at different skill levels, in different places, under different governing bodies. In other words, these lost medals are clearly not all at an Olympic/elite level, else it would have been the only news to come out of last year’s Olympics (and the main “trans” athlete discussed last year was biologically intersex, not actually trans).
Whether history determines trans participation in sports to be “fair” or not, the fear of a cis person losing an athletic competition to a trans athlete has ludicrously led to real dehumanization of trans people as a whole.
I'm happy to review primary research if you cite your source or have a good faith debate about the challenges surrounding transgendered people in competitive sports, but your framing is prima facie nonsense and I suspect you have limited experience participating in or coaching at that level?